The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-10
TRYING FENDERSs
Experiments Today By the
Traction Company of a
Greenvil1e Mans
III Patent. at
eds ag 49, no 998ss
CHANGES In CAR CONSTR UCTION'
ah - stia
All calculated to Lessen the
II Danger Incident to Irollsga
. Travel. aa t. Gd !
IcHAEGEEs in CAR CONSTR U l5FTIiO

.N 81 GfnLIF 5ENEH HEA|#a N
The failure of the Consolidated Traction
Company to provide tenders for the cars on
the various lines of this city has not been
caused by the indifference of the offici-
ais in regard to the prevention Of the
slaughter of lives, but by the difficulty of
finding a fender that can be depended upon.
The officials nave spent much time during
the past few weeks experimenting with
tenders, and on Saturday four Of them will
be given a final trial. Among these will be
the life saver invented by Mr.. Oswald Routh
of Greenyille, the workings of which were
explained fully in THE JERSEY CITY NEWS
last week. Mr.. Routh's invention gives
every promise Of filing all the requirements
asked for by the officials, and has received
the endorsement OF many of the life insur-
aances companies of New York. The fender
is receiving an experimental trial this after
noon upon Bayonne car No. $50, and SO con-
ident is Mr.. Roath that his invention is a
success that he will stand on the track and
allow himself to be STUCK by it. The fender
has been at the machine shop OF Mr.. Fritz
on Gator avenue, and the experiments made
there by Mr.. Routh have all been successful.
CHANGES Il H CARS.
General Manager David Young of the
Traction Company has made q thorough ex-
animation of the fender and he will watch
the experiments closely. Mr.. Young has de-
cided to make a great many changes in the
bumpers and couplers on the cars
that will greatly lessen the possibility
and sharp edges of the fhrake rod will be
placed out Of sight. The sheet iron dash
boards will be placed in front of the brake
rod. The coupling rods will also be re-
moved, and the new bumpers will be made
solid and will form part OF the platform of
the car. Much objection has been found to
the bumper now in use because it projects so
far in front of the car. This has cost the
lives of many persons, as the tendency of
the bumper is to throw persons struck under
the car. 1t also was a great obstacle to
tenders, as none could be secured that
would work satisfactorily and cover it
at the same time, with the exception of Mr..
Routh's invention. The new bumper will
extend but a few inches in front Of the plat
form, and in the centre is a hole through
which a coupling pin slides when sstrailers"
are hitched to the motors. The placing of
the coupling pin and the bumper out of the
way makes it much easier to secure a suit
able fender, and Manager Young is sure
that he will now be able to equip each car
with life saving apparatus that Will ill the
purposes for which it is intended.
The front platforms of a large number of
cars nave already been altered SO as to allow
these improvements to be made. The work
is being lone in the shops at Montgomery
street and Tuers avenue, and will be pushed
rapidly to completion SO that when a fender
is selected no time will be lost in placing
them on the cars. At the shops one of the
~company's skilled mechanics is at work
arranging the tenders that will be tested.
AT THE POWER HOUSE.
The ompany will also make a number of
improvements at the power houses in this
city and Newark. Enough engines will be
placed in the power stations to make it a n
impossibility for the company to be
caught without power to run its cars. In
addition tothe six 250-horse power engines
at the Grand street station there has been
added the 750-horse power engine which was
used TO move the exhibits in the Machinery
Hall at the Worlds Fair. This engine can,
when pushed, give 1%,000-horse power, and in
addition to furnishing the power for the
Newark line, is helping the other lines in
this city. The latest feature of the company
is the trip from Newark to Central Park,
New York. The fare for the trip is fifteen
cents, and it is claimed that the entire dis
tauce can be covered in two hours.