The Portland daily press., 1897-05-29
The THIRD RAIL.
Electricity as Motive Power on New
York Elevated Roads.
SAID TO HAVE BEEN PRACTICALLY
DECIDED UPON.

1T Would Mean Greatly Increased Speed
and the Saving of Millions OF Dollars
Yearly in Operating Expenses-How
the Power Would Be Applied.
After more than two years of search for
the most practicable and at the same time
most economical motive power, the
Mani attain Railway Company has finally
decided to adopt electricity, and the sys-
TEN to be used is what is known as the
''third rail, - says the New York Herald.
The matter has been in the hands of a
committee, which has devoted great
deal of time to examining different de-
vices, but for some time past they have
practically made up their minds that
electricity was the only force that was
likely to answer all the requirements of
future transit.
They might, however, have waited
little longer had 1t not been for the aston
ishing success of the experiment on the
New York and New England Railroad
between Hartford and Berlin on May 10,
which President Clark, of the New Ha-
ven road, predicted would result in reyo-
-1utionizing travel on every railroad in
the country. That experiment. determined
the system to be introduced on the ele-
waited roads in this city, and at an early
date the various electric companies will
,be invited to submit bids for equipping
the entire system with the third rail sys-
tenn of electricity. All of the directors
of the road were averse yesterday to say
ing anything, claiming it was premature
and that the Board had not acted official
lily upon the matter. One apparent rea-
son for this unwiTlingness to talk is that
an experiment. is to be made early next
week with compressed air motor and
the Manhattan company Epromised to
give the owners Of that device fair trial
before doing anything. The air motor
is expected to arrive today. A plant for
operating it has been fitted up at great
expense in Greenwich street. 1t is the
same motor that was tried on the 125th
street road.
Third rail electric systems are in opera
ton on the Metropolitan and Lake street
elevated railroads in Chicago, and Gener-
al Manager Fransioi, when he returned
last year from the inspection of those
roads, reported to the Board of Directors
of the Manhattan company that he was
very much pleased with their operation.
Since then vast strides have been made
in the development of electric traction by
means of a third rail, and foremost in
this line have been the experts who have
charge of the work on the Nantasket and
New England roads, which are controlled
sby the New Haven company, which was
Fled by severe trolley competition to seek
fsfor the most economical method of trac-
Btion. sse3 35e
President Clark's opinion, after the
strial at Hartford on May 10, Indicates
sthat the cheapest of all forms Of tfac-s
istion for heavy and long distance work
bhad at last been found, and he predicted
ltthat ere long the third rail system would
tsdrive the locomotive onto the scrap heap
'son the New Haven road, as well as on
aevery other road in the country.
The improvements on the roadbed of the
New Haven road between New York and
New Haven, whereby the tracks have
ssbeen Strengthened and most of the eros
ssings have been taken out, were planned
with the very idea of the introduction of
electricity on the main line. This, how
sever, is not likely to be realized until
most of the branch lines have been
sequipped and the new motive power has
abeen brought to a higher degree of perfec-
ton than it has thus far attained.
1t was estimated last year by both the
General Electric and Westinghouse Com
y,panies that it would cost between SC, 900, :
1000 and 81 900, 600 to equip the elevated
roads of this city with electric traction.
The device which they figured on was the
system used on the Chicago elevated
roads, which were the earliest applica-
lions of the third rail on an extensive
scale.
The above estimate includes the laying
of the third rails, changing of all the
E cars on the road and the building of
7 new motor cars, together with the cree
4 ton Of power houses. In Chicago the mo-
tors are placed in both ends of car which
(. can be utilized as a smoking car, if de-
: sired. The cab is small and takes up a
portion of the platforms, necessitating
/ the placing of the doors on one side.
Externally the motor cars used in Chi
cago look very much like the cars used
on the Manhattan road, and not unlike
the motor car adopted by the New Eng
land road on the Hartford and Berli n
branch. One of the chief
differences between the Chicago and the
New England systems. is in the position
of the third rail and in the shape of the
rail. The New England experts used a