New-York tribune., 1896-10-09
CHANGES IN TRANSIT LINES.
EXPERIMENTS BY THE VARIOUS COM
PANIES
MOTORS AND THE UNDERGROUND TROLLEY
--WHAT THEY NAY LEAD To

MOTORS AND THE UNDERGROUND TROLLEY
WHAT THEY MAY LEAD To.
Reports indicating possible important changes
in the management or ontrol of leading trans
porta,on lines in this city have been in c:rtu-
lation In Wall street since the bull nlovem mt In
Manhattan Railway stock bcc,.- noticeai O.
They have been repeated pcrsistently. and al
though il has been Impossible for newspaper re-
portcrs to verify them they have not been OIL
cially cOntradctcd by railway managers
Among the reports has been one To the fleet
that plans have been formed for a combination
between the Manhattan Railway Company and
the Metropolitan Traction Company. There
have been reports also that cha" ~es in the con-
troll Of the Third Avenue Raroa' Company
might occur soon. or that the company might
extend its lines in combination with another
company.
Officials of the Metropolitan Traction Com
pany and OF the Manhattan Railway Compa ~
who were seen yesterday by Tribune reporter
said they knew of no movement to combine the
interests of the two companies They were not
ready to make positive contradiction O. the
reports. however They said that the chief in
tercst in local transportation matters lay in cx-
periments to test the chcapncss and effective
ness of comparatively new motors Horse
strcetoara Steam locomotives must be dis
placed on the elevated roads. The cable Is not
considered entirely satisfactory in Eroa way,
Third-ave. and other main arteries Of the city.
where IL is in constant l. .. An official Of TIE
Metropolitan Traction Company said
I'VE have bee, trying the underground trolley
on the LcnoX-a line. and IL worked fairly
we'll last winter. We would like 10 be more GER
tain that II would work we'll in the scver"st win
ter weather before We extend the undergrou
trolley TO other lines At prese I we are getting
ready 10 make experiments with n new com
pressed air motor, which is being talked Of =
better than the cable or the underground t,Jl,,y.
Half "A dozen cars are being equipped with the
new motor, and as soon as they are ready to
leave the shops shall try them with the
motor on the Lenox-ave line. running them
between the underground trolley-cars " the
new compressed air motor does all tha tc in
ventor declares it will do. ii will suppant horse
power on several OF the crosstown ines and In
SIxth-ave and Fou. -. ave.
4 number of New-Yorkers who have been ac-
customed to ride on the Fourth-ave horsecars in
Nadison-avc. have complained that since the road
Iassed into the control of the Metropolitan Trac-
lion Company the facilities Of travel have been
diminished. Fewer cars have been run, partlcu-
larlv on that part of the line north Of thc Grand
Central Station The result has been In" serious
overcrowdnG Of Fourth ave. cars IN Madlsonay"
AT some hours oi the day. Many persons have
supposed that the plan OF the metropolitan com
pany was to force more travel on the already
overtaxed cab. lin in LeNugton-ave. An Official
/ # the company said yesterday that the equipment
of the Fourth-ave. line had run down somewhat
before the line passed under the control Of the
Metropoltan and that new ears mad not Deer
purchased because there IS an expectation oi
changing from horse power to the undetsr1ohd
trolley the compressed-air motor IN the near
future.
Edward I.autcrbach said yesterday that the
air motor is 10 have fair trial on the
Third Aveuuc Railroad Companys llne IN One
hundred a nd-twenty -ilfth-st TWO cars have pcrn
running with the new motor for some um" The
officials Of the company have been interested III
the experiments with the new motor, ana II II is
found To- be- cheaper and more effective than thc
underground trolley II Is To nave more eN'ehsNe
trial ON other lines. The company intends 10 open
M its new line In the Kngsbridge Road as soon
az nosslble 40 other extensions Of the system
have been thought Of, Nj. Lautcrbach said
The use Of electricity in moving and lighting
trains on the elevated roads In the city Is regarded
hy some Of the railway officials as n certainty
and they expect the steam locomotives I" he as as
nlaced by electrical motor cars WITHIN year. W.
/ ! Fransioli the general manager OF the Mahhal .
/ ,an Hailwav said Yesterday: The experiments y
| lvith electricity on the Thrty-fourth-st branch
have been satisfactory thus far, but suppose .e
I governmental Stage has not been passed yet VI
c',,d Mr. Sage and other directors OF the ROAD
vould decide If the use OF electricity was 10 We ~
tended he said. He gave the information tih'
The use of turnstics on the elevated roads IN ths
civ is 10 be confined to stations at when there II
no; ruuch business The turnstics now III use III =
AT the downtown stations OF the SNth-aIe' ',''c a'
| Franklin-st and ChamberS-st, ana al ,ie """"
,o,n stations Of the SecOnd-ave line al fiiSt-St.
r1 ri,,inpton-st At the stations OF the elevated
roads where there H. much business Ml, ,.ii ii',
sioli said there Is no intention 10 use 'ul MS, -
There are many stations Where lh' PleH" n,.
| ,t'La, rhonner is necessary. and extra men nave
| to be employed on a number Of the stations ""e'e
the travel IL heavy.