New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-21
= rcrRICITY ON RAILWAYS.
,oxsoLIpATED WILL USE 1T TO
- FIGHT THE TROLLEY.

AN SYSTEM THAT HAS PROVED ste |
"ssv,,-pREsIpENT CLARK EXrEcrs
IT'S GENERAL ADOPTION.
=, the most important phases OF suburban
W cratic during the last five years is the |
saNes nv new trolley lines of an enormous
aP. AZ business formerly done by the steam |
H The managers of the latter have been |
foA'e nv electrical engineers and economists |
s"N .he devil with fire. or, in other words. to
,,,nous competition by running their
W. WIEN trains with electricity instead of steam
.xnerimenta work done by the New-York
~" uaven and Hartford Company in this d.
Ne near Boston has led the president of
..rosressive corporation TO believe that there
pa f.. economy in the substitution Of electric
steam. and that the operation Of road
nc NOW agent is entirely feasible. Some ut
"..s of Mr.. Clark before a legislative COM
"a =, the Connecticut capital the other day,
e. An this subject and are highly interesting.
W. - immediate occasion Of his speech was the
.w.,,ioD Of certain people for a charter for
F,rfonendent trolley line from New-Britain to
.,.,tord which are eight or ten miles apart.
-. ,;,o,ull;tce gave a hearing on the advisable
=, c,anting the charter. For ;her guidance,
$50 for the enlightenment Of the applicants.
-. clark proceeded 10 tell about the Nantasket
- branch experiments. and also what the
r,-solj4atsd road proposed TO do in the very near
,.,,,s ON ne existing tracks Of the NeWEpg-
"a r,sd between New Britain and Hartford.
-, General tenor OF his remarks was 10 the fol-
ling effect although he did not employ this
&c la,,eusee: Gentlemen, we are going TO
=. electricity ourselves. and will do it so much
,,.rs economically than trolley line can that it
~..i nav e., build and operate rival line Of that
.asractsr.
yhsu the Nantucket branch was first equipped
r,,h electrically propelled ears the current was
,,k.n syom Third rail laid outside the regular
,-,ek and supported ON posts at a slightly higher
..,rl THIS was the system in vogue on the Chi
ago elevated roads, and is also in use on the
g-sokiyn Bridge. But last year 1t was deemed
-ss.r.5le 20 extend the electric service a few
,nss nearer Boston on the Nantasket line and
was feared that an overhead wire would be
s,,ssary along this extension. II cross sus-
.rs'." wires. reaching from one side Of the
,sah!e-,.ack Ycad6ad 10 the other. were used, it
t,sld ccst too much. The plan of erecting
jngls row q poles between the TWO tracks with
ms overhanging on either side. was out of the
aesuon because there was not room. Finally
h. Consolidated authorities decided 10 try put
ars third rail between the two regular rails or
,,ch track This rail was of a new shape. having
cross section something like a letter A. Flee
rlcal experts advised the use of elaborate porce-
ain nsulators; hut Mr. Clark says that the
iyerhaus.ng caves of the rail were so far apart
hat the stee, could be mounted on wooden
,locks without letting any current escape. even
+ a rainstcrm. In some Of his remarks on this
,o.n, the president Of the Consolidated seems to
AVE INDUCED in hyperbole: but it appears to
ave been a fact nevertheless. that this new and
rexpensve style Of construction worked to
harm Ny Clark did not need to tell the sultors
or A charter that on a public highway they
'3uld use the third rail also, for they already
,aeW that this is suited only 10 Such roads as
Ire fenced in on both sides. like steam roads. IL
entirely out Of the question in common
reet But he did lay stress on the fact that the
lyle OF electrical conductor employed on MS own
Dad cost only about one-nfth as much as me
overhead wire construction Of regular roiIey
Inc. And then he added:
Having found that electricity affords the
orce and the economy. and that ii is pracucaoIc
0 run cars with two-minute headway as Wei "a
inder two hours with trains and that that az
could in many places be AFFORDED"
re concluded that the time had arrived when We
lught TO operate on a larger scale. and we pre-
erred TO do il where everybody could see H. II
I goes on as we have tried it, there Is no more
question as TO what will soon be done on the
steam roads than there is OF another DAY. You
hall see il before YOU adjourn. We were held
sack few weeks. and are so much behind our
calculations We had hoped that cars might be
Tln in this month of February. The experiment
S pertinent TO Hartford and New-Britain, ana
PRESENT il here. -
The New Haven road has no quarrel with eIec-
ricity; on the contrary, electricity has halnessed
iself in its service. and is more highly appreci-
tied bv the New-Haven road to-day than by the
managers of any other steam railroad in the
ountry. There is no malice about our expert
nents Our locomotives may go into the scrap
ieaD as the old stage coaches had TO go. we
must keep up with the times, or else we Shali De
eft In the rear Gentlemen, you may tell every
Ody who is engaged in investing MS own OF
.nybody else's money in lines competitive win
team lines that they cannot long prosper When
ne day comes 10 lay down third rails IN TINS
.ountry.
1T will go down in the future. if do not fail
nv prediction, that at Hartford. in the state
v Connecticut, was constructed the frst prac-
zeal demonstration of the subordination OF cleo
rcitv to the standard steam road. Instead OF
laving six eight or ten trains a day, ali the
lew-England road could afford TO run we may
.eyelop a service and traffic of ten times that.
The business may not want 10 come 10 US IL
nav want to go by the other line; but we snail
earn whether il is any use anywhere 10 proceeu
nrther with these investments ana make THESE
Constructions which are infinitely cheaper imam
,ulding new railroad, and which, where there
a Sufficient volume of business, are undouDt-
div practicable and profitable for steam ran
Dads II is in that spirit that we proceed 10
ay this third rail. II is with the same interest
md with the same views that the managers OF
ihese properties have endeavored 10 se!Ne 'c
public by an expense Of millions OF doiiaIS III
.reating additional facilities within the last ten
tears"