The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-12
WILL NEED GIANT PLANT,
ELECTRICIANS DISCUSS THE EBE-
VATED'S CHANGE OF POWER.

" Woutd Cont $40, 600. OOO, Probably. nno
Take Tive Years 70 Substitute Eiectricity
for s~tenrn-soma or tho Systems which
NAY no Adopted-r1enents to the Pnbiic.
The announcement by President George Gould
that the Manhattan Elevated ronds were TO be
equipped with electric motive power made In
yesterdays sur has proved to be q source OF
qualification TO the public. and at the same time
II has set oil tho groat electrical companies and
their engineers to specializing rs to tho kind OF
plant that will DO used. Big as some OF the cleo
trlcal traction plants of this country arc. none OF
them will compare with that which the elevated
railroads of this city must have. and It's con-
s%truction will forco the engineers who
take the matter in hand to moot and
solve new problems. 1t was reported yesterday
that n contract for tho work Of equipping tho
Second avenue line had already been signed
with tho Walker Company Of Cleveland. D., but
this could not be verified, and 1t seems doubtful
that q contract for any part Of the work should
be entered upon 30 soon after the decision to
change the power was arrived at.
General Manager Fransioli Is authority for
the statement that the electrical plant which
will replace tho present steam motors will
have to be capable Of developing 10000 horse
powor. This calculation Is based upon the fact
that during the busiest hours Of the day about
800 OF the total Of $50 steam motors are now in
use. hlu chCn HUIOT Is TcuulTcu W ACTb lIo tOLdi
Of $50 horse power. Every engine on the road
might be c,llei upon at tho s7mo moment
to do its hardest work. and an electrical
plant must BIO capable of responding
at any momcnt to such n demand. A few
y 70 nrov Hgo n 1T was Sor the o inYa 5ynn9oI p of 6 suf,.
cient capacity to meet such demands. but to-
day n large number of the best engineers prefer
to Duild smaller plants. capable of meeting the
largest average demands directly. but supple
mcnted with big storage batteries to meet tho
power houses. electrical engineers who were
spoken 10 yesterday about the possible charac,,
ter Of IA plant for the Manhattan road expressed
the opinion that storage batteries would form a
feature OF the new equipment.
When the Manhattan roads officers were ac-
lively figuring Upon the uso of electricity q
year OF, two ago it was, understood that their
general plan was to build four power houses.
Such power houses would have been built at
points which would divide the lines into con-
yenient units for supplying power without hay
tances. At that time the only systems in
500 or 600. volts. Recent improvements
in the use OF high.pressure currents have made
longer distances with economy by the use OF
multiphase alternating currents Of high voltage
rotary conyerters. and the opinion was OK.
pressed yesterday that n method OF this sort
would probably 70 be used and that tho whole
station. 1t, was said that the Metropolitan
Street hallway Company Is now figuring
Trolley roads one great bower house to be To-:
Gated somewhere on the river front. capable of
biggest power s'SR house Of this sort in the world is
the Albany street station Of the West End rond
d IL sHs1ea. T Ness in "s sfss TO- To- 'q 1Sat hG is the eo powd is
house OF the Chicago City Railroad. whore about
10000 horse power is produced.
The magnitude Of n power house to produce
considering its probable cost. Tho big powor
cost. ranging from $56 per horse power TO $50.
for buildings and machinery without land. AS.
at the lowest drurc, It would cost 100000
! exclusive OF its site. The next item Of expendi.
ture w9uId be tho copper feeder wires este to
the engineers declare. might vary in cost all
tho way from $500, 900 to more than SO. 900. 900
smaller Wires were used, rs would be done il
high.tens,on currents were employed, n very
ton Of motors. and in this the public has n par
t dsT I'll in Il loe6 od EIe g Ts%r G m|@bt b said sa yeste in
the operation OF tho Manhattan elevated roads,
through the substitutiono of electricity for steam,
ture Of its advantages. Moro rapid transit and
the making OF the roads more attractive to tho
riders are a5sv the he great points which are to be
Upon the applisstion of the electric motors to o
and New York viii not be satisfied With
anything short OF the best results attain
able. IL has been pretty clearly intimate by
will not use separate electric locomotives.
but will apply the electric motors to cars which
will also carry passengers. as the BROOKLYN
bridge motor cars do, but 4 does not appear to
be settled whether they will use a single motor
or whether each car on the line will be equipped
with motors. The cutting down Of the schedule
time OF trains and the cost of the new equip
with the manner in which this question is
. Inr avn ma tim H. N lnplt - NNnat
Side road in Chicago has cars equipped with $50
horse power motors, and these draw three cars
after them, making four-car trains. Such motors
are about the same as those on the Brooklyn
Bridge. and they cost. exclusive of the car.
about 5000 for each car. This: perhaps. is the
put in, and $50 motor cars to take the place OF
the present steam motors would cost ~ ,l55.,
900. On the other hand. the Illinois Central
Road ia. now making preparations to replace
steam with electric power for its enormous sub.
urban traffic at Chicago. and its managers are
calculating to use cars equipped with motors of
700 horse power. and If such motors cost in pro-
portion e. !, their the power $50 of them would as'
The lowest estimate that has been made for
the entire work OF changing o tie power on the
figures. and 1t can easily be seen from these
figures that the cost may run up to $i0,0 JOG 900.
gineers that the best results to be had in tho
matter. of increased speed would come from
South Side road. BY this system a Whole
Tram or any NUMBER OF cars mas the
activity OF q trolley car In getting up speed
after leaving \ station; F. l.. Spraglc declared
yesterday that with this system it would BIO
possible to save fifteen minutes in the run from
South Ferry to l55th street on the Sixth avenue
road. making all the stations. and without at
any time exceeding the maximum speed now
used between stations. Another advantage
claimed for this system Is that the heavy trains
OF tho trunk lines could be broken up when they
came TO tho branching suburban limos, which it
is believed will soon be built, and each car. IL
necessary. could 20 out on n separate line with
nIt n nnmnnI T naln nj IA aAVItrhlnr In
Tho advantages OF electrical traction are OF
equal Importance to tho patrons of the road and
ITS stockholders. THE steam railroad men and
those of the elevated roads have never given
this matter tho thought which IL deserves"
said, an electrical engineer yesterday. 1T is
really ono OF the most important factors, in
building up tho business OF tho trolley
roads of The country, 1t is this which
has been drawing trade away from tho
elevated, roads to tho improved surface
roads all about them, and trade once diverted
does not easily return. II Is n curious fact. how
ever. that much OF the business of these new
roads every where seems to be new business
created by the attrActiveness Of the road itself.
Take tho case of the Third avenue cable road
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