The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-05-28

lment- on the New Olk, New llaN-
en- and Hartford railroad should
prove a success is not very wonder
lful. The results are simply a con-
Ihrmation of those obtained around
Boston last summer with similar
method of operation. The third
rail plan is, in fact, no novelty to
electrical engineers in this country.
1t was extensively employed as far
back as 1884, by Draft in the sub
lurbs of Baltimore; and other nota-
BILE tests were made, some OF them
on the elevated roads in New York,
where we may look for their renew
al whenever the management has as
much courage as President Clark,
of the New Haven railroad. That
official is IA good representative OF
the steam managers who, being con-
fronted with trolley competition and
the consequent loss of their proiita-
BILE short haul passenger travel, have
adopted electricity. There is not a
single steam railroad in this country
which, enjoying hitherto a large
commuter traffic, has not had to
face lust this problem. Reducing
fares is an inadequate solution, Tor
. the trolley hauls its passengers or
dinarily ten to fifteen miles Tor a
nickel, if they wish to 90 that dis
lance, and that rate of fare is not at
all profitable with the steam service,
. maintaining heavy trains, regular
train gangs, terminal and way sta
tons and all the wonted physical
organizations at enormous cost.
From most of these expenses troll
lev road across the country Is tree.
!, Some of the steam roads now oper-
ate trolley roads, therefore; Others
have actually circumscribed their
local train services; Others again
are still in the stress of a losing
, competition; while last class are
; equiping a portion of their tracks
electrically, but not at all necessarl-
, lv with the third rail system. The
huge electric freight and passenger
. hauling locomotives of the Baltl-
more and Ohio road at Baltimore
still use the overhead trolley, and il
!, is understood that the service is tobe
: extended; while it is already undel
serious discussion for use at the
! Union depot in st. Louis.
/, Seeing that this work is in IT.
! early stages it is difficult to deter
mine its successive evolutions ac-
: curately. One thing is certain; il
/, will 90 on. 1t is safe 10 say that
, the plans of many of cur large roads
/, for the returning period Of prosperl-
ty contcmplates the adoption OF
electricity for short haul passenger
, service. When these plans are
. carried out the competing trolleys
will apparently have but one advan-
, tage left them, that of putting down
or taking up passenger very near
his own door The present limita-
ton of these trolley roads, as to
distance of operation, is one Of the
main difficulties. They nearly all
use the direct current with the
rather low pressure of five hundred
volts, and this compels them to pur-
chase tons of copper for their cir.
cults. But, given clear right OF
way, such as some of them now
have, in Ohio, for fifty miles at a
stretch, higher pressures can be
used, the alternating" current
comes into effective play for cur
rent transference, and the whole
, system of circuit is economically re-
duced in bulk and cost These will +,
in reality, be the roads to threaten
seriously the time-honored suprem-
acy of the steam locomotive. dis
putting with it for long haulage alike
of passengers and freight. 1t is up
on this method that steam railway
managers must keep their eye,
rather than upon third rail expert
ments on short stretches of ten or
/, twelve miles, important though
these undoubtedly are.-Evansville
Courier.