Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-18
Railroad Companies Looking for Sat-
isfactory Systems.
ADVANTAGES OF TIE THIRD RAIL
The Button Method Under Trial
Now at Pittsburg.
GU ESTIONS OF ECONOMY

| When the Metropolitan Street Railway
Company of this city decided. after long
| celebration and many experiments to in
! stall an underground trolley system upon
| all Of the avenue lines that that company
| controls, IL seemed to many who had been
| watching the vast DEVELOPMENT OF street
and suburban railway capital and traffic.
| that probably this New York experiment
1 pointed the way to changes from the over
| head to the underground trolley system in
| all cities where there are crowded thor
ougkfares. and, hereafter, when new lines
are established. the motive power will be
furnished. at least in the cities, by the
underground trolley system.
Some Of the greater capitalists OF this
country. some of the most capable me-
| chanical engineers and scientists, and
| many Of the steam railway managers, are
not at all sure that We are any further
| than upon the threshold of the perfectly
| developed system for the propulsion OF
| street cars and for suburban traffic.
President Clark of the New Haven rail-
| road, who had the courage to make an ex-
pensive experiment with the third-rail sys-
TEN, is satisfied that that method is in most
| respects the most satisfactory for the open
seaSon-that is, from the middle of the
spring until the middle of autumn. Whether
Its results will prove satisfactory dur
| ing the winter season is something which
shortly begin.
If the experiments President Clark is
making prove 10 be as satisfactory during
| the next six months as they have shown
themselves to be in the past six months 1t
| is probable that the great railway system
of which Mr.. Clark is The head will as soon
as possible adopt the Chird rail for all it's
branch and suburban lines. and IL Will sur
prise none of those who have talked with
President Clark if, ultimately, that system
is adopted for the main line
Yet the experts say that, while the sys-
tenn may contain the highest satellites
for satisfactory power for short and long
haUlage, yet it is by no means perfect. and
the element of danger has not been over
come. 1t is true that President Clark is of
the opinion that the danger that turks i'm
the 1--we third rail is greatly exaggerated,
and that only by the grossest carelessness
or by intention could mortal shock be re-
ceived by any one through contact with
that rail.
AS no one cares to make the experiment,
however. and as there have been no acci-
dental tests of the capacity of the third
rail TO kill or dangerously shock a person,
Mr.. Clarks view is received with some in
credulity.
The Pennsylvania Company has already
laid track for the purpose of making ex.
perfments. which offers five miles of track
age, and is placed I'm singularly conve-
nlent region for the accurate testing of va
rious plans and inventions, the swift REM
edy OF defects and the careful study Of
opPhoiSc WHICH, any person NAV
offer for inspection or test. The tracks
have been laid down in East Pit.sburg. al
mcst parallel with the PENNSYLVANIA rail-
road tracks (althougE In the valley beneath
those tracks, in which the Westinghouse
works are situated).
Already in those vast yards a system Of
electric propulsion has been in use for sew.
eral years. By II the freight cars which
are switched into the yard and which carry
from the works the machines destined for
clstant markets. have been hauled with
economy, perfect ease and method
That system is what is known as the but.
ION system. Nothing of the plant is dis
cernible 10 the eye. except an iron button
which projects just above the surface, and
Is SO mace as to interfere in no way with
ordinary traffic. The electric car passing
over this system is propelled by means of a
current communicated to a shoe from the
button.
The system is absolutely safe, the button
is not alive, excepting at the instant oS
tlme when 1T is in contact with the shoe
rms system IS to be still further tested
.horoughiy, without stint as to expense. SO
that 1t may be established to the satisfac-
tlon OF capitalists, mechanical and scien-
tlnc engineers, whether it is the hest or
whether IT has such defects as will make
At not reasonable to expect that ii will have
great commercial opportunities.
The Double Third Rail.
Next, the third-rail system is to be tested
in every detail. The tracks which the
SiiiiSS IVA idhTOdu nave established.
and which the Westinghouse people are
utilizing with an electric car, are supple
mented by two interior rails. That is to
say. it is not single third-rail system. but
is what may be called the double third-raiI
system.
This system is now being tested upon
these tracks, very largely for the purpose
of determining whether the element of
danger can be completely eliminated and,
II this can be done, whether the system
thus established can be operated as eco
nomically and as satisfactorily I'm other
ways as the third-rail system with the live
rail, such as President Clark is using upon
the branch line near Hartford, Conn
The Westinghouse people have great
hopes that this system will be solved satis-
factorily. and in the near future. The sys-
tenn which they are using only causes the
rails to be alive when the electric car is in
contact with them. The problem is to see
whether this can be accomplished with one
rail. thus avoiding the great expense en-
tailed by the laying of the additional rail
now used in the double third-rail system.
The problem is being carefully worked
out, and, in fact, has progressed SO far
that the main features of the proposed
system are capable of explanation to rail-
way and scientific men. although they
would be too technical and abstruse for the
understanding of laymen.
Individual Motors.
Elaborate and exhaustive experiments
and tests are to be made to determine
whether 1t Is better to have each car fitted
with motor, so that it is capable of act
ing independently, and whether or not 1t is
more economical and satisfactory to run
single cars thus equipped, or to run several
cars. each capable of acting independently
OF the other and yet connected into a sim
gle train.
Or course, the question of economy fs
the chief one for the decision of those who
are engaged In making the experiments:
and yet, involved in that question are of
course. the safety. the suff1ciency and the
completeness OF any Of the systems which
may be tested. No system is economical
which Is not safe. capable OF perfect regu-
lation and of giving satisfactory service to
the patrons of q street or suburban rail-
way. On the other hand. a system may be
perfect in every scientific and mechsrscaI
respect and yet be so costly to install or
so expensive to operate as to make its use
impossible.