The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-04-18

Montgomery. IL. In the autumn OF
1884 Frank l.. Sprague. whose name
fs iESeparably connected with electric
traction, began 10 attract attention
with his motors
Twenty Years of Achievement.
At lie c:::!lning of 1887 there were
in the whole world less than sixty
miles of electric railroad track, and
only abolt one hundred motors and
motor ears. IN 1909 there were nearly
thirty thousand allies of electric track
in the United States alone.
This GLANCE was not accomplished
with out opposition. encouragement
aiil franci;:l difficulties. Mr.. Sprague
hin s,!f. mo was so potent Il factor in
WORTH" Ills change. has told the story
q : - imnortant contract. In the
nlr:U- ii 1SS.. ;he Union Passenger
Railway company Of Richmond, Va,
eng, gph him 70 build an electric rail-
way Tie first car was run out one
mig. While the Skeptical people slept,
to make sure it could climb the hills.
It s@:r;e1 ont iii a blaze Of glory and
ig!,nlr iniorSiy was lowed back again
hy four big r.'!'oS. But Sprague per
sisted until on Feb. ,. 1888, in a
driZZ,i,jg f,in tie road opened for
business.
rrN!n HAT time forward the future
Of electric ro:lroading was assured and
events mavea r:pidly. City after city
aGop5el the rev motive power; horse
car, lec,,ine things of the past; in
fho
country everywhere. and in each in
stance = l."mn:crcial success was
scored. Electric interurhan lines have
been money makers from. the start.
The greatest development has been
IL TIE cast: Int the west is not far
hnr'nd. The Aurora. Elgin and Chi
caca Electric railway Ghe third-rail
svsteim which has been in operation
several years. is famous. From one
central power station over two hun
dYed u lies Of road are operated, or will
he as soon as the line to Belvidere is
cnmDiete Electricity at wholesale is
sold 10 cities and villages along the
route for lighting purposes: electricity
for pr,,er is sold to farmers. Trains
of elegant cars run into Chicago at a
spcnL which would have seemed i'm
possible few years ago. Passengers
wave good bye to steam trans on a
| parallel;n., railroad. which they pass
| easily. \ rarlor and dining car is one
C the Injuries which the Suburbanites
enjoy goirg 20 and from the city. and
| tie railroad seems Il veritable gold
| mine for its owners.
1,nc. Gin,
pearel. i'll the iron horse. the great
| steom locomotive, be Supplanted also:
| This question occurs to all who can
| see the significance of passing events.
| Probably not for many years to come,
as far rs !:"nvy freight traffic is con-
| cerned. because steam is especially ap-
| nlicabla to The hauling of freight. But
! tue action of the New York Central in
| electrifying thirty-five miles Of its road
leading out of New York, and the
| popular agitation fer similar improve
| ment in li'a@2 and elsewhere, would
| seem to point to Il time not far distant
| when electric railroads will connect
| distant cite, AMI greatly shorten the
| hours of travel.
| 81
In fact such a railway already is
| being built between Chicago and New
| York by the thica@o-New York Elec-
| trio Air Line Railroad company, of
| chicago. This company. headed by Il
group OF practical railroad men. pro
| poses to run limited trains. making not
| more than three stops. through to New
| ia,
thought fairly takes ones breath away
| at first but the project considered
soberly seems practical enough, and
certainly i n contamination devoutly
to be wiShe,lt The work of grading
began Sept. near L-aPorte Ind.
.As the pew road will be an air line
with few curves. the route surveyed
IS 16G miles shorter than the Pennsyl
vania short Line, and go miles
shorter ti.an the Lake Shore and
New York E",.;idl. each of which runs
trains covering the dis lance in eighteen
hours. Taking into consideration the
shorter route OF the Air Line, this Is
| equivalent u Il fourteen hour service.
With low grades, Il straight track and
niles an our average necessary to a
ten-hour service ought easily to be
maintained. Even on the first class
steam roads of today ninety miles an
hour is not uncommon for short dis
tances.
| lie Scientific American Of Feb. Is,
1903, speaking editorally of the New
York Central experiment. says, 1.-The
success Of this installation. Of which
there can be no doubt whatever, marks
the first step III the gradual subsu-
tuition Of the electric for the steam
locomotive In the operation Of long dis
lance express trains The Chicago
New York project may he regarded the
second step.
Mr.. Sprasue himself says that speed
Is "A matter Of finance. What then
will determine the future:" he asks.
'Chiefy the financial factor. as it must
the future of any other great industrial
problem. When savings in operation
and the inci eaSed return for traffic
will more than pay fair dividend on
money invested for electrical equip
ment. will trunk lines lie operated by
electricity"
Professor Charles Z. Steinmetz one
OF the greatest authorities on cleo
tricity, is quoted as saying. There Is
10 limit to the speed that may be de-
veloped III electric traction-that is,
there is no limit up TO $50 or 200 miles
an hour Higher speed than that the
car wheels could not stand. They
would dy to pieces from centrifugal
fierce Not only can a speed Of 100
| miles m hour he maintained on a
train equipped with electricity. but in
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