The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-26
sPRAGUE PATENT DECISION.
Bearing on Electric Railway Motors OF tn
Claim 0untained By Judge wheeler.

Bearing on Electric Railway Motors or the
Claim Sustained by Judge wheeler.
Tho decision given by Judge Wheeler in the
United States Circuit Court on Monday, in
which he holds that the Union Railway Com
pany and tho Walker Company of Cleveland
have been Infringing upon the Spraguo patent
for o suspended railway motor, Is looked upon
as of great Importance by the General Electric
Company, which now WINS the Sprague patent.
In q recent address William J. Clark, general
manager Of the traction department Of the Gem
eral Electric Company, said that the three things
which had made electric traction.mechanically
possible were the invention of the undermining
trolley, as used on ordinary trolley lines. tho
carbon brush to feed the current to the motors,
and the suspended motor. In the early days Of
trolley cars, now only eleven years back, tho
current was gathered from the wires by wheeled
carriages which ran along them. Where the re-
turn circuit was through q wire, as at Asbury
Park. the trolley carriages had four wheels,
two running on each wire. Where the return
circuit was through the ground. the trolley car
riage had two wheels and was kept upright by q
weight suspended below the wire. These car
riages worked well in experimental plants, but
practically they gave much trouble by running
of the wires, or going wrong on switches. The
trolley on o pole on top of tho car overcame this
trouble. The brushes used during the earlier
years were Of laminated copper. They were
subject to sparkling, and t~hey.wore'out rapidly,
besides burning and wearing tut the
q month for. now copper for brushes was not an
unusual bill. In place OF the copper brushes.
carbon 3, 81 brushes Iat 81 aF e. now n used dto-s They 10Y do not
long time, while the cost Of renewing them is
only 216 or 3 cents apiece.
and connecting them with tho axles has been
of as much Importance In making the electric
At FIRST the motors were placed upon the plat.
forms Of the cars, or else rigidly nxed to tho
wheel trucks, and con connected sOssasn With h,s the a5lss
friction wheels. Tho connection was bad, and
the effect of Jars on the motors was disastrous.
the motors 80 that they would rido free from
shocks and yet always bear the same relation to
t Wse efis 10 on ma tess the %hst coan ss RSssi0' Th 81 T wss ss sct
complished by hanging one end Of the felld
magnet Of the motor on tho axle 60 that IL could
i iaEn t IN 'o osh Sa% end ie on springs IN sn' This raIs w Sna fo gssti
also to boa valuable arrangement IN saving the
caused BY the weight Of the motor; The patent
for this invention went to the Edison Electric
ssp p% q and adm IN turn sra' It beoaamss the hoI property eG Of
tho General Electric Company when tho latter
Ao L Is Asserted By tho aeenral Electric people
Ing an electric motor, aud that il Judge Wheel.
eral Electric and Westinghouse companies the
exclusive business Of eauipping electric roads.
On the other hand, the Walker Company people
say that neither tho patent nor the decision of
Judge Wheeler is OF much consequence to Tho
trolley road business.
I'VE shall carry the case to the Circuit Court
Of Appeals" President Hinckley of the Walker
Company said yesterday, 'becanso now that we
through. We believe the patent will be over.
thrown and She use of tho invention which 1t
10 supposed to cover will be thrown open to the
whole world. Even II the patent were sus-
tained 1t would be OF little consequence to us.
There arc a dozen ways Of suspending motors
this, and II we can't usc this one we will use
the othors. AS q matter OF fact only O small
number OF the motors We have In use arc at
fected by this decision. All the others are sus-
pended through other devices"
The im~portantspart.of Justice Wheeler's deci.
INC one had before hung q feld magnet at
one end upon the axle Of tho driving wheels and
at the other upon O spring from tho body Of the
car or the truck, and an armaturo axle upon the
geared to the axle Of tho driving wheels for
driving a car by a current of electricity. This
combination simplined greatly tho required
structures. improved their results and came
10 well support these claims Of the patont-
Tho defendants structures differed In some
respects from those o. the patent, but have ell
these parts working together In the same rela-
ton 10 each other, for the same purpose Hnd
producing tho same result; They arc altered
another spring to help carry II, but not by dis
ponsing with any of the parts; they Rro i'm
proved upon, but not departed from, The de-
| fondant's improvements arc not made indepen-
deaat'Sf and,Sisar from sPraguGSi put upon on i M;
| linking of his invention to improve upOn,'