The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-11
HERE IS RAPID TRANSIT.
uroTRIC MOTORS TO BE USED ON
THE ELETATED ROADS.

u.,or Van Wyck's Ideas to ne Carried Out
ere,t benefit the PubiIc VIII Derive rrou,
the ChnuEc-MaEnitude OF the Enterpriso.
Mr.. George Gould yesterday afternoon, in con-
.-r,.,Ion with n representative OF THE Bun,
,.,horizcd tho publication Of tho following
statement:
Al. elevated system. and we will now proceed
a. AFFECT a general installation with as little do
IA, as possible. l wish It understood that we
.nrpose to work theoretically along tho lines
,ndicntcd in Mayor Van Wyck's message and
,..ye nothing undonc TO adapt our accommoda-
,ions In tho fullest possible degree TO the re-
n,;remcnts and comfort OF the public"
The full meaning Of this announcement from
,bc President of tho Manhattan Railway Com
many may, perhaps. be gathered best from that
mart of Mayor Van Wyck's message to which
sr. Gould refers. Mayor Van Wyck, in speak
Inc Of the rapid transit problem and its solution,
said:
0You should demand and insist upon the
substilution. In the place Of the present motive
mower. OF electricity, which can now DO safely
utilized In the operation of these roads, afford.
iur A more clearly and less noisy service. and
that, too, with m Improvement in speed. And,
again, the number of through express trains
should be considerably increased. their running
time improved, and their use continued through
out the day and night, and not, as now, ro-
rtricted to q few hours in the morning and
evening.
"Tho trunk elevated lines should DO 90 o..
tended as to furnish moro convenient communi-
ration with the ferries. and, most important of
all. these lines should not be confined through
the greed or Indifference of the corporations
operating them to the thickly populated and
therefore profitable residence and business dis
tricts. Tho corporations should DO compelled to
continue the present routes to the more sparsely
settled and more distant localities, even II for o
time some loss is entailed by so doing.
ut Is essential to the prompt relief sought by
the people that the time allowed for tho compile
tion OF the improvements here suggested should
neither be unreasonable nor unlimited. A def
mite period should DO fixed. within a fair and
sufficient limit, compelling promptness in tho
beginning and vigorous prosecution to the end
Of the work: and a bond Of full proportions
should be exacted to guarantee that tho time
init would not be exceeded"
Mr.. Gould's announcement indicates that no
action on the part of tho Municipal Assembly is
needed to give New York It's much needed
facilities for travel through the only practicable
means-the extension and Improvement of the
service of the elevated roads. The change
In motive power which Mr.. Gould prom
hes will require the approval of only the
State Railroad Commission. and there
can be no doubt but that this can
be secured. It 10 within the power of
the managers of the system to provide
for running. faster trains and more express
trains. and the increased speed is one Of the
Of electricity instead of steam motors. So long
% the Rapid Transit Railroad Commission OK
~, sss iittt%eaaysieps%ss b tie e 10 az Ta fysi II sddi iinss.
Such extensions and improvements require the
approval of this commission, and its approval
as the road has applied tor permission to make,
except upon terms which were not satisfactory.
People who travel across the Brooklyn Bridge
know what a success tho electric motor oars
have been there, and how much they have added
to the comfort and efficiency of the. bridge car
has freed the bridge stations from the noise,
i sSes io sanSEf; emu emplto Dyed when ' The steam Sn1 mo-
steam motor there will also disappear q
cons d; part of the noise which the run,
vibrations either in the car or upon the rail-
attained than are safe with the steam motor
and It's engines. Electric, cars have been run at
speeds between 80 and 100 miles an hour.
apt to jump itself off the track. Every vibra-
ton saved in the engine means just so much
less transmitted to the track and turned into
nopo by the shaken structure.
is going to be a great piece of work to in
sian electricity as the motive power for tho
the world which Is called upon to do such an
amount OF work, to carry 30 many passengers.
s 80 run q 80 spaI many nSgd cars ens and = trains ms aRe s t. mass
system, In a single year the cars on the four
elevated roads and the suburban line run A.
hours there re'e are $500 trains s" aospstcSed' upon
those lines, and $50 locomotives are kept in SER
wee ,Sr ne work. Each Of these locomotives Is
ana a fair estimate OF the total average power
nnscded to operate the road, according to General
n W. J. Fransioll, is about 10000 horse
The installation Of a plant or plants to supply
ths power will be tn" biggest enterprise, of the
END that has ever been undertaken, Whether
ahe whole amount of the power will BIO pro-
auced at one station or whether q number OF
tsiSS The liass T has e so eq 10 be at d SSnTsnisnf Porn 3Sr this + isl Slff
aepehd upon a comparison of the cost of tho
enormous coppeilconductors which would be re-
oe employed and tho cost OF separate power
RPnHhts;, " Is probable that several plants will
Sr. SaiIt at POINTS convenient for RECEIVING the
,nhe the road burns In It's locomotives 100000
s sSHs OF coal a year. There will probably be q
more economical production OF power in great
atTThtohery boilers and engines.
,lhere Is little doubt that the system adopted
~ supplylng the electric current to the motors
vi .ae trains will DO the third rail method. For
ssup9!yinG the heavy currents required the over
neaa trolley IS not suited, and tho third rail
system, as IT is used on the Brooklyn Bridge
nm on the Chicago elevated roads. is n success,
Sne next question which the engineers will
nave to settle Is whether the trains shall be
arawn by separate electric locomotives. like
muse used In the Baltimore tunnel and the one
sasl put into service on the Hoboken junction
ipSaui or ny motor cars, such MS are used on the
nrooklyn Bridge. There is a third method OF
cS!pTiylng electric power to railroad trains. which
= IN use upon u road in Chicago. This Is the
,Ibprague unit system, under which each car on
,,me road is provided with motors and control
s s Each car can bo run separately, like a troll
sy car, or, by, means OF a system OF wiring, the
SnT can be hitched together in any numbers
W. W me whole, train operated from any car.
mnere me traffic varies very much in different
paarts OF The day, and is subject TO large fiuctua-
am from day to day, this method has decided
GGaranthses. but on tho elevated roads here, the
srehsrh Manager says. the traffic Is very
No, mo system, therefore. will probably
~ W adopted, and there are good rea-
nous lor believing that separate electric loco
ni a a es VIII not DO used. 1t Is probable that in
a. - VI me $50 steam motors. an equal number
H. motor cars will be used. Motor cars like
, mo now In. use on tho bridge, but with tho
w ouG wound to produce much higher speed.
~ mouLd no powerful enough to draw tho trains
cr .ne elevated roads. Each of tho bridge motor
s.rS ma four motors, each OF G2la horse power,
" ~ hprst power altogether.
~ IAnlIA FtHa $500 .-a-.u a. 80 t.