The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-11

hands and track employees It's motor
men, who used to be its engineers, still
receive engineers wages, and are the best
paid motormen, as they are the highest in
skill, in the country.
Accidents have been surprisingly few.
and except in one or two inst ances during
notably severe and difficult storms, the
operation Of the trains has been uninter-
rupted. Such Interruptions as these, more
over, are expected soon to be prevented
by covering the third rail.
Other railroads with large local pas
senger traffic were waiting to zee what the
experiment of the Manhattan company
would produce This is what they have
seen.
The most important event in the de-
velopment Of electric transportation, one
OF the leading organs OF the electrical
profession called the showing of the ele-
waited lines few days ago.
The general expectation is that It will
to followed speedily by the extension Of
the electric traction system 10 many local
branches Of the steam railroads hereabouts.
The West and New England have been in
advance Of New York in this respect. but
now it v expected that the reads entering
New York city will soon catch up.
Already the Long Island Railroad has
announced It's intention OF equipping some
OF it's branches with electricity. The Penn
sylvan'a and the New York Central are to
Use electric trains in the tunnels.
Few railroad men doubt that this is the
precursor Of the more CEREAL use of cleo
tricity. in the suburban train service, at any
rate. And the belief is general that by
this means the problem Of suburban traffic
will be solved.
One reason assigned for the hesitation
Of New York railroad fanciers to embark
in electrical development has been the fact
that their fortunes had been made for
the most part out of steam roads, and they
were cautious about hazlrding their money
in the apparent uncertainties of a new
thing like electric traction until they had
seen for themselves that it was both prac-
ticable and profitable. That has now
been shown right here in New York, and
it is confidently believed that the single
illustration will be all that is necessary.
These men," said the Electrical RerieW
recently in discussing the profits in electric
lures and put added burdens on corporations
which under existing conditions produce
reasonable profits. 1t is natural. especially
in finance, to let we'll enough alone. But
now managers and engineers have an Illus
tration, both Of the personal satisfaction
which accrues to the passenger as a result
of the electrfication OF steam railroads.
and also an unans werable argument in
favor of the profit producing result from
the necessary investment.
THE situation which at present con-
fronts us is that railroad homogeneous
are willing to admit the desirability Of eleo-
trification; the larger railroads have ample
credit or finances for at least tho beginning
of comprehensive scheme foI electric de-
velopment and now that the last argument
against the invest ment, that of possible
failure to produce profit, Ia removed. we
may expect to see many OF the large rail-
roads plan and put into service continue
ously increasing electrical transportation
plants.'
The time consumed and the engineering
difficulties are, in addition to the cost among
the difficulties of laying down a satisfactory
system OF electricity for heavy railroad
traffic. On the Manhattan railroad the
hardest and most expensive part Of the
work was the crossing of the Harlem River
| and the building of the necessary man
holes and approaches on each side.
, 1t was finally decided to lay armored
! cable in an open trench. and this necessi-
tated the dredging of the entire river bottom
six feet to depth Of twenty feet at low
water. Thirteen cables in all were carried
| across the river.
| The entire line on the East Side was fin
| ished in little less than year, and this was
| considered remarkably quick time, in view
| Of the difficulties encountered,