The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-07-25
A REVOLUTION
IN RAILROADINC
Third Rail Electric System to BE In
troduced on All Big Roads,
rne railway Az says

The Railway Agc says
The day OF the steam locomotive has
passed sgain and railways an all going
20 he equipped with electricity This,
VIC believe, has been announced several
times before; hut now We have the fun
plans ANA specifications, "details and lg-
urts OF the grca, change that Is coming
and OF how It Is 10 NcmN II Is an !, Il.
Morgan's fault hut the story had better
be told n. the wonls OF the great Now
York correspondent who has given Il TO
rs daily press;
The only uuc Mr., Morgan's friends
have questioned his Judgment WAS when
Pc took them into General Electric He
Is about to lead them out with honor
This is how he proposes TO 10 It.
Mr. Morgan has acquired contyal ~
nine great railroads, ~ vii equip them
all with the third roil' syStcm
"rhc New York New Haven & Hartford
is now getting the drst appliances, and the
rsSt-the New York Central the Reading
the Lehigh Valley, the Erie, the South
ern and Northern Paciic the Rig Four
and the Chesapeake 4 Ohio. viii follow
in due time, The steam locomotives day
has passed.
Mr. Morgan is not siven to betraying
his pet protects even to his best friends,
but few OF them have known he was
only waiting for the perfection OF the
"thlrl rail- electric system 20 launch the
greatest enterprise Of modern railroad
ing. already planned down TO the small
details
He is a heavy holder Of General Elec-
,ric stock. He bought when i, was hish
The vanderbIlts. H. Mex. Twombly, and
other friends bought with him. Their
losses nearly led to an open rupture
with the tinancier, and the criticism that
fell to his lot ranked deeply
Through the efforts Of Mr., Morgan the
New York New Haven 4 Hartford raIl-
road took up the thlrl rail system as
soon as the General Electric company had
perfected its patents, Exhaustive trials
were made under all sorts OF con.
di;iOns II was found a speed OF ioo
miles an hour could De maintained by
the rlil-fced motors attached to heavy
trains. Specifications were drawn which
showed that the cost OF equipment and
the expense Of maintenance and opera-
tion were less than for steam roads. ana
a contract was entered into between Mr..
Morgans manufacturing company. the
General Electric and Mr.. Morgan's rail-
road company. the eNw York New Haven
* Hartford.
Specifications for the equipment % the
entire New Haven system. 2Os5 miles OF
track. have been submitted TO President
Clark and are expected to be adopted at
once.
More than g7.0o0 miles OF railroads
come within the scope OF Mr.. Morgan's
great plan. stretching from Boston TO
Portland. Or. and in the south to Flor
ida and Mississippi These roads, to-
gether. represent capitalization OF 81 |
ol6.SS2. 80 Roughly estimated. the cost
OF electrical equipment on this 1881
miles Of road will be s5i7 $4,000
Practically the whole OF this amount
Of S54I.5ioOcO Will pass through the treas
ury OF Mr.. Morgan's electrical works.
leaving there in the shape OF the manu-
iacturlrs' profit, z5 per cent. or Sl36. $500.
The patents for the system which viii /
bring in this princely revenue are valued
now AZ 10000.
This news is Of great importance. The
Railway Age. however. has reliable in
that it win be several weeks
yet before the actual work OF converting
the trans-conuusntal lines OF the North
ern Pacific will be in hand"