The morning news., 1897-01-03
treets az Noon Hour.


Copyright, 1895.
New York, Jan. THE next step in
rapid transit win be transit over the
streets This will be both rapid and
sure, and it will relieve the eongested
ness of the thoroughfares and so make
transit more speedy both above and be
low.
Transit in the air Is something that
has been done When the Chicago canal
was dredged the company having the
work in charge ran cables from one high
point to another, and, after lifting the
sand to one high spot, they sent it spin
ming along to another upon elevated ca
bles Workmen frequently made the jour
ney in the cars in mid-air and, though
the work took a long time there was
never mishap connected with the aerial
transit. This is to quiet those who pro-
test against the dangers of travel over
head.
There is an architect or, better speak
ing, there are several. that are putting in
their time drawing pictures and writing
specifications for a plan OF transporta-
tion from high building to high building
without going down to the street. One
of these has the plan further matured
than the others and offers the best one.
The plan of transportation is based
upon the hight of the new sky-scrapers
that are being built so rapidly, one after
another. Each now one IS taller than the
last and. though the elevator service may
be is perfect as can be, there is a great
deal of time wasted by going down to the
street A man in the seventeenth story
of one building, wishing TO see man In
the twentieth story of a building oppo-
site, must take an elevator to the ground
floor cross a packed street, enter the
building and wait to be carried up.
With the aerial navigation he passes
across the street in a car that runs upon
cable overhead. He lands in the top
of the building and seeks the office of mis-
man. This takes not a tenth of the time
called for by the present laborious jour
ney.
Surety and speed are the two essential
points Both of these are guaranteed
more certainly than in journeys by rail
and much more certainly than in ocean
travel.
The road upon which the cars would
travel is a cable. This is stretched from
the top floor of one building to the top Of
another. Ii might slope from being
stretched from roof to roof. Or it might
run perfectly level by being stretched
from corresponding level windows. But
this is a small matter.
In one of the plans of which all the
specifications have been written, the car
weighs three tons. 1t is of wood. with
the essential parts constructed of alumi-
mum. Aluminium weighs half as much as
wood and is substituted for II wherever
possible. In certain spots, where strain
comes steel takes the place of aluminium.
SO the car will be a perfect little convey
ance of wood, steel and aluminium.
The size OF the ear is ten feet square.
This is a good size for an elevator, and
is also as good for the overhead cable
transit. Into such a car not more than
ten passengers can go, but the architect
thinks it better to run frequent cars than
10 ovcrpack one. Not only is il better
from an engineering standpoint, but it is
more convenient on account of the delay
in filing large cars.
The speed of the overhead cable is 800
feet a minute, the regulation elevator
speed. This would take man across the
street in a great deal less than half a min
ute and would carry him two squares
away before he realized that the car had
started. The speed and the sensation
would be much the same as rising in a
tail building, without the disagreeable
nausea when the car comes to a stand
still. The sensation would be more like
a very quick, short railroad ride. The
-stoppage is regulated by the best mechan-
ical means TO avoid jerking.
The car will run upon a cable by means
of a motor In land traffic the motor
question is a debatable one, many differ
ent motors being advocated by different
engineers. But with the overhead car any
motor will wOrk-any motor that will
make wheels go around. This is the only
necessary thing. "A simple wheel could
even be turned by hand. But this would
he an ancient and wholly unworthy way
of working such car A small concealed
motor would be used and it would be
turned on or off by an engineer who would
understand his business.
No skilled labor would be needed for
this. Any lad who can run an elevator
could run the overhead cables.
Naturally the question of pull arises.
The sky-scrapers have been looked at
askance ever since they rose gradually
from two stories to twenty in hight. Could
they be made strong enough? When the
engineers, at work with the figures of these
cars, computed the strain caused by their
weight, they were appalled, and at first
gave up the overhead cable as hopeless.
The sky-scrapers could not stand them.
A cable stretched across the street,
with a car weighing three tons, would
cause a heavy pull upon the building to
which 1t was attached. This pull is esti-
mated at from 200 to 800 tons. In other
words the sky-scraper would have a cable
tugging a one side of it with tug of
about 800 tons constantly.
The cable and car weigh only half of
this amount; but a moving body doubles
the weight of any strain. You can hold a
pound basket without feeling it. but you
walk with the basket dangling from your
arm and you get tired. The sway of the
basket makes it weigh or "pulI' two
pounds. or double its weight when station
AIRY.
So with a cable and car. Standing stiH
building would not feel their weight,
perhaps, but once put the car in motion
and the pun would be twice as much.
But this is an age of mechanical science,
and the architect whose overhead cable
plans are in construction has a way of
overcoming this which is simple and very
easily understood. 1t can be operated upon
buildings already constructed
Taking the present elevator shaft he lifts
the elevator out of it and al the foot of the
shaft he lays a huge steel platform. This.
in a new building. would extend almost
under the entire building But in one al
ready built a sufficiently large platform
could be placed at the foot of the elevator
shaft.