The Van Buren press., 1897-02-06
UNIQUE RIDE.
A Trolley Journey Through the Sewer
Of Paris.

OF Paris.
The main sewers of Paris are Periei
ieallv cleared By means of serapers car
ried on boats or ears. These convey
anees are also used for conveying Wis
itors through the large sewers undei
the Rue de Rivoli and the BoulevaFd'
sebastopol and De MaIesherbes- Ihes'
exnedftfans take place IA times a year
in spring and autumn. and about :, f~
visitors are admitted yearly. Until ls97
these ears and boats were drawn BY
men. but the labor and expense were
found To be so excessive that now the
traction Is done entirely by electric
motors. taking current from aeeumu
lator batteries on the beats or cars
The Genie Civil, which describes and
Illus trates the plant, says these mail
sewers are In section very similar TO ar
ordinary tunnel; but in the floor is
I formed the rectangular channel for thf
sewage. while round the roof are fixed
the water and compressed mir mains
the telegraph and telephone wires, etc
The sewer under the Boulevard de
MaIesherbes is the largest; IL is Is fee!
a. inches wide, 10 feet high from fioor
to roof: and the sewage channel in the
floor is 3 feet 5it inches deep and 9 feet
10 inches wide. Boats are used IN this
channel. The other sewers are smaller
the channels Il them being only } feet
II inches wide, and from 3 feet II inches
10 5 feet : inches deep. In these cars
are run. the Hanged wheels Of the cars
running on the edges of the channel
which are protected by angle-bars, aae
form the rails. The approximate weight
of train of five cars with 100 passen
gers on board Is about 7 tons IL hum
dredweight, and this travels at the rate
OF 3a. miles per hour. The accumulation
battery consists of 2s elements AMI
weighs II hundredweight, and its ca
paefty is 100 ampere-hours, with a mean
discharge of IS amperes at 50 or 81
volts. The motor, which Is series.
wound. develops two-horse power and
runs at 1000 revolutions per minute,
this speed being reduced to so by means
of pfnfon and wheel and chain-gear'
ing to the driving axle, the wheels being
1881 inches IN diameter on the tread
The boats are lowed by means of q
chain sunk in the sewage channel
which is brought TO the surface and
passes around a pulley driven by mean
of a double reduction gear from the
motor. The chain, by means of guide
pulIeys. makes three-quarters OF turn
around the driving pulley, this pulley
being a magnetic one, magnetiz6d By
means of two coils, one on each sid.
Of It, on the axle.
Each passenger train consists of si9
| boats, in the first Of which Is carried
the accumulation battery and a towing
apparatus; while in the last boat, whicl
is smaller, there is another towing ap
paratus. The battery consists Of 8
elements, giving an output of 60 an
peres for pa hours. at from 9s to Il
volts; It is divided into two parts, which
can be connected IN series or parallel
as required. The motors run at 5si
revolutions per minute; but this speed
is reduced by means Of the gearing
so that the boats travel at about Z
miles per hour. The power required
for this is from about two-horse power
to 5h-horse power. according as the
boats are travelling with or against tn,
current. The total length of the sewers
open in this way to the public is abouf
miles, and they are lighted partly
by lamps on the footpaths, or by OF
lamps on the boats.-Paris Letter.