The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-24
BIG PLANS
FOR St. CARS
Twin City Co. Plans Expen.
diture of Over a
Million.
Substations and Tunnels Con
tenplated -NewCar Signs
Tried Tonight.

The Twin City Rapid Transit company
will spend $1,35O.000 in betterments this
year.
After careful consideration, the officials
of the company have decided that the
power furnished by che St. Anthony Falls
dam is no longer sufficient to supply the
fast growing needs of the street railway
system. and consequently steam plant
will be erected at the dam for use when
the water is low. .e~-~n'-'
This plant will have a capacity Of 5000
horse power, and its erection will be the
first step in plan that involves q COM
plete revolution in the power system OF
the company. The steam plant will cost
about $780, 900 and bids for it's construction
will be received Monday, work to begin
as soon as possible afterwards.
Ultimately three substations will be
established One each in Minneapolis and
ST. Paul, and the third for the Saltwater
line Each Of these stations will be
equipped with rotary transformer, and
will have a storage capacity of 5000 horse
power, for use during the busy hours of
the day. They will get their power from
the plant at the dam.
The exact location Of the substations
has not yet been determined, nor will
they be erected this year In speaking OF
the matter this morning, however, Vice
President Goodrich said that work on the
dam steam plant would be pushed as rap
idly as possible, the company having de-
cided to take no more chances of trouble
with the water supply.
A System of Tunnels.
Another feature of the plan is the con-
struction of tunnels through the sand
rock underlying the city, to accommodate
the feed wires which must be carried
through the business districts. The COM
pany's experiments at Hennepin avenue
and Tenth street have shown this sand
rock to be from forty to fifty feet below
the surface, and the system Of tunnels
to be constructed will be similar to that
| now in use in st. Paul, where the under
! ground wires of the telephone company
are all conducted through tunnels big
enough so that a man may walk through
them in an upright position.
| New cars which are to be turned out
during the year will cost the company
$350000 more. Ten cars of the large, or
| tnterurban type,~ are now in course of
construction at the shops on Thirty-frst
street, and the first Of them will probably
be finished in about seven or eight weeks.
! The shops will be run at capacity all the
year, and the company expsetszto turn out
! an average of twelve cars each month.
| These additional cars will require more
barn Space, and 100000 will be spent in
| enlarging the buildings now in use. The
| remaining 100000 will be spent in the
| construction of the tunnels already re-
! ferred to and In repairs to trackage.
New Car Signs Tonight.
I Vice President Goodrich realizes thor
oughly that the present equipment of the
company is inadequate to the demands
made upon it. He said this morning that
he knew the present service was no
what it should be. and that the company
| was subject to criticism. However,
said he, 1--WE are doing the best we can
and we must stand for certain amount
Of knocking until we can catch up will
the business"
The first of the new Illuminated sign:
will be sent out from the Thirty-f frs
street shops tonight. They will be built
into the cars, instead of extending above
the roof as is now the case. However, the
company has not yet decided definitely
upon the style of sign to be used. Two
styles will be sent out tonight; one witt
white lettering upon a black background
and the other with black lettering upoI
background of white. Whichever proves
| the better will be adopted. The signs are
to be placed upon both sides of the cal
and upon it's forward end.
Ultimately, with the construction of the
Minneapolis substation, the present steam
| plant at Third avenue N will be dis.
mantled.