New-York tribune., 1897-08-22
MORE AMERICAN TRIUMPHS.
TWO BIG CONTRACTS FOR ELECTRICAL
MACHINERY FOR ENGLAND.
THE CENTRAL LONDON RAILWAY GETS ITs EN-
GINEs AND ELEVATORS HERE

GINEs AND ELEVATORS HERE
Every American who Is alive to his country's
prosperity and glory takes great pride in the
steadily increasing quantity and variety Oh
manufactured goods which arc being exported
from the United States. Not only does TINS
country compete with Europe in the markets
Of Japan, India, China and South America pu'
she even goes to England the mother country
and sells her no end Of machinery. Inc co"
tracts recently made with the Central Lohuoh
Railway Company by Americans Qhe GeneraI
Electric people and Frank j. Sprague} ahoiu
u striking illustration of this fact
The Central London Railway Is an enterprise
possessing many features Of interest. "heh ia
operation is will be the longest underground e'co
tric road in the world. The St Gothard uiio'
is nine miles long, two ard a hali miles iohsci
than the one in question, and II mas rdio'u
through it; but the motive power is steam not
electricity and cars run through without STOP
ping. Again. there are much longer electric
roads already in existence but they are not
underground. 1t is easy to understand though
why the British come to this country for the
electrical equipment of their road. Electric
traction has attained more perfect deVeiop-
ment and more extensive popularity IN 'he
United States than anywhere else in the woriu.
THE CENTRAL LONDON ROAD.
The Central London road will be a double
track road Each track will run through It's
own tunnel. There will be two parallel ana
clos, ~ adjacent subways. instead of Only one
By means of the Greathead system passages
II feet & inches in diameter are being forced
through the SOIL which is chiefly of clay and
easily penetrated The cutting apparatus or
tubular shield" is driven by hydraulic rams
h.. ell nf
each future station the tunnels widen out to
Il feet for length Of $40 feet. At these places
4 pressure Of $40 tons is applied to the shield.
As the work advances the passage is lined with
steel plates seven -eighths Of an inch thick. The
work Of tunnelling has been conducted in OPP
postc directions both subways, from the
bottom of six differeit vertical shafts. and at a
denth of something like 80 or 40 feet on an
average when the road is completed, however,
there will be fourteen stations. including the
terJnini, and passengers will descend from the
street above and return to the surface Oh 'he
earth by means of electric elevators
The route of this rapid transit line lies through
the very heart of the British metropolis where
the traffic is heaviest, and runs in an east-ahu-
west direction 1t starts from Liverpool-st.' pe-
meath the station of the Great Eastern Raiiway
pear the CITY terminus of the North London ana
the Bishopgate station of the metropolitan uh-
derground. 1t then reaches down 10 the Vicinity
of the Bank of England and so away westward
under Hoborn. High Holb"rn' Ox1ord-s'' anu
Hyde Park, to Shepards Bush
The most notable station on the line viii he
that now being constructed by the Central Lon
don Company between the Bank of England ana
the ROYAL Exchange. 1t viii Accommodate III
addition to other people, passengers brought III
in ~ the London and Northwest
ern Midland and London and Southwestern
roads Sul,wavs are being provided here 10
conduct pedestrians under the street Where
crossing IS a particularly perlous task, as wei
nc to the underground electric road itself. FROM
this central point will radiate five different uh-
derground tunnels, all eighty five feet bclo" 'he
surface. and each supplying some populous dis-
trict.
THE TIIIRD-RAIL SYSTEM USED
The road will be laid with rails weighing
hundred pounds to the yard, after the manner
of the best trunk lines. and upon heavy cross
ties The third-ra system OF supplying current
Will be employed, the contact rail being paced
as on the Consolidated road near Hartford,
Conn between the other rails. There VIII be
an important departure, however, from the
practice of the New-England line and the Chi
caro- elevated roads. Instead of equipping one
Of the passenger cars with motive machinery
and letting that one haul the rest, there will
he a distinct electric engine for every train.
zach Of the thirty locomotives will resemble
the famous machine which pulls heavy expresses
and freirhts through the Baltimore tunnel No
less than four powerful electric motors will be
mounted on the engine truck, their combined
,uu on the drayvbar being fourteen thousand
,o,nde 4 suitable sheet-irOn cab, modern air
Iraka aruaratus and controllers will be added