Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-07-24


Small electro magnets imbcdded be-
tween the rails OF the tracks were used
to pull il street railway car in Chicago
the other day. Unlike those in u troll
ley car, the magnets did not work di-
rectly in turning the wheels. They did
not even touch the iron suspended un-
der the car or any part of 1t. They
acted as controlled trasers, says the
Chicago RtcordlIerald. All this took
place with Il ten foot model car, ac-
connouatiliS six people, on track
$50 feet long. The car went round and
round the track, backward and for
ward, fast or Slow, at the will of the
operator. who worked with but sin
gle lever And to stop it no breaks
were needed.
railway propulsion is the possible re-
suit. This public test, after many that
have been made with apparatus more
crude, led the inventor, T.. W. Letter,
who is apparently conservative me
chanic and electrician, to say: 1--WE Ell
Their have the biggest thing going or
else nothing at all. And | am con-
WINGED that we have the system which
will do away with the trolley, over
head or underground"
The fundamental idea of the new
system is ITO cut motor in two" The
electro magnets form one-half of the
motor and are placed In the ground in
hn1e ~,
The other part, the armaturc, is at
tached lengthwise to the bottom of the
car. 1t Is Il long iron bar cut up into
feet and SO attached that the ends or
dlnarily are within an inch Of the top
OF the magnet boxes. But the primary
difference between the new system and
the trolley car motor is that the electro
magnets do not cause the armaturc to
turn the wheels. The new car is not
propelled by the friction Of the wheels
with the track. hut by the invisible
force of magnetism.
A dynamo is required for the new
system. Each magnet IS connected
with main feed wires heavily insu-
lated and bringing electricity from the
power house. In fact, the electro mag
nets are coils of wire magnetized by
the electricity running through them.
But when the ear is not running over
them the magnets are not magnetic
cult except when the car comes over
them.
An arrangement of the magnets ac-
cording to polarity. first a north, or
positive, and then a SOUTH or negative.
is the scheme for attracting the car
and making it run smoothly. In the
car, on the other hand by the use of a
small storage battery, which is the only
electrical device above ground, the pa.
larity of the feet OF the armature is
The result is that a positive
or north foot of the armature is in q
position where it is being drawn for
ward by Il negative magnet in the
track and at the same time pushed for
ward by a positive magnet In the track
on account of the repelling force of
like poles. In this connection there is
a 'comnutator," which keeps changing
the polarity of the feet so that the car
does not get stuck However. the
operator of the car can with one sim
pie movement of his one lever stop it
or reverse the movement instead.
The great saving which the inventor
claims is in the amount of electricity
He says Scvcnty-tive am
pcres Will suffice for forty cars, While
with the present trolley system seven
ty-tiv" nmprrrs are required for one
ear. He says the saving in coal will be
more than onc-half. 1t is also claimed
hat the cars can be run faster than
.rolley cars because they are always
lnder perfect control They can never |
Jump the track because there is down
Dull as well as Il forward pull in the
magnets 1t is thought that it will be
.asy to run the cars at 100 miles an !
lour with safety