New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-30

and study for years. r,,
AS has already been pointed out by The Irlp,
une his general plan is TO have this third ran
cut into sections Of thirty feet. and 10 PROVIDE
that only the particular section over when a
car Is at any moment snal 1e I'VE VIII, ',',,o "' =.
40 situated as TO be able to touch both this
Give" section and the return ran IS IN Hucn
greater peril, from the moving car uhdeT winch
ne lies than from the current when ne Il en-
gagged in short -crcuiting. OF course. II Is prac-
tically impossible for n man 10 get lnto Such
n position And, all the othor sections III
Mr. Wizards system would pe en,ir ,h, na r,n
less. he might stumble ana fah over "n'"i VIII"
perfect impunity.
MR. WIZARDS WORKING MODEL"
How Mr. willard accomplishes this IA plainly
shown by a miniature railroad. which Is on ex-
bIbltIon at his Office in the Lords Court Build
ing tiny truck. equipped with sultap'e
motor. is placed on track not over six or
eight inches wide; and when the current IS
turned on the little machine goes lying arouna
an clinical course sixteen feet long ard egnt
or nine feet wide. The third rail- ~ iao nan
way between those on which the car runs ana II
smooth. narrow strip of brass underneath ,he
truck reaches down so az to make sHdlis
contact with the upper face or inc HlhhIe rail-
After this preliminary performance wh'cn tens
its own story, Mr. Willard shows ms VISITOR
wooden model OF that rail. In height. thickness
and interior arrangements. this IS as large IS
the genuine article would be: but. Tor con
venience in handling. he has limited It's lsns.n
to five feet instead or letting IL eH'fn" '"e
full thirty feet OF actual practice
The rail is made in two pieces. Ihey reseIi ~
a long, narrow box. and n cover fttlng over 'He
upper edges OF the same and reaching down
an inch or more on each side. From me loWer
edges of the lower half there project our .
wardly fanges sufficiently wide 70 give nol'
for the spikes wherewith the rail- Is 10 DC Sc
cured to the crOssties. Both the bottom ana
sides inside Of the box. are lined with some
insulating material Just now Mr.. wizard mas
wood in place there. but he does not limit MN
self to the use OF that material. The box. tnus
lined Is intended to carry his live" conductor.
and the insulation keeps the current from ieih-
ing out through the sides Of the rail- crow
bar or bare hand, touching this part OF the ooA;
can under no circumsta noes tap the supply Oh
electricity. 80
The cover Of the box Is mounted on rollers so
as to slide little. lcngthwlse. In one pos'loh
Il has no electrical connection with the en-
closed conductor But when the shoe or the
car which slides along the top OF the rail, comes
in contact with this cover. 1t pushes II onward
half an inch or So and thus let's the electricity
come up into It. and 90 into the motor When
the car has passed the cover returns 10 It's
former position. and becomes dead
A piece of road equipped with this rail- VIII be
in operation within ten miles OF the New York
CItv Hall by April J. thus affording the public
chance to study It's workings.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE COST.
When investigators have once satisfied their
curiosity about the working Of Mr.. WIZARDS
system they naturally ask him about the cost
OF his third rail- Both the fixed part Of II and
the sliding cover can be rolled out, like ordi-
nary channel" iron or common steel rails, and
are not likely to cost more per ton than those
materials The incosed conductor Is OF iron
and not copper, and consequently is cheaper
than copper. The rollers and levers. together
with the insulating material, add only a trine
to the expense
ANY comparison which Is made between the
cost of this style OF rail and the third rail- now
in use ought To take into account not merely the
price paid for the latter alone. but also the cost
Of extra work done at grade crossings and sta
tons More elaborate cattle guards sections
OF overhead wire and other incidentals have
been found necessary where the third rail is
now being tried. These could be dispensed
with n a safety rail were substituted for the
other.
Looking at IL in this way. Mr.. Willard is con-
fdent that his system would involve an IN
creased cost Of less than $500 a mile. And
that sum may well be considered small one
to pay for an absolute guarantee against dam
age suits in consequence Of leaking currents.
II IS perhaps needless TO add that the Willard
rail is adapted both TO the single-track and
double-track roads A can go in either
direction and Shift the moving top Of any sec
ton forward or backward from its central posi-
ton and pick up the current equally well. Like
q good rule. this scheme Is designed 10 work
both WAYS"