The sun., 1903-08-12

capacity Of $50 volts each, are insulated
with several layers OF asbestos and then
laid in electro-as asbestos conduits screwed
to the under side Of the car
The body Of the car is sheashed with
copper one-thirty-second Of an inch thick
as far up as the window stills. All OF the
timber In the car body has thick coating
of asbestos paint under the finishing,
The wiring for lighting the cars is one
roof away from the passengers. Two
| small wires are insulated with asbesto os
and carried in conduits Of flexible metal,
There's your construction OF the cars
for New York" said Mr.. Bryan, after his
master mechanic had got through explain
ing the plans. Il don't see how any flame
could get hold on such car.
The Paris cars are nothing like that
have seen them and been all through the
Paris tunnel, but I wouldn't want to say
that their cars are not freproof."
Pictures of the Paris cars published in
the Street RdiiWdy journal show that they
are not copper sheathed, but built OF UNI
protected wood
"Of course" resumed Mr.. Bryan, so
long as YOU have electricity as a motive
power you will have flashes of flame that
will scare the people and may produce
panic if the manning of the road IL not
properly done. But q scare needn't lead
to general slaughter | don't believe
are not so likely to lose their heads as the
Parisians are. When we get the full de-
tails of the Paris disaster l imagine that
they'll show that panic among the passen-
gers and lack of discipline or ability in an
emergency among the employees OF the
road were factors in the case as much as
the fire was.
According to the accounts already re-
ceved the train which first caught fire
was empty and crowded trains were al
lowed TO come up to it, ! can't imagine
how such a blunder was made. II will be
impossible in the New York subway. For
the express service We will have the block
system. SO that no train can get within
1000 feet Of another There are to be
facilities at every station for instantly
cutting off the power along the whole di,
vision in case of an emergency. There will
be hydrants all along the subway for use
in case of fire, and if there should be fire
the ventilation is such that everybody
could get out without being sufrocated.
We have made a special study OF the
whole subject, and many tests with special
reference to the danger of fire. and every
safeguard that could be devised has been
adopted
The people should find some comfort
in the record of street railroading in this
city. The elevated road. since it began
operation thirty years or more ago, has
gers, and has never killed a passenger in his
seat or inside the car"
Five hundred cars such as described
above have already been built for the
lnterborough company The motor cars
and the trailers are all alike so far as the
freproof construction is concerned, The
company also has one car built wholly Of
steel. This was built as an experiment.
Whether the cars to be built in the future
will be of steel or copper and asbestos
sheathed wood has not yet been decided.
Any sort Of accident In the Paris
subway during the summer months would
be likely to result in a serious panic owing
to the enormous number of passengers,
People going to or from business. or having
a definite destination in mind, form only a
small part of the patrons The middle
class Frenchman, always on the lookout
for comfort, has discovered that his subway
is about the coolest place in Paris. In
consequence, he and his wife and children
have Of late years largely abandoned the
top seats of the double-decker bus and
now seek relief from the heat of the city
in the underground railway.