Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-01-23
UNIQUE RIDE.
A Trolley Journey Through clio sewers

- @@0*t~I Nt@AAANI @&%At"H*@ ttAN ~ " ~"
of Paris.
The main sewers Of Paris are period-
ically cleared by means Of scrapers car
ried on boats or cars. These convey
l'ances are also used for conveying Wis
itors through the large sewers under
the Rue do Rivoli and the Boulevards
Sebastopol and DE Malesherbes. These
expeditions take place IA times year,
in spring and autumn, and about s,40O
visitors are admitted yearly. Until 1894
these cars and boats were drawn by
men, but the labor and expense were
found to be SO excessive that now the
traction Is done entirely by electric
motors, taking current from nccumu-
lator batteries on the boats or cars.
The Scenic Civil" which describes and
illustrates the plant, says these main
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; 1t is IS feet
Az inches wide, 10 feet high from floor
to roof; and the sewage channel in the
| floor is 3 feet 5H inches deep and feet
10 inches wide. Boats are used in this
channel. The other sewers are smallcc
the channels in them being only feet
II inches wide, and from feet II inches
to feet 7 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 tons - hum
dredweight, and this travels at the rate
OF 81 miles per hour, The accumulation
battery consists of 20 elements and
weighs IA hundredweight, and its ca
pacity Is 100 ampere-hours, with mean
discharge of 25 amperes at so or 60
volts. The motor, which is series
wound, develops two-horsc power and
runs at 1900 revolutions per minute,
this speed being reduced to so by means
of pinion and wheel and chain-gear-
ing to the driving axle, the wheels being
1871 inches in diameter on the tread.
The boats are towed by means of a
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 guide
pulleys, makes three-quarters of turn
around the driving pulley, this pulley
being magnetic one, magnetized by
of 1t, 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 60
elements, giving an output of 60 ami
peres for 2H hours, at from 0s to 1875
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.
SO that the boats travel at about ~
miles per 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
2 miles, and they are lighted partly
by lamps on the footpaths, or by oil
lamps on the boats.-Paris Letter.