Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1897-02-04
UNIQUE RIDE.
A Trolley Journey Through the Sewer
of Paris.

A Trolley Journey Through the sewer
Of Paris.
The main sewers of Paris are period
ically cleared by means Of scrapers car
rled on boats or cars. These convey.
ances are also used for conveying vic
itors through the large sewers under
the Rue de Rivoli and the Boulevarts
sebastopol and De Malesherbes. These
expeditions take place IA times a year.
in spring and autumn, and about s,4oC
visitors are admitted yearly. Until 1894
these cars and boats were drawn by
men, but the labor and expense were
found 70 be so excessive that now the
traction is done entirely by electric
motors, taking current from accumu'
1ator batteries on the boats or cars.
The "Genie Civil" which describes and
illustrates the plant, says these maiD
sewers are in section very similar to an
ordinary tunnel; but in the floor is
formed the rectangular channel for the
sewage, while round the roof are fixed
the water and compressed air mains
the telegraph and telephone wires, etc.
The sewer under the Boulevard de
Malesherbes Is the largest; it is IS feet
AZ inches wide, 10 feet high from floor
to roof; and the sewage channel In the
floor is feet 81 inches deep and feet
10 inches wide. Boats are used In this
channel. The other sewers are smaller.
the channels in them being only feet
ii inches wide, and from feet II inches
to feet inches deep. In these cars
are run, the Hanged wheels OF the cars
running on the edges of the channel,
which are protected by angle-bars, and
form the rails. The approximate weight
of a train Of five cars with 100 passen'
gers on board Is about 2 tons IL hull-
dredweight, and this travels OF the rats
OF sA miles per hour. The accumulation
battery consists Of 2s elements and
weighs IA hundredweight, and its ca
pacity is 100 ampere-hours, with mean
discharge Of IS amperes OF 80 or 60
volts. The motor, which is series
wound, develops two-horse power and
runs at 1000 revolutions per minute
this speed being reduced to 80 byneans
of pinion and wheel and chain-gear-
ing to thedriving axle, the wheels being
15A inches in diameter ON the TREAD.
The boats are towed by means OF
chain sunk in the sewage channel;
which is brought to the surface and
passes around pulley driven by means
Of double reduction gear from the
motor. The chain, by means OF guido
pulleys, makes three-quarters Of turn
around the driving pulley, this pulley
being a magnetic. one, nagnetized by
means Of two coils, ono ON each side
of it, on the axle.
Each passenger train consists OF SIX
boats, in the first Of which Is carried
the accumulation battery and towing
apparatus; while in the last boat, which.
is smaller, there Is another towing ap-
paratus. The battery consists Of go,
elements, giving an output OF 60 am
peres for ga hours, at from % to i25
volts; it is divided into two parts, which
can be connected in series or parallel,
as required. The motors run at $50
revolutions per minute; but this speed
is reduced by means OF the gearing.
30 that the boats travel oft about III
miles pen hour. The power required
for this Is from about two-horse power
to 5h-horse power, according as the
boats are travelling with or against the
current. The total length Of the sewers
open in this way to the public Is about
Q miles, and they are lighted parely
by lamps on the footpaths, or by Oil
larnns on the boats-Paris Letter. i