Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-08-23
TO SUPPLANl' STEAM.
Mr.. YERKES' PROPHECIES ABOUT
ELECTRICITY.
Power Which Can lie Generated Is Linn
itless-BecOminG Daily More Economical.
Street Railways Expected to Use 1t Alto.
gether.

gether.
With the purchase of the Grant Locomo-
tive works by the Yerkcs- Sicmcns- Holske
Electric company the competition between
two great rival systems began. The issue
has been drawn between the Ycrkes COM
pany and the Westinghouse Baldwin COM
bination, and the rivalry between these ri.
| gantic concerns, backed as each is by many
millions of dollars, has narrowed down to
Il test of comparative economy and e11icien-
cy. The members of the rival companies
are, in tho aggregate, worth not far from
Sl5O,0O0,0 900, and in point of individual
wealth neither of tho companies has the
advantage.
The Westinghouse whccllcss under
+ ground system of electrical propulsion has
been fully described in the columns of The
Journal. Cars operated by this system are
circuitcd By contact between the rails,
which run the length of and underneath
the car, and metal caps placed few feet
apart between the tracks and set in the
pavement. The caps do not offer any OBJ
structiOn to traffic. A street railway in
Washington has been operated successfully
by use of this system for over year, and
the hauling and switching in the Wcsting
house works yard arc done by tho wheel
less plan.
Mr. Charles r. Ycrkes, tho head Of the
American Sfcmcns company, who is rcput-
ed to be worth not far from S25, 600, 600,
which represents in large part, the profits
of his system of street railways in Chicago,
was interviewed in regard to the plans of
the new combination.
"The newspapers" said Mr. Ycrkes,
"wCrc far from bong correct in their sur
misses as to the purpose of the cOmbina-
ton. The Sicmens patents are the inven-
ton Of DIR. Siemcns of Germany, who is to
Europe what Edison is to America. Tho
company formed to do business in Ameri-
ca will manufacture in Chicago motors
and all kinds of electrical appliances and
will also build and prepare for operation
motor engines for both heavy and light
railway traffic.
There arc no railways in America, )"
continued Mr.. Yerkes, "now equipped and
operated by the Sicmcns- Holske system.
But in Germany and Austria, where the
system has stood the test of practical use,
they are operated and give the highest sat
isfaction.
"Thc system is practicable for either
light or heavy traffic There is practical
ly no limit to the power which can be gen
Grated or the speed at which the trains may
be propelled. Ono of the drawbacks to all
other systems which have been patented,
and which were to rcvolutionize railway
traffic, has been the lack of economy in OPP
Grafton. There is no doubt that electricity
will supersede steam when it becomes
more economical to propcl cars by use of
the former force. We believe that in our
system we have found the solution to this
problem, which has vcxcd railway COM
panies for so many years 1t can be used
as well for heavy as for light traffic and
with greater economy than steam.
''As l said, there is practically no limit
to the power which can be generated. Cars
may be drawn long distances at a high
rate of speed at less expense than they can
be drawn by steam locomotives. Several
railway companies have now under cOnsid-
Grafton the adoption of the Sicmens system
in place Of steam. No, shall not say
what companies they are.
"Wo have purchased the Grant Locomo-
tive works for the purpose of mauufac-
turing electric motors capable Of doing
work such as is done by the motors in the
Baltimore tunnel. We can mako them at
perhaps q less cost than steam locomotives,
and they will do the work more cheaply.
1.-The capital of the Siemens-Holsko com.
pany has been increased from 81 600, 900 to
100000 We intend to make extensive
improvements in the works in Chicago
and also greatly to enlarge the plant. We
shall be able to make motors, machinery
and electrical appliances of all kinds. We
shall turn our attention in particular to
I,n 20 az en-, nj bp
place Of steam power.
"Who is interested in the company?
That is a question you must not expect mo
to answer.
Gas to the more immediate future OF
electricity 1 believe that it will take the
place of steam. 1t is now superscding
steam rs power for running machinery
Of all kinds.
Ultimately the railroads will equip
their cars with electrical appliances. The
moro practical way to use electricity for
heavy traffic is to build n power house for
every block on the system. BY this means
there would be uninterrupted power. Each
power house would furnish power for its
block, and there would also be an income
from the operation Of such plan by the
furnishing of power to factories or for
lighting or heating purposes. Electricity
will be used in heavy railway traffic as
well as in street railway traffic, 1t will
heat houses and cook food We have been
using it most successfully and economical
ly to heat 800 cars in one Of our Chicago
street railway systems, and il it will heat
cars it can DO used to cook food"
"Is it your intention to enter the eastern
market in competition with eastern com
paniesY"
Eyes; we shall open an Office in tho
American Surety building and will there
have on exhibition models of our railway
system, motors, etc. Our main plant will
be at Chicago, which is better distribute
ing point than New York"
1t is said that the Whitney -Ellins-Wid-
encr Philadelphia-Ncwa combination is
interested in the Ycrkes- Sicmcns concern,
and that all of its railway system, which
is now of the overhead trolley order, will
be equipped on the underground plan
Mr.. Yerkes did not cnlighten the reporter
as to the truth or falsity of this rumor.-
New York journal.
Yankee Made Alaskan Curios.
Ex-State Senator Il. G. VOORHEES, Of SUIT
ter Creek returned with his family from q