The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-02
make it one of the finest and best-equipped

make it one of the finest and best-equipped
in the country.
In the matter of streetcar equipment Los
Angeles has Jagged behind for many years,
and is at present using the same rolling
stock that was doing duty eight years ago,
and as "trailers" cars that came around
the Horn in the early seventies, and de-
voured space for many years with mule
attachment.
The total number of miles now operated
by the Consolidated Company, including
cable and electric lines, is at present about
seventy-fve. This mileage will be in
creased as soon as practicable to about 100
miles, the new roads following the modern
methods of construction and being laid in
the most substantial manner. The lines
now operated by cable will be changed to
electricity, the old cable-cars discarded
and rolling-stock combining all the latest
improvements substituted. Much of the
old track is composed of the very lightest
rails These will be removed ami the regu-
lation steel rails, such as are used on the
Kearny. street electric road in San Fran
cisco, will be put down.
The power plant will be thoroughly over
hauled and will be centralized in the power
house now located at the corner of Wilde
street and Central avenue. This will
economic power and save much in the
operating expense account, as it will do
away with the three power-houses now
located at Seventh and Grand avenue,
on Downey avenue and OH Boyle Heights.
There is sufficient unused space in the
power-house selected for additional ma
chinery needed in the immediate future,
and the company owns enough ground
surrounding the present building to per-
nit of all necessary expansion for further
needs
The increase necessary in the power
house to accommodate the change will be
made at once, and will consist of two large
direct-connected S00-kilowat generators,
equivalent to an addition of 1000 horse
power engines, and two 1000 horsepower
steam engines, making total increase of
1000 horsepower. The 'direct-connected"
generators will be of the latest improved
pattern, and, as the name indicates, will
be coupled direct with the main shaft of
the engine and will not be driven by belts
or rope drives, thus economizlng both
space and power.
The space in the power-house will also
admit of the introduction of two vertical
engines, which will be used to supply
the power circuit for mercantile and manu-
featuring concerns, which is now run in
communion with motive power for the rail-
wav and as the circuit is increasing every
dav it has been found advisable to provide
separate means for its maintenance.
General Manager Wood said this morn
ing that one of the main objects of the
new administration was to build up the
OUTLYING districts as fast as possible, and to
that end tracks would be extended anC
facilities for getting to and from the center
of the city would be increased as last as the
traffic would warrant it. An order has been
placed and is now being filled for seventy
handsome cars. thirty being of the large
double-truck pattern and forty of the sim
gle-truck kind These cars will combine
handsomeness of design, with every I'M
provement for comfort and safety yet de-
vised, besides having several special feat
ures adapted to the climate and uses OF
local traffic. The expenditures III sight
viii involve an outlay of nearly, If not
quite, a half million dollars, but Will en-
nance the value of the road almost two
fold.
When the improvements now being IN
augurated shall have been carried out Los
Angeles will be able to boast OF the largest,
finest and pest equipped system OF cable
roads in the country for city OF It's size,
and one whose system os transfers. if based
on that now in vogue, will be the most
generous. Even at the present time Los
Angeles leads all other cities in proper
ton to population, being sixteenth in rail
road mileage and fifty-second, in popula-
tion, while Boston, which boasts the finest
electric system in the country, ranks
second in railroad mileage and third IN
population.
All of the changes will be made in ac-
cordance with the report made to the board
of directors by Messrs. Hasson q Hunt,
the engineers of San Francisco, an account
of whose examination was given at the
time it was made in the columns of THE
CALL. General Manager Wood will super
intend all changes, and it is safe to pre-
dict that under his efficient direction they
will be made in the most economical and
at the same time durable manner.
Suicide in Chill GuIch.