The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-01-27
ELECTRIC TRACTION.
French Engineers Make investigations
in This COuniry.

engineers, the object OF WhOse WISH
to this country was to investigated
the American methods OF heavy
electric traction. The party was
headed by +. Solacroup, assistant
chief engineer Of mat eriai and tract
ion on the Paris-Orleans railroad
The other members were MN. Sa-
boure, Fremenville, Hiberty and
Walton. All are engineers 0. thor
ough technical training and much
They desired to oprose-
cute their inquiries as quietly as
possible, and their movements have
been attended with scarcely any
publicity
The management OF the Paris Or
leans railroad sent them on Their
tour of investigation for the reason
that it intends t, introduce an ex-
tensive system of electric traction
and lighting on an underground ex
tension of its line i'll Paris. The
road, which is one of the five great
railroads of France, runs. from the
capital city all through the south
western part Of the country. Its
present terminus in Paris is on the
left bank of the Seine, near the Jar
din des Plantes and the Pont d Aus
teritz. In view of the throng OF
visitors that will 90 to Parisi in 1900,
and taking their cue, doubtless,
! from the construction Of the Central
underground railway in London,
the managers of the Paris Orleans
have decided to extend their line tc
the center of the city by means Of
an underground tunnel, the termI'
nus cf which will be the present
site of the ruins of the Cour des
Complies, destroyed in the time o.
the Commune. This polnt is or
the Quai d'Orsay, and opposite the
ITuilleres garden. There will be ar
.lintermediate station opposite th'
Pont st. Michel. The entire lengti
of the underground road will be fou
/ kilometers, or about two miles an
a half Electric locomotives vii
[ be used to draw the trains, Will
electricity will illuminate the cars
/, tunnel and stations.
The visiting engineers began thel
investigations in Hoboken, wher
they were much interested in tn
! operation of the electric locomotive
, on the shore road. Next they wen
20 Baltimore and inspected tn
, workings of the great electric loco
) motives, weighing ninety SIX ton
! apiece, in the Baltimore d Ohl
{ tunnel. If they had been interested
before, they were now fairly aston
slished. A trip to Chicago followe'
: for the purpose of observing the or
| Grafton of the elevated electric road
t there. Returning, the French en-
2 gineers came by way OF Buffalo, II
to visit Niagara Falls. The
: they went to Boston, and were me
Ibv G. p. Clark, president of tn
5 New York, New Haven & Hartfor
: railroad. They inspected the opel
/ alton Of the electric-motor cars 0
: tn, Nantasket Beach railroad, whlc
n runs along the beach for about min
j. miles. from Hull TO East Weymouth
Mass. on the old line of the Ol
!. Colony road. Then Mr.. Clark an
oil the chief electrician Of his railroad
IS Col. Helt, accompanied them
t Hartford. They saw at BerllI
,e Conn, the big power house OF II
New York, New Haven and Hartfol
and travelled over the line from Ne
Britain to Hartford on the third-ra
j electric motor car system.
l. Their next visit was to Schene'
e tadv. where a special test was mac
v for their benefit at The works OF Il
General Electric company, who
II has a railroad track, two miles lor
), and perfectly level, for experiment
ID purposes. To explain the object
le the test, it should be said that u
is Paris-Orleans company, in transie
Sc ring its passengers from the regul
re trains to the tunnel cars, will n
m lower them in elevators, accordlr
&C to the system to be Used at Il
m stations of the central undergrouI
gs in London. The cars OF their u
e. derground road are to start iro
d. near the surface, going down an
clined plane, and, in consequen1
ot Of the steep grade thus occasioned
the end Of the road, a satistacto
rate of speed over the whole d
- tance can be attained only by ve
III rapid running over the part WIN
will be nearly level. This part "
'ld be between the Pont st. Michel a
Quai d 'Orsay stations, and its len!
- will be a little over one mile ana
NY tenth. According to the time SC
our our dule prepared, this distance sho
80 - ooyarad in three minutes