Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-25
TO DRIVE OUT HORSES.
Successful System of Electrical Pro-
puIsIon for Vehicles.

From the Philadelphia Record.
Horseless carriages for public service Will
soon be rolling through the streets OF Phil
adeIphia, New York and other cities. pro
PEELED by electricity. 1t has remained Tor
Philadelphia enterprise to develop an eX,
perimentally successful system of electrical
propulsion for street vehicles, and a COM
pany combining Philadelphia and New
York interests is about to introduce pub
lie service of electric hansoms and coupes
in the large cities of this country. Ihlr-
teen of the new vehicles are now being
built in the shops of Charles 5. CaHrey &
Co., in Camden. and will be completed in
few weeks. when they will be put into ac-
tive service in New York The Electric
Carriage and Wagon Company is the title
of the company which has undertaken the
innovation. The motor system to be used
by the new vehicles is the invention of two
hiladelphians-Henry G. Morris and Pedro
G. Salom-who have spent several years in
developing their patents. Several styles of
vehicles have been tested, the first expert
ments having been made two years ago in
this city. Since that time the improved
motors have been severely tried on several
occasions, and have demonstrated their ex-
perimental success. The vehicles which
are now being constructed are similar to
the general design of hansoms and coupes.
They will weigh about $500 pounds COM
plete. the electric storage batteries weigh
ing 500 pounds. Each vehicle will be oper-
ated by two levers. for steering and motor
purposes. with reversing gear, and by foot
batteries under the seat of the operator
with the motor attached to the front axle.
The hanSoms will. of necessity, be four
wheeled vehicles, but the operator will be
perched upon q seat back of the hanson
body, as usual. Under his seat will be
placed the storage battery. with the motor
on the front axle. Both the hansoms and
coupes will be equipped with steel bicycle
wheels, with pneumatic tires to insure the
least possible jar in locomotion. The We
hicles will have q maximum speed of from
twenty to twenty-five miles an hour, de-
pending on the street paving and the
grades, using three ee-horsepower motors.
They will have a maximum mileage on one
charge of battery of about twenty-five
miles. The company has estimated that
the cost of operating will be about one-half
that of horses. The batteries are so ar
possible operation, and they can be charged
from any direct current power station.
The vehicles which are being built by the
Caffrey company, several of which are
nearly completed, will be very handsome.
They will supply their own current of cleo
bodies of the vehicles, and all their equip
ment will be of the finest. The coupe and
hanson bodies are to be finished in dark
blue paint, with artistic stripping. The COM
pany has already secured n building in
New York in which will be installed a
power plant to charge the storage bat
teries. The vehicles will run on Fifth av-
enue to the Grand Central station and ho-
tel stands, and will be rented for private
use, The company will operate all the We
hicles and intends. as soon as they DEM
onSIrate their success, to increase their
number to several hundred in New York
alone. They will also be introduced in
ers of the enterprise are confident that in
a short time electric vehicles will largely
superSede horse-drawn. cabs and hanSomS
for public service.