New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-23
CHANGING MOTIVE POWER ~ THIRD-ATE.

LINE CLOSED ABOVE SIXTY -sEvENTH-sT. ALL
SUNDAY.
There only running in Thrd-ave.
north OF Sixty-seventh-st. all day yesterday. and
that was not for passengers. 1t had been said that
the change from the cable to the electric system
along this thoroughfare would be begun at
o'clock in the morning. and that in a few hours
the new cars would be running. Eated by such
hopes the churchgoers gathered on the corners
and waited to ride in those nice. cars.
which never came Others sailed out in the after
noon make few Sunday calls but they had
10 walk. When night came it was surely thought
that the system would be in operation, but
instead Of cars the tracks there work
men. They crept along the track. on the
ground and now under it. Every pit between the
rails had man in II. and on each side long red
lines of lanterns sgnalled danger All this was
pleasant to look upon but it did not alter the fact
that the people had TO walk.
II was learned last night at the Offices Of the
Third Avenue Company that the change from one
system to the other had begun according to sched-
ule time but that so many hndrances had been
encountered that It had been impossible to open
the system early had been expected
Preparatory to the change. the conductors had
been placed in the conduits These conductors con-
sst of two T rails with their fiat tops facing each
other They held in position by insulators
which riveted at intervals of nine feet into the
great iron yokes OF the conduit In order that the
cable grips might still be used while the electric
fittings were being put In place, these + rails for
conducting the current had first been placed back
about an inch and half from their proper position
All that had TO he done. therefore, in changing
the old system TO the new, pull out the cable
ana push the conducting rails closer together. The
proper distance between them should be six inches
At midnight Saturday force OF 80 men
put IN readiness. BY 23O a. m. the last cable
between Sixty-seventh-st. and Harlem taken
of. Then the two cables were pulled out by means
OF winding them around q drum Since these
cables are each about seven miles long. the under
taxing was not an easy one. AS the gr. at
steel ropes were wound OF they were run through
a huge pipe into the street There a gang OF fifteen
men cooled them into 200 foot loops. When the
cables had been got out Of the way the conductors
were pushed up TO their proper places. This took
a lot OF time. 1t was not until > O'Clock in the
afternoon that the first trial trip made
tanned several officials and directors Of the com
pany. When the power turned on however
there was neither light nor motion. The car was
then showed along by man power for some blocks
and IL found that piece Of iron had fallen
across both conductors that the current was
shooting through 1t instead OF ascending up through
the plough OF the into the motor When this
obstacle was cleared away all went well for some
distance. Suddenly the passengers were startled
by volcano Of fire ahead The current had again
jumped across The party finally reached the end
OF the line after much sizzling
:, II was salu al me companys Offices that the
line would be IN full operation this morning at
o'clock II was said too that the line from sixty
seventh-st 10 Sixth-st. would be altered sun
day and the remaining part far the City Hall
on the following Sunday.