Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-01-20
NEW ELECTRIC HOTEL RAILROAD,

NEW ELECTRIC HOTEL RAILROAD
fc coast. and 1t was this familiarity
with hotels and the chief disadvantages
Of the best Of them which first gave
him the idea for his plan, which may
seem somewhat Impractical or chimerl-
cal at first glance. 1t has. however,
been pronounced entirely practical ana
feasible by hotel men and mechanical
engineers before whom ne has lald MS
plans.
Everybody who has had any exp1r-
ence at all with hotels, knows the TIRE
some length of the Railways ana corrl-
doris of a big city hosiery. where hun
dreds can be accommodated at one time,
and also the confusing labyrinth when
the hallways are TO a stranger IN search
of his or her room. The very fact that
the halls are so confusing 10 one un-
familiar with them causes much I'M
necessary walking, and to an inVald OF
an old person the additional steps taken
in a wearisome hunt for room oiteh
means much in the way or eNertloh' II
would puzzle a conjurer TO ma ms room
in Youngs Hotel, in Boston, or IN tne
Windsor or Plaza hotels, OF New YORK
especially If he was unfamiliar WIN INC
arrangement Of the halls.
II is TO do away with all this unneces-
sarv walking and hunting about the
bouse that Mr. Lockwood has perfected
the details of his invention, and II Is
tho comparative ease with which II can
he applied TO any hotel, and the amount
of time and walking which II VIII save
guests of the house, which causes MN 10
hone that before long they will be
reality in every hotel Of any consequence
NO MORE WALKING.
This invention entirely does away with
,bt necessity of walking from the time
. o,,est registers at the clerks desk until
the door of ones room Is reached. Inc
snvertion is a unique. indoor tramway,
which leads TO all parts OF the mousse anu
on which guests can be carried Wherever
thev NAV desire 10 20. When one pauses
80 consider the idea in all its simplicity
- detan the practicability of the whole
-hino becomes at once apparent, ana
he wonder is why in this age OF labor
saving devices 1t was not thousht ol
long ago and put into general use.
Starting from in front OF the cieth
desk. where the newly-arriVeu guest
letters is a small pair of rails, very hght
of construction, and set INTO the nooi
- he corridor. so as TO be hardly no
tiooahle In fact, so little do the rails
attroct the notice Of the guests that at
= Usual glance they appear more IKE
. nort of the design of the floor orna-
r,entation than anything else FROM the
AL these rails lead directly up te
stairs and through the maze OF hali"ays
TO all parts of the house
r,omediately after the guest has regis
.ored and been assigned to room the
clerk instead Of calling for the time
bonored front" simply presses an elec-
tric-hutton. and. almost as II py mage
q handsome little car ghdes arouhd
corner from behind the desk. ana, pass
mo along the miniature railway track
re uee for which now becomes apparent.
stous in front of the desk. In the car
a. q seat which can accommodate two
-arsons while perched behind in an
atber much like footman's. is the bell
Nov, who controls the car by means OF
lever and an electric-button.
,rhare = no noise when the car moves,
"a ornarently no motive power until
go looks carefully, and there Is as
oa,,ared a small slot between the tracks,
,,orv similar to the slot used by cable
cers only much smaller and in Keeping
,,,,,b the size of the rails. From the
hottom of the car there projects down
- through this slot a slender steel
"a which travels through the slot on an
iou a,r,c wire. Just as a trolley does. only
ss-.nad of being al the top this trolley is
~ hottom of the car, and through
az q. carried the electricity which fur
- the motive-power 10 the car. The
nis. ..er IL controlled by means OF lever
pi,'b,cb either throws on or turns off the
'''rrart causing the car to move or stand
I'm The details Of the motor are ex-
oc,iv similar TO the ones under trolley
1,hese cars themselves can be made
,,arv attractive, especially, II they are
,sa1e 10 match the furniture and the
est Of the Observation-Disclosures; or they
NAV be made something after the style OF
q swan boat, with gracetuiiy-rounded
front. which curls upward ana practically
s,,,ro,nas the occupants, while the back
ward sweep OF the sides partially covers