The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-02

Electric Lights on Railway Trains.
Every person who has made even a short
/ trip by night on a railroad train has ex-
/ pertenced the need Of an improved method
/ of lighting the cars. The matter OF illum-
I mating passenger cars has not kept pace
with the march OF railway progress along
other lines. Even the luxurious palace
cars are lighted with TWO or three oil
lamps. as many Pintsch gas jets. each
holding flames always heady to fire the
car i'm case Of even a slight accident. And
the illumination is totally Inadequate and
unsatisfactory The lights are dim and
sickly. and the short-distance passenger
who would while the time away by read
ing runs the risk of strained eyes and
headache in making a fruitless effort to
read. There are two or three well lighted
trains in service within the United States.
but the number is so small that it only
serves TO emphasize the great and general
want Of proper illumination in passenger
cars
There is on exhibition at the Atlanta ex-
position a car fitted with an electrical
lighting apparatus which would seem to
hold out the promise OF a revolution in car
lighting, and the supplying of a veritable
boon to passengers who do not for various
reasons take sleeping cars. The car is fit
ted with a system Of electrical lighting
which takes its power from the car axle
while the car is in motion. and stores part
Of it away for use when the car is not in
motion. The dynamo is geared directly TO
the axle, and is so controlled by a COVER
nor that when the car attains to a speed
Of ten miles an hour it begins to gener-
ate electricity. and from that speed up
ward II continues to generate the same
amount of electricity, whether the speed
be ten miles or sixty miles an hour. One
half of the amount of current generated
is utilized in the running of thrty-four L.
candle incandescent lamps in the car. The
other half of the current is stored in stor-
age batteries for use when the car is
stopped In a seven hours run, the machin-
cry will light the car for the time of the
rum and lay by electricity to supply the
lamps for seven hours while the car is on
the side tracks or out Of service. The dy-
namo is said to he comparatively inexpen-
sive. very light in weight. and requiring
only one and one-half horse power from
the axle to run it. It is said that more
than that amount of horse power is vast
ed on each car from friction. which the
electrical lighting apparatus will save. In
that event. the expenditure of energy for
a.,
TO practically nothing. \ passenger car
fitted with the dynamo and lighting appa-
ratus is said to be no more load upon the
locomotive than a car lighted with the old
style of oil lamps. Besides the dynamo on
the axle. the only apparatus needed with
the new outfit is a switchboard, which may
be set up in a closet, or in any corner as it
takes up no room 20 amount to anything,
and the wires. which may be run through
the space between the inner and outer
shells of the car
Each car will carry its own lighting
plant. These plants are said to be so cheap
that the cost is not a considerable item
in calculating the expense of fitting a car
When one car becomes detached from its
train. by accident or otherwise its lights
will continue to burn. When a car tumbles
down an embankment, or is smashed into
kindlings in a collision. the lights will
either continue TO glow without setting
fire to the wreck. or will go out without
setting fire to the wreck. accord
ing to whether the connecting
wires are broken by the shock
or not At any rate. there will be no fir
ing of the wreck from the lights in the
passenger coaches. as is so frequently the
case with the old style lights
1t is to be hoped that all that is claim
ed for the electric apparatus will prove
correct. There is the need for some such
light as is promised by this apparatus on
railway trains. 1t is probable that some
genius will arrange a way to make the
electrical current generated from the car
axle furnish the heat necessary in the cars.
as well as the light. In that event, it is
possible that on railway cars the, danger
Gus coal stove will soon have to give way.
along with the unsatisfactory and dan
gerous oil lamp, to electrical apparatus.