The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-21
The First Electric Omnibus
Successful Trip
ofa Truy Remarkable London Vehicle

ing cabbies below Four stout draft horses
were finally procured and the ignominious
start. with st. Adams twenty miles away.
made.
A REMARKABLE VEHICLE.
OF all freaks ever saw. that first cleo
trio omnibus was the ''freakiest." An Eng
lishman is born hummirg, whats good
enough for great-grandpa is good enough
for me-" and with his reverence for prece-
dent the designer had faithfully copied the
ungainly horse-drawn, double-decked mon
strosity of his great-grandfather-g
numbering wheels. heavy spoked; smooth,
broad tires 0he law prohibiting cleats); the
interior or the car arranged with seats
running lengthWSe; parallel bars overhead,
with pendant straps for the hangers-on.
Under the seats, and filling up the entire
space, were batteries of the old Plante type
of storage cells-amoSt as great in ineffi-
cheney they were great in weight The
motor, as massive the batteries, was
connected to the rear wheels by spur cog
wheels.
The climb to the six-foot top or upper
deck was by a half spiral stairway. the
seats up top being in a row on either SIDE.
In 'front.' and just below the level of the
roof, was the motorman's seat, with
troller box at his side, his steering wheel
being directly connected by spur gear to the
fifth wheel of the front axle.
The whole concern was built apparently
with a view to longevity rather than util-
ity, so possibly the bus is fulfilling it's
We Strengthened out the knock-kneed
plates, renewed the solution and put the
current to work to renew their youth. The
exposed gearing was cleaned of it's accu-
INFLATED dust and dirt and when night
came on we housed the car at the Peahen
Inn stables, the Salisbury trip having been
postponed until the next afternoon.
We OF the laboratory knew full we'll that
the car was not capable of the Hatfield
run, distance of ten miles. the round trip
including some stiff hills-hills, however.
that would be as nothing TO the modern
motor car-so We privately advised by tele-
phone that London Colney be chosen in
stead. London Colney was but four miles
straight away, and the road was as level
and smooth as floor.
The next morning the car was brought
down from the Peahen and a second over
hauling given the batteries and addi-
tional charge put in. If ever a trial device
received good grooming that spawned
hulk got it. The men worked with as much
zeal as though ii actually belonged to them
and had been raised pet Ii was washed
and scrubbed and oiled and creased;
charged, tested, adjusted and fondled; it's
beefy red wheels seemed to blush because
of the important part they were TO play in
the progress OF the then dawning motor
vehicle world.
The nucleus of the now immense crowd
gathered outside the laboratory had been
collected when the car left the Peahen in
the morning. As IL approached o'clock
the crowd thickened into a swarm and by
4 everybody had arrived bringing with
them somebody else. Mounted constables
Gus care this uncrowned queen of the horse
less turf.
A SECOND START
AT Ais the London party arrived-Sir
Rodger and Lady Wallace. Lord and Lady
Wimborne, Sir r. Paget being of the titled
few who had the courage of their convic-
tions sufficiently strong to risk another
shipwreck like Trafalgar hill. AS one lady
explained 1T was beastly shocking you
know; we all felt jolly small" They were
assured that indications pointed to not only
a successful trip but to a lowering of the
electric omnibus record.
The party mounted to the upper deck and
with Bird, the foreman, in the battery
room, as ne termed the inside, the signal
was given and away we went. The shouts
and cheers of the excited populace and the
eXclama tionS of delight from the saloon
passengers on deck could be heard even
above the roar of the grinding cogs.
AS crossed the Great Northern bridge
the slight hill beyond brought a worried
"A 'undered an fit hamperes, sirr' he
shouted, as he mopped his brow when we
reached the crest, IAN them as rated at
fifty for the limit, sir!
We bowled along finely over the hard,
smooth road, but our voltmeter dropped
like barometer before a thunderstorm.
We reached London Colney in great style
and amidst great rejoicing and congratu-
lation-all joining in except, perhaps, the
man at the wheel: his exhaustion almost
equaled the batteries.
During the run over one lady enthusiast
ucally said 10 the steersman, 1T must be
jolly good sport TO steerI'
1T is, your ladyship, il IS; but this 'un's
q DIT ara In the mouth. you know, cour-
ageously replied 'Orseless Joe.
When the signal TO start back was given
we gently started, but strange to say,
without the power being on. Bird ex-
planned 1t later. "A brace of US gave 'er a
bit of a shove. sir"
On the way back a dreamy-eyed girl
came below TO see, she expressed it, 1.-THE
mighty mysterious power; the subtle some
thing which is whirling us along as il
not marvellous she exclaimed, where il
all comes from?
1T is. miss" shouted Bird as he placed
his cap over the face of the truthful
ammeter Il marvel at 1t meself"
In the home stretch the voltmeter was
making spasmodic attempts TO reach zero
by two-volt jumps-each jump indicating a
bucked cell.
Whenever we would come to a high place
we poied her over, so to speak. by un-
sengers being unconscious OF the type of
energy employed TO ''whirl them along
IF we can get er 10 the top of the ill
were all right, SIR puffed Bird-and we
got 'er.
Brakes were clapped on at the laboratory
door and Sir Rodger was heartily congrat-
ulated as he dismounted from the 'orse-
less Queen" Record, there anG back the
same day.
In responding TO the vote Of thanks ex
tended the laboratory. our representative
remarked that much OF the success of the
run was due 10 the able and untiring ef-
forts of Mr.. Bird" Ere. 'ere!"
Two days after we managed somehow or
other 90 land the Queen under Sails
bury's vine and hgtree. The late premier
had more than local reputation as an
amateur electrician, but the electrical
Queen Liz was his undoing for within a
fortnight he was taken I'll from what the
doctor called nervous exhaustion and the
Queen" was returned 10 London by the
same motive power that had drawn her
hence. IL. BARRINGER cox.