Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-31
ELECTRIC TELPHERAGE.
A Projected Improvement on the Usual
Manual Labor.

Manual Labor.
From the Electric World and Engineer.
Systems Of electric telpherage in freight
yards would help wonderfully to prevent
the freight congestion of which we have
heard SO much recently.
In the United States. Canada and Mexico
there are approximately 10000 freight
cars. costing $4,000, 600. OF this number
90 per cent, or cars valued at s675, 0OO, OO0
are idle. In other words, a freight car
moves on an average about two hours a
day and is idle for twenty-five hours This
is largely due to the fact that the cars must
remain so long on the tracks in freight
yards, waiting their turn to be unloaded
by means OF overhead electric carriers or
teiphers these cars can be unioaded and
loaded when at any position in the yards
and need not be moved to the freight sta
ton.
The work to be done may be divided into
three parts: ID Taking freight from the
cars on the tracks to the warehouses or
freight sheds; (2) transferring 1t to wagons
or trucks for local distribution; C3) taking
1t to other tracks, where 1t is loaded in cars
for smaller cities.
A large proportion of the handling OF
freight, especially the distributing, assort-
Ing and tiering, is done by men, The car
riers and hoists, taking advantage Of the
fexibi1ity Of electricity and the ease xvi,h
which it may be controlled. as well "a Of
us cheapness. make 1t possible to reduce
terminal expenses to their proper propor-
ton In the cost Of the haul" Electricity
under the name of teiepherage Is doing for
the transportation Of freight what 1t has
accomplished In street railways for the
transportation Of passengers, with results
even more gratifying. because the need Is
more urgent In the case OF street railways
the question was electricity vs. horse
power. In the case Of freight yards 1t Is
electricity VS.. man power. There is, of
course, no power so costly as man power
and none so cheap as electric power in
method of saving is more desirable than
the substitution Of electricity for manual
labor.
As to the second point the transferring
OF freight from the cars, freight sheds or
warehouses to wagons for local distribu-
ton. or from wagons to the freight houses
or directly to the cars, telepherage is cal
culated to do the work much more satisfac-
torily than 1t can be done by any other
method. When load Is brought in from
the yards ii may be placed exactly where
1t is desired; that is. 1t may be carried in
through any one OF a number Of openings
ana deposited at any one of number OF
unloading stations That portion of the
freight for local distribution will be carried
by telpher through the freight houses to
the doors or openings where wagons are
stationed. E- r
The tracks are SO arranged in loops and
at such an elevation as to pass above the
wagons. The load can be either taken
from or delivered to the pier sheds or
freight stations from the wagons without
any manual labor. There Is also a great
saving OF time, avoiding the necessity Of
the long waits by the teamsters, obviatine
the confusion and crowding OF the long
lines Of trucks waiting for their turn" to-
load or unload. saving much Of the spa
reserved for horses and wagons. Time.
therefore. being saved and heavy lifting
rendered unnecessary, a railroad OF steam
ship lie thus using electricity is naturally
popular with shippers and teamsters The
saving in labor for the transportation COM
pany Is so great a. to be almost incredible.