The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-27
TO DOUBLE ITS CAPACITY
ADDITION TO UNION TRACTION POW
ER HOUSE AT ANDERSON.
Work on 1t Rapidly Nearing Compile
tion-A Huge Enterprise with Every
Modern Economic Appliance.
ecial to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
ALEXANDRIA, Ind, Nov. 26.-Work on
the large addition of the already immense
power house of the Indiana Union Trac-
ton Company at North Anderson is fast
nearing completion. The enterprise has
aroused much interest by reason of its
own magnitude, as we'll because of the
large territory 1t will serve and the COM
pricated problems involved, and the resi-
dent electrical engineer i'm Anderson, Mr.
r. Schentscher, talked interestingly to the
Journal correspondent concerning some of
its phases.
Mr.. Schentscher says the company al
ready burns 150 tons of coal per day under
the eight boilers which constitute the pres
ent battery until, in the new part, four
more large ones will be added. This coal
is not hand-shoveled into the furnaces but
is dumped into a pit at the south end of
the main station, carried thence on ele-
vators to crushing machines in the top
of the building, where it is broken TO uni
form sizes, then fed by gravity to NOV
ing chain-like CRATES or automatic stokers
which give good combustion and by con-
slant travel under the boilers, give off the
gases and heat in the furnace, where it
battery making less than one boiler would
under the old way of firing. Three engines.
with an aggregate horse power of 1000,
have been furnishing power for the 175
miles of road. increased within the last
few months to about 200, and which, when
lines under contemplation are added, will
reach 800 miles approximately To handle
this increased mileage the company will
install in the new part four more boilers
and additional engines which will double
the horse power at the steam plant, and
for Into Gle rf2
energy, will be increased to 5000 kilowatts
normally, but will have maximum power
of $500 kilowatts. or 10000 horse power.
This will be augmented by a system of sub
stations, fifteen in number. along the lines,
equipped with batteries, generators. trans
formers, boosters" and complete switch
board. which will. like the governor of
an engine, feed out more power when it
is needed and when an excess is on the
lines over what Is used will take 1T up
and store 1T. This equipment is expected
to carry the rolling stock for two hours
after the mechanical plant at Anderson
shuts down.
The cars used daily on the lines of the
Union Traction Company. on Jan. IL, 1905
almost a year ago-numbered 252 includ-
ing 137 motors and lis trailers. The big
interurbans carry, in the main, four sew
enty-five horsepower motors; The city
cars, of course, are smaller. Since the time
this enumeration was made the company
has largely increased its rolling stock,
and with the cars for the indianapolis
Northern its passenger carrying capacity
is almost doubled. The company operates
all the local lines in Muncie, Anderson,
Alexandria, Elwood and Marion, having
bought out all opposition, and is reaching
out for that of Logansport and even Ko-
komo, although success is not assured in
| the latter cases.
The roadbed is as safe, solid and heavily
built on the most of the Indiana electric
| lines as on their steam competitors and,
| by reason of their newness. la most cases
are even better Their accidents are fewer
| in proportion to the number of trains, and
| as whole there Is nothing to be said
| against the engagements of the electric
| lines unless it is by their competitors, the
| steam lines. The Indiana Union Traction
| line is purely an Indiana institution, off,
cered by native-born Hoosiers, and Is in
| every sense a product of the newer indus
| trial conditions of the Indiana gas belt