New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-10-22
WHITNEY ANDCRIMMINSOUT
THEY DISAGREE AS TO MOTIVE POWER
ONE 4 PARTISAN OF COMPRESSED AIR. THE OTHER
OF ELECTRICITY-PLANS AS TO THE
METROPOLITAN SYSTEM.


william c. whitney and John d. crimmins
have parted company over the question or eiec-
tricity against compressed air as the motive
power on the Metropolitan Traction Companys
railroads Mr. Crimmins said yesterday. in an.
swer to the inquiries of Tribune reporter
that no unfriendly feeling existed. ut Is only
a question of policy which separates Mr.. WHIT
ney and myself" NJ Crimmins declared. ana
our personal relations remain friendly"
1t Is significant however. that on the trial trip
of the Wheelock Engine Comoanys ccmpressed-
air motor. made In Lenox-ave. on Tuesday arter-
noon, Mr. Crimminss name did not appear In
the following list OF those present: II. H. Nree'
land president OF the Metropolitan Traction
Company Thomas f. Ryan, treasurer OK the
same company; A. II. Paget, director In the
Metropolitan, and son-in-law Of Mr.. whitney;
William l.. Elkins and Peter A. b. Widener. All
Mr.. Whitneys attached friends.
1t was said yesterday by man who has had
close relations to Mr.. Whitney In surface rail-
road matters that Mr. Whitney is now in abb
solute control in Metropolitan Traction mat.
ters, and that he has made up his mind that
the compassionate motor Is the power that
ought to be used on the system. 1t Is generally
understood that John d. Crimmins expresses an
utter lack Of faith In compressed air, and Is en-
phatic in favor Of electricity the surface rail-
road motive power This friend of Mr.. Whitney
remarked: "The split between Mr. Whitney ana
Mr. Crimmins is deep ard lasting In al! PROB
ability Mr.. Crimmins believed long-continued
experiments had proved that the electric sys-
TEN trial In LenoH ave. 1t being the Siemens q
Holske system as improved by Mr.. Crmmins,
was far ahead Of compressed air In efficiency
and was superior to the cable IN economy and
efficiency. The cable costs S120,000 mile the
improved electric system In Lenox-ave. costs
only 1000 a mile and it works perfectly. When.
therefore, Mr. Whitley insisted upon the COM
pressed air experiments and the expense at.
tending them Mr. Crlmmins felt that 1t meant
a slap in his face after all his work. energy and
time given to the electric system, and after It's
superiority to cable and compressed air had
been demonstrated Mr. Crimmins had gone
so far as to send special representative. an
expert to Paris to study tthe compressed-air
motor there. That expert reported that COM
pressed air failure AS motor for sur
face railroads: that ii would give cut at unex-
pee ted momentS: that the tense compression
made explosion possible and that the French
engineers whom he consulted declared tnat the
utility Of compressed air as motive power tor
the purpose was yet 10 be proved All tnis
Mr. Crimmins told Mr.. Whitney, but Mr.
Whitney was obdurate. Mr. 'Crimmins beieveS
in electricity as against compressed air ana tho
cable" i.
Frederick s. Pearson, the chief engineer OF
the Metropolitan Traction Company, sdieu ,ot
Europe Yesterday for the purpose OF examining
the compressed-air system In Paris Berlin ana
Dresden. with a view to reporting on his re-
turn. such suggestions for improvement up1'
the Ienox-ave line as may result from his OBJ
servations" . 49, 49,.
Wall Street railroad man said that tne
Vanderbilts not long ago made test OF cy,.
nressad-aIr motor and came to the conclusion
that while its speed economy and adjustabiiity
pleased them, they determined that the public
would not be happy "to sit over an apparatus
cnntainine 500 to 1000 pounds OF pressure to
the square inch. while one accident would oe-
stroy the value Of a plant.