The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-05-11
NEW ELECTRIC RAIL SYs1
(BY G. A. EDwARns (

~ iexasA 49,
years ana was member of the co..''
tionai convention OF 1875. talked !,
about the trial OF new electr,o
system he saw white in New yor, ''q
The system tested is known as ~ \.
third rail electric 1t is based
patents granted to Captain Joh,
Murphy Captain Brady is sr,,s's
over the merits of the new svsta.
he saw publicly tested for tho a.. Spa
The test came off at Manhatts. ~
Coney Island, N. ". where M
has been installed on a road ,h..sf2
feet long between. the Manhatt.n
| Oriental hotels.
More than 500 people Witness.
test of the Murphy system" saId r..'
Brady, among whom were corneI,n. %
derbilt, Jr., representing the Nav ~
Central, and the Representatives. !, sw
thirty other steam, street and sl.s.
systems, besides electricians. csn,.''.
and others. incidentally was an ..'.
Others The test was pronounced Y.
feet success by everybody who w,.-. -
it. The car moved off with III
gliding motion of a Pullman. there NJ
total absence of the disasreeable jsrf ~
which all other electric cars starr
chief reason for this is that tia -.
started by small storage battsrv
car, not by the full strength Of A.
house current. minor reason bsrs ~
the ten-cell storage battery, weights. y
or 600 pounds, is below the oen,.s
gravity of the car. that tending 10 ,,.,,'
1t and prevent swaying. In word. NJ
the smoothest thing on the start "A s.
ever saw, and 1T keeps this smooth,..
up to the end.
~
"Im not going into a lot of techn,c,, !.
tails" said Captain Brady. TITS enou,,
to explain %hat the Murphy system belo,,,
to the sectional third rail class, the NM,
rail being the supply conductor and di,,a.
ed into sections half the length Of u.
car, each section being insulated from Il.
other. Now, only that section or thou
sections directly under motor, when N
car is in motion, is ever charged VII,
electricity. Every other section ., m
third rail, whether ahead of or behind N,
car, is absolutely free from electr,sity 4
dead This makes the road equipped II,
the Murphy systen safe, as no one csds
possibly receive a shock from the third MI
except by crawling under the car when
was moving, in which event the whssl
would do the rest.
1.-THE modus operandi is simple, etacsaI
and reliable. A feed current wire runs
along under the ground near the third rail-
and is connected to each section there's.
by switch which operates automaticsuy
in response to the controller on the ai.
which is manipulated by the motorna
By means of this switch the current 4
switched into each section of the third rail
as the car reaches 1t. and off OF It as tAa
car leaves it. This switch is perfectly u.
tomato in its movements. and, electft
ally, absolutely non-arcing, the latter =
feature that will be full of Significance
electricians.
''The construction OF the switch will "
of interest to electricians. 1t has tvl
separate and distinct windings, one viii
coarse wire, presenting a low or isesa
resistance to the passage of the elscth
current, the other with fine wire present
ing high or strong resistance to To
passage of the electric current. The ccfs
wire winding is connected to the main La n
feeder through the Jaws of the swit'A
The fine wire winding As connected to III
storage battery on the motor car whr
the switch is not in use. that is, when %
motor car is not directly over a seci''
connected with the switch, no curTsi'
passes through it from the power hous
and the Jaws or contacts of the sxla
are open, while the contacts of the III
wire winding are closed, connecting u
third rail to the ground.
\
"One OF the great troubles OF electf'
roads is their liability to become sn'a
during heavy snow and even rai
storms. recollect that during the bllslsA
the only way we could get to the csp's
was to walk. The electric roads wsH
short circuited, and the cable line tnh
ran cars did not go near the big WnH
an
House on the hill The Murphy sysND
can not be short circuited, as was proves
at a private trial at Manhattan Beach ~
March. Snow was piled on one section
the track and packed down. covering y
entire roadbed. track rails, third rail y.
all 10 the depth of three inches. AnoIE
twenty-five foot section was covered w w,
Cruel OF earth and water. Either woa an
nave short circuited any electrical sys..
now in use, except the Murphy syss.
me car plunged through the snow
.hough there was no such thing as snoe
existence. and the same with the eaftlI =.
water Cruel. The car passed over XXI
Instructed sections at full speec, ~
ipeed, slowly, was stopped. startea q
eversed on them the same as oss o..
inencumbered track. This was q usp,
itration of the impossibility OF snon
uiting the Murphy system, ana psr.s
hat weather distractions that have ps WI
red and will hereafter paralyze the ~ ,'sa
lead and underground systems now W., W.
would present no difficulties to tne q
Thy system. OF course. cars operssssssi
his system could be stopped by pn s,ssn
Obstacles that would stop cars uslns ss ~
'ower, but in no other way that ! AA'