The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-27
81 UsH NOT THE CAUSE.
The Burning Out OF n Plough Caused the
Under-Trolley Trouble Tuesday NIEht.

The Burning Out OF n ..FlouEho Caused the
Under-Trolley Trouble Tuesday Might.
III trouble which occurred on the new Madi.
son avenue under.trolley electric line on Tues
day night, which put out the lights on q number
of cars and disarranged the traflc for O time on
the section below Fifty.ninth street, according
to the experts, was not due In any way to the CO.
incident fact that the ground was covered with
snow or slush. Under the impression that the
trouble might have been caused by the weather
conditions. President Vreeland OF the Metropoli.
tan Street Railway and General Manager Clark
OF the neutrality-suspicious. of the General Electric
Company both began inquiries into the matter
at once yesterday morning. Mr.. vreeland was
anxious because II the snow and slush had
caused the trouble It might indicate that in
spite of the fact that the same system had been
in use by his company all last winter it might
have some fault which would render 1t un-
serviceable at the very times when it would DO
most needed. The General Electric people
wanted to, know in order to cure any defects
t Tsies cot % at The sf faets. Both were relieved when
It seems that the whole trouble came from the
p DHs u gu" TS es T pioash Is 'eiG IS tSe yth hhHwn used as q
n the under.trSliey sonduit to sollce.
cults in the car and then return 1t to the other
conductor in the conduit which takes 1t back to
unlike in appearance the grips used on q cable
car, except that in place Of a gripping arrange
ment they have at their lower end two plates of
iron which are pressed out by springs so that
each of them slides along in contact with the
conductor rails of the conduit. From one of
these plates a wire runs up into the car and to
the motor and lights and to the other a similar
wire returns.
The two sides OF the shank OF the plough are
armed with metal to take the wear where the
plough strikes against the sides of the slot rails
and to give strength. and the two parts are sep
arnted by a plate OF dry prepared wood, which
nets as an insulator. Sometimes the electric
current finds a way to pass directly through the
plough, from one side to the other, without go
ing through the motor ana light circuits above.
When this happens the current from the two
conductor rails flows too freely, and that section
OF the road ia. in electrical parlance. short cir
cuitet. The immediate result OF this IL. of
course, to render the motor on the car useless
for tho time and to extinguish the car lights.
At the same time an automatic cut-out in the
power station Is blown open with n bang, and
this cuts the current off from oil the cars in that
section. and all their lights go out and the mo-
tors stop developing power.
There is an attendant always at hand in the
power house watching these cut-outs. As soon
as one hangs, he closes 1t. But II the short cir
cult still exists on the line, out 1t comes again.
and this continues to happen rs often as he
closes 1t until the fuse or wire in the defective
place burns off and thus closes the short cir.
times I'm case of such an accident as that of
Tuesday night. and every time the circuit
breaker pops out the lights In all the cars on
that circuit go out. According to the reports
to the company the trouble on Tuesday night
was all over in a minute or two and the one
one which had to DO boosted along to the barn
by another one.