The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-11-11
ELECTRICITY VS..
STEAM POWER
EhAr FORCED TnE \, T., " H. 4 n. X. TO
ADOPT MEN r0NrR.
Third-Rail Used 10 frtisreace to Overhead
Trolley - Danqer OF Third
Nail Not Great.

very inter sting paper on The ap.
plIcatioa OF electricity on railroads now
operated by steam power" was read by
Col ". II. Heft. chief OF ,Sectrioal de-
partment. n. Y, n. II. & II. r., at the
recent convention OF the American
Street RRailway Association. a, Niagara
Falls.
After outlining the conditions that
forced the New Haven road TO enter into
competition vito the various electri,
street railways which were making Sc.
rious inroads into their passenger earn
ings, and describing the power stations
at Nantasket and Berlin, Col. Heft said
The fares charged on the Nantasket
Beach line before the advent OF electric
ity were a total OF 2S cents from p M
berton to East Weymouth. With electric
traction they have been p,ac at n total
OF 10 cents. Under these new conditions
the traffic has increased enormously on
this line; the summer of 1895. the first of
electrical operation. showing an Increase
OF s26 psr cent over the previous sum-
mer in the number OF passengers carried
the summer OF 1895 showing an increase
Of 451 per cent over 1895. In the sum-
mer just passed we have carried nearly
three times as many passeng rs as.ln the
last year Of steam navigation"
The fare between NV Britain ard
Hartford was reduced from o cents to
10 cents, and 100 per cent. NOR paseen-
gers were carried during the three sum-
mer months OF 1897 than In tn CORES
ponding months OF last year
Col Heft further said:
The motor car, which we have so far
used. we do not by any means consider
the final type. and even now We have
in mind plans Of combination cars which
we believe will be adopted for railroad
work. Our experience with over
head trolleys at Nahtasket Beach has
not been satisfactory. We find 1t quite
impossible to prevent the destruction OF
trolley wheyls by almost continual arcing |
when attempting to take from the wire
the heavy current required in starting. |
and during acceIeration. There has been
a good deal Of troubls, moreover, in
keeping the trolley on the wire in mag
ing speed. and many trolley poles have
been broken. These difficulties have ben
an important influence in causing US to
reach a decision in favor of thr third
rail- The contact shoes. which take the
from the rail to the motor cir
cult have given good satisfaction.
"A few words about the danger Of the
third-ran system. Th=re have been
many cases Of people who have stepped
from tn ground to the third rail with
out feeling the current and any one can
step upon it from dry tie without the
slightest effect. Many Of our employees
hav- received the heaviest shock pos
Bible to obtain, time after time, and care
little about It. Some Of thosr who are
more Influenced by electric shocks than
others are sometimes thrown off their
feet, but recover in few minutes. We
do not say that the third rail has no
danger. but we do not consider the dan
ger as being at all serious, or on which
should interfere with the extension Of the
system.
"The conditions Of operation do not
point to q low cost Of powsr, because Of
he fact that we are working neither
station anywhere near its full capacity.
] suppose w ere, as "A matter of fact,
Producing power more cheaply than can
Je done in any power station in the
country using coal as a fuel, tn reason |
'eing that we are burning sparks.
Sparks are half-consume1 coal dumped
rom the extension in front Of locomO- !
ives at the company's roundhouses
they are carried TO our stations At
stanford. Berlin and NantasI1- 4 at
otal charge Of 20 cents a ton, delivered
)f course, we have to US a greater
weight Of this half-consumed coal than