The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-02-01
THE Third RAIL
Experimenting on Baltimore and Ohio to
Test It's Efficiency.
The PENNSYLVANIA'S DIVIDENDS
New Road Between Washington
and Waynesburg...LOcal
Sparks from the Rail.

An invention, which it is believed will
supplant all previously invented third
rail systems and revolutionize railroad
traffic was successfully tested the other
day on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad.
It is the Murphy safety sectional third
rail system, the invention of Captain j.
Mcleod Murphy, of Torrington, Conn
For the past six months Captain Muir
ply has been at work with a force of
men, installing the system at his own
risk The contract was that he was 10
take it out If it did not prove successful.
W. ID. Young, chief engineer of the
Baltimore & Ohio, and two assistant en-
gineers of the same company, who wit
messed the test, were all thoroughly sat
isfed.
The most remarkable feature of Cap
tain Murphys invention is that the
charged sections of the third rail are
always under the car or motor, and in
front and rear of the car the third rail
may be walked on or handled without
the slightest danger. The inventor thus
explains how this feat is accomplished:
THE motorman opening the controller
to the first notch automatically COM
muncates with the air tank carried on
the locomotive as a storage reservoir
for compressed air, which operates the
brakes. The compressed air tank i'm
mediately gives the power to the air
engines, which in turn operates electric
generator which generates current suffi-
cient to pick up a switch which charges
the third rail with current from the
power house. This current passes from
the switch to the third rail, to the shoe,
to the electric generator, which auto
matically becomes a motor, and through
the substitution of two valves in the air
engine also becomes a compressor and
charges the air tanks from which it
originally got it's motive power.
"Thus at no time during the opera
ton of a car over this system is it pos
sible to have charged conductor or
third rail except when the motorman
has opened controller. Hence, should
q person even fall beneath car and
the motorman quickly throw the con-
troller closed there would not be the
slightest danger from injury by cleo
tricity. There is no possibility of the
third rail in front or rear of the car
while the car is in motion becoming
charged. 1t lies on the ground as harm
less. so far as electricity Is concerned,
as any car track on any system"
{. :. 9. :.
According to the Waynesburg "Inde-
pendent" the b. & O.. is about to build
| line between Washington and Way
nesburg. The report has 1t that the
surveyors have beeen over the ground
and have made a favorable report.
The b. & o. could reap considerable ad-
vantage from having a line to reach the
coal fields and the rich agricultural
region of Washington county, and ii
may be that they will build such line,
| :. =. g.
1t Is said that there will be no increase
in the Pennsylvania railroad dividend
and that 1t will remain at 5 per cent for
the present year at least.
.. 9. . {.
The greatest novelty in the way of a
contest for wager heard of lately. was
that pulled off In Yorkville. Pa, last
week with two BARRIERS as the contest
ants. They were matched to shave
| three men, the one finishing first to re-
ceive $25. While working on his last
man, one of the BARRIERS lost his nerve
collapsed and cut his mans throat. He
was arrested.
| :. = - -
John Kramer is In training for his
contest with Frank Hilson at Reading
Ohio. on February 4. Kramer is getting
In shape at Mike Norton's gymnasium
on Central avenue In Reading. Johnny
siegman and an unknown will appear ir
q six-round preliminary bout.
\ ~ =. =. :. NJ z Z.