The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-10-11
BETTER THAN TRoLLEYs.
Successful Test of a New Electric Rail-
way.


meeting of the stockholders Of the COM
pany last July. improvements and
changes have been made since then, the
tests have been continued from time to
time, and now the company feels con-
vinced that 1t Is the victor. 1t is held
that the new system win revolutionize the
street railway business Of the country.
AS to whether 1t will ever dlsplace the
steam railroads it projectors do not ex-
press SO much confidence, but regard 1t as
more than a possibility. When consd-
cred in connection with the fact of the
recent consolidation of the Westinghouse
and Baldwin companies, the success of
this experimental railway largely in
creases the Importance of the combina-
tion.
The railway is called a surface railway
because the electric current which fur
nhshes the power is taken up directly
from the surface of the road between
the tracks. Square blocks of terra Gotta
are set in the road flush with the sur
face.
From each of these blocks there pro-
jects slightly above the surface circu-
lar knob of iron about four inches in
diameter These knobs are in pairs, each
pair being seven feet from the next pair.
The knobs on one side are al connected
directly with the wire which carries the
power The beauty of the invention lies
in the fact that the knob is not charged
with electricity except when the car is
directly over it. OF course 1t would be
impossible to have 500-volt current wire
passing through them continuously The
Brooklyn juggernaut would not be In 1t
with the wholesale slaughter of people
which would result even If the authorities
AS the car passes over these knobs the
current is put on or off from them by
series of switches operated automatically
by the car itself.
comes into play. By means q a long iron
bar under the car, which brushes Nightly
over the knobs as the car passes over
them, the knobs receive from small
storage battery in the car al current
which instantly operates a switch that
throws the powerful motor current into
the neighbordng knob. This knob Is at
the same instant in contact with a second
long bar, which transmits the 5OO-volt
current directly into the fifty-horse power
motors. When the car has passed the
switch ceases to operate and the knob
is harmless.
Ever since electricity has been used as
motive power inventors have been trying
to hit on just such a scheme as this. The
idea is to get the motive current into the
car as cheaply and directly as possible
OF course the ideal method would be
to take the power directly from a wire
laid along the surface of the road but
the element of dagger renders this out OF
the question. The wire must be out or
reach, and there seems but two alterna-
tives-either to put it away up in the air
or in a conduit under ground. The former
alternative was adopted in the trolley,
that unsightly abomlnation now 1ecog-
nized as merely a temporary makeshdft
in the art of electric traction. The troll |
ley must go.
The other alternative, to carry the pow
er wire, on q conduit, has been tried
with considerable success, but the fatal
objection is the enormous cost OF con- |
struction. No ties can be used to con- |
nect the rails, which must consequently |
be braced together by heavy iron braces
or girdles like those used in a cable road |
Such roads cost $4,000 to $S0OO0 per mile |
of single track, while the Westinghouse |
surface road can be laid for $4,000.
Both the overhead and the underground |
systems have proved unsatisfactory, and
the Westinghouse company system seems |
to be the solution Of the difficulty. -Thelr |
wire is laid just under the surface, not |
preventing the use of ties and connecting |
with the knobs above 1t only when the |
car passes above them, by means of the |
simple switching device above described. |
Two miles of track in the Westinghouse |
yards and shops have been equipped with |
the new system. Through the courtesy OF |
Superintendent Aspinwa.l, Dispatch re- |
porter recently took a trial trip in the |
odd-looking motor car. A slight push OF /
lever and the party was started. The |
motion was the perfection of ease, |
smoothness and regularity.
To show the power in the motors Mr.. |
Aspinwall set the brakes as hard as they |
would go, turned on the full power and |
off the car went as If there were nothing |
hinderlng. Then turning off the power he |
brought the car to a stop with sudden
ness which showed the real power of the |
brakes Another advantage over the troll |
ley .s the ease and quickness with which |
the motion may be reversed. When NOV
ing at very low, rate a lever was moved |
and the car was Immediately started in |
the opposite direction without seeming to |
have stopped at all.
The engine easily dragged seven loaded |
freight cars through the yards. 1t is |
expected that 1t can be made to manage |
"a hozen more.
AS TO the present prospects on the SyS-
TEN, the officials are naturally very reti- |
cent, but 1t was learned that they expect |
large orders In the near future. Repre-
sentatlves of the Manhattan elevated
road In New York last week quietly in
spected the road and expressed them
selves as delighted with it. Whether or
not an order will follow, or has followed,
the officials declined to say.
A few days ago representative of the
Australian government was at East Pitts
burg. He made a careful inspection OF
tie system and the Westinghouse men
feel confident that he wil make a favor
able report to his government. The in
Epectlon was made with view to the
adoption Of the system in the city OF
Sydney.
AS to the cost OF maintenance, 1t Is
expected that 1t will not be greater, and
may be less than that OF the trolley The
speed so far obtained has not been above
twenty-seven miles an hour. but the pos
sibilities are certainly greater than that
How much greater the authorities do
not care to say, as the system has not
yet had o fair long distance test.