The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-09-21
AGE OF STEAM PASSING AWAY.
Electricity to be the Power for Iransporta
ton.
"nolland," in the Philadelphia Press.

New York, September In Mr..
Belmonts Office yesterday commit
tee representing the Brotherhood Of
Locomotive Engineers were in con-
ference with Mr.. Belmont nearly all
day. At the same time plans were
lied before the proper department Of
the city government for the construc
ton of draught chimney that is to
be 300 feet high, not quite matching
in altitude the chimney erected for
the power house in which is developed
and transformed the electric energy
which operates the surface railway
systems of Manhattan.
Both Of these events point to differ
locomotive engineers met with Alr.
Belmont to discuss the relation Of
engineers who were trained TO drive
steam locomotives to the new subway
system, which is soon to be put in
operation. The lofty chimncys now
standing and soon to be erected point
to the prodigious scientific develop
ment made possible by the investi-
CATION Of the scientists and the inven-
tors, and the commercial application
Of these Inventions and discoveries to
transportation.
A third feature is that which is
within the direction of the great finan-
ciers, so that it now may be said that
in this city we are having at present
illustration Of the perfect preparation
that is now under way for the great
change from the age of steam as q
transportation and power creating age
t. that of electricity.
For some time the work Of the scicn-
lists was Of immediate interest, part
ly because Of the amazing character of
their discoveries and the perfection
with which they devised apparatus by
which electric energy could be made
to serve commercial ends. 1t is less
than twenty years since the electric
current was SO captured by apparatus
as to be available for hauling street
cars. Not more than ten years have
passed since the inventors brought
forth the third rail, first successfully
used by the New Haven Railroad
management for some Of their branch
or feeding lines, and afterward mag
ni6cently demonstrated as o perfect
agent for hauling passenger cars upon
the elevated systems of this city,
Boston and Chicago. It seemed as
though with the perfection Of the
third-rail system the scientists had
accomplished all that was absolutely
necessary for the utilization of cleo
tricity for certain forms of rail trans
portation.
There remained, however, the in
vention of apparatus, if that were
possible, by which the main service
upon the railway systems could be
changed from steam to electric energy
or power. None Of the greater cleo
trioians or electrical scientists and not
any Of the more important railway
managers were persuaded that any
system that employed the direct cur
rent would be in the long run economi-
osi, satisfactory and safe if used for
the greater railway service of the
country. But whether or not science
and invention were equal to devising
apparatus and controlling natural
forces 30 that the greater railway sys-
TENS could be served by electricity,
was only to be demonstrated after
patient investigation and expensive
experiment. Patience and expensive
experiment resulted in the aggregation
into one system of an apparatus and
method by which the surface railways
OF Manhattan and Bronx could be pro-
PEELED by electric energy and without
the use Of the overhead trolley. If
these qualities were sufficient for 30
great problem that Mr.. Whitney was