The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-27

ing arrangement. Its chief claim 10 fame
however, lies in the fact that each section
OF the sides, with windows of curved glass,
slides up under the roof, just as the cur
tain of the roll-top desk disappears as it is
pushed upward. Just as the sides di>ap-
pear, a running board drops down just
below the floor of the car land in the
usual position on the outside In this
way is the comfortable closed car trans
F., formed into very neat appearing open
| car that is as comfortable vehicle of that
sort as can we'll be imagined.
The value of cars of this sort for street
| railway company can easily be under
| stood. Under present methods it is neces.
saTy to keep much larger amount of roll
| ing stock on hand than would be the case
| If the newly invented car were used. As
| 1t is, we have summer and winter cars
each Of which has to lie idle part of the
year. Under the new arrangement there
would be only one sort of car, and, there
fore, it would be wholly unnecessary to
have part of the company's capital tied up
in lot of cars that were useless portion
of the year.
Again, this new invention removes one
OF the greatest evils OF the open car. 1t
often happens that during the season Of
the year when the open car is most
in evidence q storm sweeps down and
dashes rain through curtains and all over
passengers. Nothing but open cars are
running, and there is no other protection
for people who wish to ride. With this
new car, in case of storm of that sort,
the sides could be promptly rolled down
and the passengers would be as snug as
the traditional bug in a very comfortable
rug.
The accompanying illustration shows
accurately the interior of the new car.
This is exactly as the car appears on the
line of the Concord IN. H. street railway,
where it is being operated. This particu-
lar specimen was in reality the model,
for it is the only one that has thus far
been built. All sorts of tests have been
applied to 1t, and it has been run in all
kinds of weather. but the emergency is
yet to arise in which it does not give dis
tinct satisfaction.
The lowering or raising OF the cars sides
is by no means difficult task for so per-
feet is the mechanism and so smoothly do
the slides glide up and down that it is
really of less difficulty to lower or raise
them than it is to arrange the curtains of
the open car that is in use at present. In
addition to that there is never any wet
sheets of canvas Tapping in your face, nor
does the driving wind force stream Of
water gently down the back of your neck
These latter events are everyday expert
ences to person who rides in the open
car.
1t might be thought that there would be
some difficulty in operating the lighting
apparatus of car of this sort, because the
one at present in use is calculated to travel
on the electric road exclusively, but no
such difficulty has been experienced in the
least. In fact the arrangement and opera
tion of the car is decided Improvement
over the old system.
Instead of being narrower than the or
binary streetcars, because of its peculiar
form, the duplex car, as it is called is
really wider. The seats are arranged
crosswise on each side, with an aisle run.
ming down the middle, just as in the ordi-
nary railroad passenger coach. Each OF
these seats will accommodate two persons
and the seating capacity of the car is,
therefore, limited. Not only that, but
there will be no tramping upon toes, which
is of itself a boon that ought to occasion
great rejoicing.
The ventilation of the car is all that
could be desired, and is accom- plished in
the usual fashion. The windows can be
raised or lowered at will, Just as if thew
were not likely to disappear into the roof
The ventllators are not opened after the
style of the elevated cars-by the pull of a
lever but are either opened or closed one
at time by the ordinary ven tilator pole.
1t is a curious fact as already stated,
that this car is almost exactly modelled on
the lines of the cylindrical cars which
have been suggested in different novels of
extraordinary and fictitious adventure.
Like the submarine boat, the idea of
which first gained great prominence
through the Nautilus of Jules Verne's
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the
Sea. " the idea Is not only practical, but is
far in advance of the other cars, as was
the idea in fiction, an advance over
previous thoughts OF the writer of
marvellous adventure.
The new car has just begun to attract
attention. When it was first planned and
the news of the project was nosed among
the street railroad men many a quiet
| laugh was INDUCED in at what was termed
'the wild idea" of the Granite State Com
pany. Now, however, the laughter has
entirely died away, and the success of the
cylindrical car is admitted by every one
who has seen it.
While it is true that the car now in use
is operated by electricity, it by no means
follows that this is the only motive power
that can be used. 1t is the idea OF the pro-
jectors of the car to introduce it on all the
lines of railroads, steam as well as street
railroads. There are great many rail-
roads that run observation cars, and the
same trouble Is always experienced with
them as with the omen streetcar when it
rains. 1t is held that if the new car is
utilized on the railroads in this fashion
there will be very much less objection by
passengers to making use of the observa-
ton car. No matter how threatening the
weather might be, under those circum-
stances there would be no hesitation on
the part OF the traveller in taking advantage
of the observation car to as great an ex-
| tent "a DOssihle