Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1906-07-21

the I0ng.dreame0-OT pfOJeCt or 0irect,
trunk-iine electric railroad between Chicago
and New York has at last become reality In
the form Of the Chicago-New York Electric
Air Line Railroad. Surveys are being made.
fights.of-way secured and the preliminary
work 10 now actually going on. Old railroad
read Of this sissntic undertaking.. and the
omcials Of existing steam railroads are aghast
with astonishment.
When one looks at the map. II IL not easy
10 realise. at first thought. why the existing
lions BY routes that wind bewllderinsiy In
and out and verge away from all semblance
OF direct line. The shortest route from
Chicago to New York over any Of the present
steam lines 10 0i2 miles. while the route Of
the new electric line Ia only 100 miles. a saving
IN distance Of 100 miles. over this direct
route, with no curve or serious grade to check
their speed. monster electric engines Will
draw palatial trains at an average speed OF
70 miles an hour. reaching New York City In
q 10-hour run.
The weii.known Aurora. Elsin q Chicago
Electric Road has proven absolutely that
such speed 10 not only possible but practical.
No steam road can keep up such speed
for any great distance. and for passenger
trafi1c electric power 10 supreme.
The industrial and economic changes that
this wonderful electric road will bring about
are almost beyond figuring. There can be no
question that the hourly exclusive passenger
trains will be filled to their fullest capacity
from the very first day they run. People pre-.
fer electric transportation. not only for It's
cheapness and marvellous speed, but for its
freedom from dust. cinders and It's all.around
oleanly comfort. Even the interurban trolley
lines have shown that people prefer electric.
ity to steam. and their competition has been
Q serious factor In railroad tactics. q
The reason that this great electric trunk
line was not built long ago 10 that only In
recent years has passenger traffic demanded
such rapid transit.
Old time railroad builders knew the direct
route was there. ready to be surveyed and
exploited, knew that Il was q theory which
ought to be fact. but they were content
with the conditions a. they were. II was not
until now that group OF men. unanected
by vested interests and looking ever toward
progress, came together and launched this
greatest railroad undertaking the world has
ever known.
The stupendous electric project which
now thrills the Industrial world and has
set the shrewdest railroad giants to won
dering. 10 the outcome OF changed condi.
lions. The traffic between New York and
Chicago Is incomparably the greatest In the
world; the direct line route presents no APP
palling constructionai difiiculties-no grade
exceeding one per cent-and yet, not one OF
the great steam railroad magnates ever had
the slightest notion OF building n new road
over the straight line route. When the ex-
listing steam railroads were built they were
conceived almost wholly with the Idea OF be.
ing freight carriers, pure and simple.
Tradition had II that freight was the only
thing there was any money In, and no thought
Of the special requirements OF passenger
traffic ever entered the promoters brain.
Such being the Idea, these roads We re carried
where freight would be forthcoming. running
up some long valley to one town, through a
gap. around curve and over a mountain
to the next, and no OHIO thought or care OF
distance. no pretense OF directness OF route.
III alsl
freight business TO cut-throat piracy. and the
passengers who didn't enjoy being 2igxagHed
hundreds Of miles out OF their way. or chokcd
with the stencil from the hoE-cnrs on the
siding. began to clamor for something differ.
ent. Then conditions changed and the mar
wells OF electric traction made the trafnc.
dream OF yesterday q reality Of today, the
Did steam roads. finding Il financially impos-
sibie to rebuild their crooked lines. began to
DO some spectacular patchwork. Single tun-
through mountains, and other millions were
spent In strenuous attempts to get rid OF the
curves. Statisticians have figured that In the
case Of the Pennsylvania IL. Il. a sum Of
money closely approximating the original
cost OF the road has been spent In patchwork
u this kind; and yet. II We glance at large
detailed railroad map II In amazing to see
now crooked Ia that great railroad even to-
day. The Il. o. 10 worse yet.
The Chicago.New York Electric Air Line
from q straight line between Its two great
terminals. except where Il curves around the
CLOVER end Of Lake Michigan and to a very
slight extent In New Jersey and Pennsyl'
vania. Its route cuts on iO0 miles Of the dis
lance. and on this long. practically curveless
stretch monster electric engines like the one
shown herewith will draw palatial trains III
70 miles an hour on hourly schedules. The
.owest passenger rate between Chicago and
New York will be $40. this surprising price
hainU mn nnnaih1o " n ~ n
electricity over steam. by the reduced dis
lance traversed and by the low construction
cost. Power houses are to be located % miles
apart over the entire line. sending 1--WE thou
sand horse power over the third rail TO dis
lance OF Is miles each way and utilixlng al
the power all the time. both night and day
The road IL to be an exclusive passenger car
rier At the outset. although ultimatel!
freight will be handled. The r!ght-of-wa!
provides for four tracks, two for passenger
trafiic and two for freight.
row 1x1s o11AT 1x1U11yo boar
CANE 70 N 4 10AxyyY.
The Chicago. New York Electric Air Line
Railroad L. duly ,ncorporated and chartered
under the laws Of the state OF Maine. Its
odcers are:
ALEXANDER c. MILLER. President
+. c. RAFF. Vice President
THERON NJ. RATES, See. and Treas.
The Board Of Directors n as follows:
y. c. RAFF, Capitalist. formerly Gen. supt.
l., ]. 4 !. II. r., South Bend. Ind.
HARRY II. LATHAM, Pres. Latham Ma
chinery Co., Chicago.
ALEXANDER e. MILLER. President Al,
rora Trust 4 Savings Bank, Aurora, III.
HARRY u. PROCUNIER. Pres. Moon Mfg.
Co., Chicago.
HON. CHAs. 7. CHERRY. Capitalist. os.
vega III.
CORPORATION TRUST CO.. Transfer As,s.
H0oNolgy or 1I1Ux1y0 yowH1.
Electric power has such great eeonomi,
advantages over steam that there can be n,
question that the ChicaRo.N New York line will
ray. steam roads cannot keep up a higl
speed for any great distance, The are slack
down and necessitates raking. the wate
supply becomes serious problem and tn,
high speed soon stops. Electric trains dom
power 10 on, and the maintenance Of 70 mile
an hour between New York and Chicago be
comes an easy matter. Steam locomotive
are compelled. at high speed to burn the hes
OF coal. whereas the electric power Is gener
ated from very low priced coal. even screen
ings-sOme Of It costing less than Is cents
ton. This OF itself 10 an enormous advantage
In favor OF the electric road. but II doesn'
begin to be all. The electric motor. beinI
rotary instead OF reciprocating. works will
smoothness that means thousands OF dollar
saved In wear and tear from vibration.
Besides the great economy Of electric powe
over steam. this new electric line will hav
the advantage Of economy In construction
with rails costing more than twice as mucl
40 they do now. and with waste and extra
vagance characteri.ing every railroad pro
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