Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-08-31

way of storage battery traction has been
the life of the battery The storage bat
terry consists one-half of positive and one
half Of negative plates No fault has ever
been found with the negatives plates, for
they have an almost indefinite life, or, at
least, an economical life; bat the positive
plates of the earlier types of battery
seemed not to have an economical life, so
that they had to be too frequently renewed
to admit of as low "A cost of motive power
as claimed by other systems of traction.
This objection, however, not only has
been overcome to the satisfaction of stor
age battery manufacturers, but the fact
has been demonstrated by the use of the
storage battery cars on three lines now In
service in the city of Paris-to wit, the
st. Denis Madeline, the St. Denis Opera,
and the st. Denis Neuilly There are
about Is cars in daily service, making in
the aggregate 1850 car miles day Up
to April /, last, the cars had made over
2, 900, 600 car miles. In addition to the
lines In Paris, a line Is also In successful
operation at Birmingham, Eng. 1t con-
sists of IL cars, which have been running
there now over three years with most sat
isfactory results-economical and other
wise. In Paris the motor car lows an
ordinary car both the cars accommodate
ing 100 passengers These cars make
about 20 miles on one charge of the bat
terry on good standard rails--a mileage
triple that of the old style of storage
battery car.
The success of the above described
system is due to the new type of storage
battery, known as the chloride accumula,
tor. All the cars referred to are being run
by that type of battery. That battery, 1t
Is claimed, has entirely superseded every
other type of battery in traction work by
reason of its superior qualities, more
especially its endurance and large power
capacity.
The best and most economical system
of animal traction, and where over $50
cars are in daily use, whereby the cost of
motive power Is largely reduced,) costs
81 cents a car mile; the cost of cable
motive power in New York city is II
cents car mile; the cost of trolley in one
Of the largest cities in the Union is II
cents car mile. Assuming the average
cost If cable, trolley and animal traction
to be 10 cents car mile, the saving by
the use of the new system of storage bat
terry traction is three cents a car mile, or
So per car per day, or 30 per cent of the
entire cost. These figures are taken
from actual results.
The cars to be run on Madison avenue.
and which are now being constructed in
this city, will be of the standard type of
electric car, IS foot body and about 23
feet over all They will be mounted on
Peckham trucks, carrying General electric
motors. The cars will have many i'm
provements over the old type of electric
car. For example, the batteries will not
be carried in the car body, as has been
hitherto the practice, but will be sus-
pended from the truck under the center of
the car.
The tray or box containing the batteries
is readily and quickly detachable from the
truck and removed, for the purpose of
charging, on small transfer Car run
ming on rails to and from an elevator situ
atcd between the street car tracks and
running beneath the floor to cellar or
subway, the elevator being adapted t.
hoist the batteries into place on the car
truck, or to remove them therefrom, as
the case may be-
BY this novel arrangement a car can be
loaded and unloaded in about half
minute. 1t will be seen that with this
new system of carrying the batteries on
the truck any car body is adapted for use
in this service, thereby saving company
adopting the system considerable expense
by enabling it to use its present car
bodies.