The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-11-11
NOVEL RAILROADING.
Long Islands Monopoly Likely to be
Broken.

Broken
BROOKLYN, Nov. 9.-Wide awake
Long Islanders have been Watching with
interested curiosi g@Sior two years past
for the outcome Of a proposed new de-
parture in railroading which promises
to be of enormous value to the island
within few months and to contribute
in no mean measure to the prosperity of
New York city as we'll by developing
its most valuable suburb.
For Long Island, though it is more
than 100 miles long and almost % in
width, is. in the nature of things, sub
urb of Brooklyn, and everybody Knows
what Brooklyn is "The center of the
island" as some witty Irishman said,
sis at the extreme end of it and is i'm
portant principally because 1T is near
somewhere else. " Because of this pc
culiarity and because the entire business
of the island did not seem to be big
enough to support two rival railroad
companies the monopoly of the Long Is
land Railroad company has been unat-
tackled for at least quarter of CEN
tury, and without discussing the merits
of the case it may be said, without fear
of contradiction, that the company is
not popular on the island. All talk Of
competition, however, and there has
been a-plenty, has been stihed by the
hopelessness of the situation.
Now, however, a rival company is
fairly in the field, and the work of ac-
tual construction has been settled to its
minutest detail, and contracts have been
awarded for the building of the first
section of the road. The new corpora
ton is called the Kings, Queens and
Suffolk Railroad company. The section
first to be built is from Brooklyn to Far
Rockaway. The plan of construction is
one that would be regarded with sus-
| picion if an experimental road two miles
in length had not been in successful oper-
alton for two years.
This plan can best be described in
few words as a combination of the ele
waited railroad system, electricity or the
trolley system and the safety bicycle. A
| glance at the accompanying cut will
show its principal features, and a few
lines will make them easy to understand.
One element of safety will be the
avoidance of grade crossings. The ele-
waited structure makes it impossible for
cattle or people to get on the track. This
is an advantage Long Island people have
learned to appreciate, as accidents have
always been frequent at the crossings,
more than 500 in number of the existing
railroad.
The second advantage claimed is the
economy and speed of the overhead wire
system. BY running trolley cars above
the ground all the objections urged
against trolley roads on the surface are
avoided and all their advantages are re
tanned. AS is we'll known, the speed of
the electric car is only limited by the
manner of its construction and the ex-
igencies of it's operation, and the K, O.
and S. company claim that with their
system they can drive their cars 100
miles an hour if desirable.
The third step accounted progressive
by the company is the adoption of the
single rail Oh which the cars travel.
Each car running on two wheels, fore
and aft, exemplities the principle Of the
safety bicycle, and as precaution q
guide rail overhead keeps the car i'll ax-
act alignment, so that there is no ran
ming off the track to DO feared. Neither
can the track spread.
This last feature, while il will seem
new to many readers, is not really new.
For many years the patent Office at
Washington has been receiving applica-
lions for patents on this idea, and nu-
merous patents have been issued. The
company first adopted the system patent
ed by Eben M. Boynton, but modified
and improved it very materially after