The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-08-20

How soon will II be when the IRON
horse win follow the four-legged animal
into retirement before the progressive
application OF electricity?
II was but two years ago when in the
city OF Providence the trolley was an
experiment, when the trolley car was a
queer thing to ride in, full of the delight
full sensation of novelty. OF course Prov
idence was somewhat behind time at the
start, but the electric service for urban and
suburban car traffic was by no means
settled and accomplished fact to be ac-
cepted without question and doubt of its
efficacy.
The progress OF electricity has been
marked by bursts. However slow and
laborious may have been the work OF the
student, investigator and inventor,
when a step forward, departure, in cleo
tricity has been brought to public atten-
tion the progress along the line inaugu-
rated has been startlingly fast. And so
now that the locomotive, magnificent in
proportions, splendidly imposing, but
heavy. unwieldy and costly, has been
replaced by little car and an electric
outfit on branch lines of our great rail-
road systems we need not be surprised II
electricity supersedes the iron horse all
over the great lines with an amazing sud
denncss and rapidity.
We have already given some attention
to the Nantasket Beach trolley line, the
enterprise of the Consolidated railroad,
and, we believe, the first surface railroad
in the world to be so operated. And
indications of the rapid spread OF the
electrical idea are not wanting. And an
engineer recently called the attention of
New York Sun reporter to an influ-
ential phase OF the matter which is not
generally recognized by the lsyman, and
which is independent of the matter of
economy based merely on less cost Of
running by electricity than by steam.
People who have not paid much attention
to railroad building and operating, prob
ably fail to recognize the fact that all
roadbeds, rails, and bridges are con-
structed so as to take care OF the weights
I'm IN ho Of
heavy locomotives, and the recent ten
dency has been for locomotives to become
larger and heavier. IL, then, this tremen-
dous weight can be disposed of and the
wear and tear on the road can be reduced
to that occasioned by the cars themselves
the cost of the roadbed, elevated struc-
ture, and bridges will be cheapened
greatly. Conservative railroad men esti-
mate that the saving effected in this way
would amount to about one-third of the
present cost.
All the electric street railways running
at present are worked by the direct cur
rent; but IL railways are to be run by elec-
tricity, transmitted over any distance, the
alternating current must be used. One of
the General Electric engineers, when
asked the other day how the alternating
current would be used in this way, said
"Two methods might be employed.
At Lowell, Mass, they are carrying an
alternating current distance of IL miles
for use on the street railway line. When
this current is taken from the step-down
transformers 1t is carried into machine
which we call a rotary transformer. This
machine has the general appearance OF a
motor, but seems to have two commuta-
tors, one at each end OF the armature.
The alternating current is supplied at one
end, and then from the commutator at
the other end the direct current to oper-
ate the line is given off, Another method
is to supply the alternating current to an
alternating current motor, and belt this
to another machine, which will generate
direct current"
Here they seem to think that probably
before very long q motor will be produced
which can be operated on the alternating
current system, so that the current can
be taken directly from the transformer.
This will be great improvement, for a
rotary transformer lie an expensive ma
chine.
In connection with electric railways,
one OF the most important installations
in the world Is that being introduced in
Dublin, Ireland, by the British Thomson
Houston Company. This railway is OF
especial interest to Americans because
the machinery and installation are de-
signeo by Mr.. II. F. PARsHALL, who for so