The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-07-20
FAREWELL TO THE TROLLEY.

FAKE W ELL III THE IKOLLEI.
The SucccsS Of Gotham's Elect ric Under.
ground Railway Is Prophetic Of Transit
Changes Soon 10 Come.
The first practical electrical UNDER
ground conduit railway in this country
is now in operation in New York city.
connected to the great cable-traction
system Of the Metropolitan Traction
company. The public can now travel
from the Battery to One Hundred and
Forty-siXth street with one transfer,
from the cable car to the electric car.
at West One Hundred and Eighth
street. The underground electric sys-
tenn employed differs radically from all
other systems of electric underground
conduit railways both in the construc-
tion of the corduit itself and the method
of taking the current from the conduc-
tors for the motors.
The introduction Of this system upon
the surface lines CT this city is the
result of the determination Of the Met
ropolitan Traction company to give to
New York a satisfactory electrical sys-
TEN of propulsion which would not be
the subject of that peculiar popular pre-
judice which has acted to dobar II from
the advantages of the overhead-trolley
system. Consideration of the question
resulted in the selection Of a conduit
system designed and manufactured by
the General Electric company, and the
long stretch of road on Lenox avenue
was chosen as the scene of the expert
ment.
Prepared for Emergencies.
In formulating the project the Trac-
ton company proceeded upon the most
conservative lines. and determined to
reduce the consequences Of failure to
the minimum of damage which would
inevitably arise from any stoppage in
the service. The plan therefore con-
templated the construction OF the line
as If for cable road, In order that,
should the electrical system prove un-
successful, the electrical portion could
be taken out and the cables and pulleys
of regular cable system introduced
into the conduit without loss of time
and at comparatively small expense.
The Lenox avenue line Is a double
track road. starting at the car house at
One Hundred and Forty-sixth street
and running directly south to One Hun
dred and Sixteenth street, into which 1t
turns and proceeds as far west as Man.
haitian avenue. 1t turns here and runs
as far south as One Hundred and Eighth
street, along which IT Is carried to the
junction Of that street and Columbus
avenue. The district which this line
will serve Is at present somewhat
sparsely settled; but the facilities Of
transit which it will afford will prob
ably result in the rapid development
of a new residence section for New
Workers on both sides Of the Harlem.
The power house Is located on One
Hundred and Forty-sixth street few
yards west Of Lenox avenue. Steam is
supplied from two Babcock & Wilcox
water-tube boilers to the horizontal
cross-compound horsepower Allis-Cor-
liss machines. To each of the engines
Is coupled al general electric 400 XIV.
dynamo of standard construction, but
wound for $50 volts instead OF 500 volts,
as Is the usual ractice in railway work.
This machine Is placed between the
high and low pressure sides Of the
engines.
From the generators the cables run to
the switchboard and thence to subway
under the sidewalk on One Hundred and
Forty-sixth street. extending as far as
Lenox avenue. where they are intro
duced into the five inch iron pipes run
ming parallel with the conduit. For the
present the line will he operated di-
rectly from the power house. but feed
wires will probably be placed in the
pipes and will be Joined to the con-
ductor at the necessary points. and the
line will then be divided up into Sec
tions.
simplicity Itself.
The construction of the underground
contact system is simplicity itself. The
plough suspended from the car truck
passes through the slot in the center
Of the track and presses against the
fiat surfaces of two iron conductors
running the entire length of the con-
duit. These conductors are placed each
three Inches on each side away from
the center of the slot to avoid dele
teriOus effects of any dip which would
otherwise reach them, and are Of chm
mel iron four inches deep and thirty
feet long. They are suspended from the
ceiling Of the conduit by means of in
sulators devised for this especial pur-
pose, and are at a depth Of thirteen
inches below the conduit slot. Each
conductor is sufficiently rigid to require
suspension at the ends and centers only.
The ends are located in the inanholes
and hand holes are placed at the CEN
ters, inspection and repair are thus rem
dered comparatively easy.
A modification of this system of sus-
pension Of the conductors Is introduced
for length of about one hundred
yards Of single track on One Hundred
and Sixteenth street, between Lenox
and Seventh avenue. At the manholes,
instead of insulators Suspended from
the ceiling OF the conduit. the conduc-
tors are supported by soapstone pillur,
provided with an iron cap furnished
with brackets. to which the conductors
are bolted. and continuous connection
Is secured by means OF band OF fiat
copper strips riveted to the webs. The
soapstone blocks are set in iron bases
erected in the manholes.
In Case Of Accident.
Every twelfth nlrhOle Is connected
with the power house by telephone.
Quick break electric switches are To-
Gated at intervals in these manholes, In
order that any section OF the line may
be cut out I'M case Of trouble or accl-
dent. At the track switches each con-
ductor is provided with a farlng nose
to facilitate the entrance Of the plough
into the conductors. The mihholes In
which the insulators are placed are con-
structed Of brick with watts that rest
on concrete foundations. The floor, are