The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-06
SUBWAY'S FIRST TRAINLOAD.
GOO ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS 60
HALF WAY THROUGH.
Travelled slowly TO Get View Of the Con.
structiOn and Decorations, hut
Train Has Run to lO2d Street in II
MANIFESTATIONS See Power Plants.

| structiOn and Decorations, hut 8
Train Has Run to lO2d Street in IL
Administrations See Power Plants
Members of the American Institute o.
| Electrical Engineers, together with many
distinguished English, French, German
| and Italian engineers who are in New
| York on their way to the Internationa
| Electric Congress at st. Louis, made
a trip of inspection through part OF the
subway and also visited the power houses
In Manhattan, yesterday. There were
600 in the party which started from the
City Hall station at $50 A. NJ, the first
trainload of passengers to be tax en- through
the subway on a regularly made up train
manned by regular crew.
The train consisted of eight cars, five
of composite wood and steel and three
of all steel construction. To move it the
third rail carried 1000 horse power from
the new power house at Fifty-ninth street
The cars were rather crowded. 80 the men
holding on straps gave an air OF reality &c
the trip. In fact, all the conditions were
those of regular traffic.
The run from City Hall to Columbus
Circle was made in thirty-two minutes
The train moved slowly 80 that the en-.
gineers might observe the construction OF
the subway and the decorations OF the sta
tions, but several spurts were made, whlct
gave an idea of the rapid time that can be
made in New York's latest railroad and
first railroad underground.
AS a matter Of fact, +. W. Morrison,
chief motor instructor Of the marlborough
Rapid Transit Company, has made the
trip with one car from 1920 street TO the
Bridge in fourteen minutes on one OF the
instruction runs. The company has been
running these instruction cars for several
days to tram the new motormen, ana can,
il desired. begin the handling OF regular
traffic at u few hours notice. The COM
pany has been besieged with applications
from experienced men from western towns
and from centres nearer New York. who
will gladly take So a day for what they
consider easy work in the protected subway.
The carrying capacity oil the SUBWAY
will be about coo, 600 a day. The visiting
engineers we're delighted with their trip
and the perfect working of the motors.
They praised warmly the subway's lightness
and freedom from damp or impure air.
After brief examination of the sta
ton at Columbus Circle. the party went
in to inspect the new power house at Fifty
ninth street and Eleventh avenue This
power house is the largest in the world.
1t is four times larger than the Glasgow
corporations tramway plant its nearest
rival in Europe. The visitors were par
ticularly impressed with the many pre-
cautions against breakdowns and the small
number of men necessary to operate the
plant. Three hundred men are employed
in three shifts, and three men alone con-
switchboard. Though the plant is not yet
complete, it has been built in units and four
of these, supplying current OF 1000 horse
power are available at any time.
From tn. marlborough power house two
steamboats, carried the party up the Hud
30 la Il tpcyc hrlS no n
New York City metropolitan system) Street
Railway Company. They waited for a few
minutes OF the way to witness an exhibit
ton given by the fireboat AbraT, S. Hewitt.
After, viewing the kingsbridge power
house the engineers went through the ship
cana to the Harlem River and down to
the Manhattan elevated electric. plant in
East Seventy-fourth street IL had been
planned to visit the Metropolitan. power
house at Nincty-sixth street, but the stop
at Fifty ninth street had been so long that
it was found necessary to. hasten the in
spection to finish in time for the evening
programme. The last stop was made at
the Thirty-eighth street station, OF the
Edison company, where those of the party
who had not deserted at Seventy-fourth
engine.
Among the engineers who made the in
specton trip are some of the pioneers
in the application of electricity to railroad
ing, They included Robert kaye Gray,
president of the Institution of Electrical
Engineers of Great Britain; John Perry and
Col, X. f. Crompton, C.. b., past presidents
and Robert Hammond, treasurer of the
institute; Prof. Ascoldi, president of the
Italian Institute; Prof. Elihu Thompson,
Congress; F. j. Sprague, inventor Of the
multiple unit system under which the
subway power plant is operative, and Bion
j. Arnold president Of the American In
stitute of Electrical Engineers.
DINNER OF THE ENGINEERS.
The American Institute of / Electrical
Engineers gave a banquet last night at the
bers of the British. Italian and German
institutes, who are the guests Of the Ameri-
can organization while on their way to the
lectric Congress at st.
Louis. The large ballroom, where the BAN
uuet was held was decorated with the flags
and arms of the countries represented.
President Fornes of the Board of Alder
men made the speech of welcome on be-
half of the city. He was followed by Bion
j. Arnold, president of the American In
stitute, who welcomed the representatives
of the European societies.
Prof Morse AS coli, delegate of the Italian
Government to the congress, who spoke
for the Italian Institute, and Wilhelm Won
Siemens, who spoke in German his APP
probation of the American progress in
electrical science.
The feeling of all the speakers seemed
expressed by Robert Kaye Gray, president
of the British society, who declared that in
America there was greater freedom and
greater incentive for invention than abroad.
He alluded to New York as "a city of mann
moth conceptions and mammoth achieve
ments."
The banquet ended the official programme
Of the Electrical Institute in New York,
and tomorrow they will start for st. Louis
to attend the congress.
Lion Tanner Bonavita Loses Two Fingers.
An operation was performed upon the