The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-16
TO FLY LIKE THE WIND.
McGurty Gives an Ezplana-
ton Of His Solution Of the
Rapid Transit Problem.

James H. McGurty, of no. III Bright
street, inventor of a new electric railway
system for rapid ans of freight, mail
II general express matter. gave a pub
lie exhibition in this city Yesterday OF the
working of his system. The exhibition
was not as successful as the inventor
hoped for, owing to the failure OF the
automatic clutch beneath the model motor
ear he used to work just before the time
set for the exhibition. The little machine
a worked thoroughly, however, all the
morning, and crowds witnessed the aar
sail around the mammoth circular trestle
erected for the exhibition. The exhibition
was to nave taken place on the old I'M
used reservoir site at Central and Man
haitian emu Inventor McGurty said
he would give an all day exhibition on
Friday. The failure of the automatic
clutch to work during the afternoon was
due to an oversight in putting the model
motor together, two important screws
having been overlooked.
The inventor claims to " solved the
problem of rapid transi by electricity
without the aid of the overhead trolley
wire. The motor car used for yesterdays
exhibition is about one-fourth Of the size
of the regular cars to be used by his
patented system. A full sized car will be
t~wenty-four feet, with or without differ
ent lock- compartments. The features
of Mr.. McGurty's motor, on all of which
he has secured patents, include roller
bearing boxes with attachment to prevent
the car leaving the track or the feed wire.
It is worked by alternating electric cur
rents. There are three trolley wheels be-
meath the car. The full sized car will run
on four inch rails, two inches in width.
The wheel tread will be three inches and
the wheels equipped with three nch
ffanges. The car has an automatic brake.
The road is to rave an electric switch for
throwing the current in or out of the in
sulated sections at each station without
breaking the current beyond the switch.
The car is equipped with an automatic
controller for reducing speed on down
stations. This applies to the taking off
of power from the motor. It does not
apply to the brakes. Should a car or
train slack up slower than required speed
the power Is automatically applied to the
armatures again. Full speed or Roadway
can be regained if necessary in from one
half to a full minute. The road for Mr..
McGurty's new system requires to be e.e-
waited on one pier of iron or steel. The
cost of construction, he claims, is insig-
nifcant in comparison with that of the
road he has now in use. The cars will
climb grades, and but little If any grading
would have to be done, say for a road all
the way form New York to Chicago. 1t
is to be operated on the regular train des-
patchers' system, at one end and at In
tervals along the line. The cars can be
stopped at any point desired.
While in working trim, yesterday, the
model made about fifteen miles an hour.
The speed could have been increased by
placing more resistance ii he field Of
the motor. The full sized motor will
travel, if necessary, from 100 to 120 miles
an hour.
Inventor McGurty said yesterday that
he had met with great success in securing
capitalists to put his system into operas
ton. He said a company known as the
! Globe Electric Express Company had
| already beer Incorporated under the laws
of this State to handle the express and
delivery part of the business. A second
company was being formed to construct
and operate a forty mile road. On this
latter subject Mr.. McGurty is somewhat
reticent, as hi says matters are not yet
in u shape as to make It safe to give
out the details of the promoters affairs,
He intimated that Boston, New York,
| Philadelphia, Baltimore and Chicago
| would possibly soon be connected by his
new railroad system.