Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-03
MODERN TERMINAL POWER
Electricity SupplAnting Steam in City
and Tunnel Work.
REVIEW OF PROGRESS TO DATE
Marked Advance on western Rail-
roads and More Contemplate
Utilizing Power of Noun
tain Stream

\ crlsls IN rHllrOsding was reached one
day, not long ago. when q heavy rrstrb,
rain became stalled in the tunnel cor.
Meeting Port Huron. Mich with tn. tn,
OF Sarnis Ont, and Carrying the .rscks
OF The Grand Trunk. A powerful switch
engine pused the stalled train out OF tba
org bore and the railroad men were borri-
Leo 70 IND the engineer Of the stranded
rain huddled in a heap on the Moor OF his
cap Ano the fireman a limp bundle across
the humps OF coal in the tender-horb baa
been suffocarsd from the poiponor. 60
from their big engine while trying 20 70,
up steam enough TO pull the heavy t-atp
out Of the tunnel
This WAS the third accident OF rht. k,rd
within Z short time and II was al TOO an
parent that q SAFER kind Of power had 20
De found. The engineers OF the Grand
trunk remembered that the Baltimore a
ONO had been troubled with its tunnsl
transportation facilities about the city Of
Baltimore as early as 1sss and thar they
had been experimenting with slectrcItv as
motive power, 80 they hurried TO thai
city 70 make an investigation They found
That the electric locomotives Of the BKlrt-
more q Ohio. looking more IKE huSe laco-
motive cabs than anything else. handled
the heaviest trains with ease. even on the
steepest grades, and that the Baltimore
tunnel was practically free from GIl smoke
ana gas When steam train wRs ready
Tor The tunnel the fire. were banked the
steam was smut Off and the electric lOoo-
motive coupled on to haul the train anu the
dead steam engine through the tunnel In
curry into the cost OF operating these cleo
/ trio locomotives showed that they eouId
move 50 much faster, being smaller and
| more powerful. and could haul = Ia-rA
/ uain al such remarkable speed thar the
/ cost OF operation was really less that IL
would be by steam. II is worthy Of his
J toricaI note that the Baltimore a. Obio
/ I-rst In the use Of electricity as a motive
power, was also the first railroad TO use
steam locomotive In this country. The
Stouroridge Lion one Of the two Eng
hsh locomotives. was imported to this oot,n-
ug, and used 10 haul trains on the RsIti
more & Ohio, as early as 1870 A year later
the Albany e. Schenectady railroad Was
( running.
In the early days OF rAureadinE on the
Great Northern ali the trains haa "a he
Eigzaggsd over the Cascade mountains on
switch back Ii took three Of the most
powerful steam locomotives TO switch
seven passenger ears over the mountain
and the labor was as nothing compared 10
he time Il took 70 set the train ever, for
TINE is 80 IEnpOru nj In al railroad work
To SFolo this monumental task . huge tun-
mel was bored through the mountain, about
4' miles east Of Seattle, costing millions
Of dollars and years OF toll Al the tims
this tunnel va opened traffic on the Greas
Northern was not SO heavy Is It is today
and the tunnel worked very Well notwith-
standing that the grades we're very steeu
I and -
run through the bore very oftsa because
Of The dangerous smoke ana gases. Great
vigilance wa required 70 keep the sir IL
the tunnel anywhere near pure and tim,
and again the train crews were lifted from
their positions aAlf dead from suffocstion
and once a passenger train became stalled
Ia the tunnel and quick work was required
to get them 0ut in safety
The dangers ana delays In unIs TUNE
were continual source % ANNOYANCE L,
James J. HlL and he dispatched q party
OF engineers 10 80 ~ the WenStohee river
and study the waterfalls with . view L
make them haul the trains through the
Cascade tunnel. Another band Of engineer,
was set 20 work figuring on the sIect-ifica,
ton Of the tunnel and the installation Of
powerful electric Locomotives for the TUNE
work.
Steam Power BahiEhea.
! To-day. giant locomotives built a
, Schenectady. X Y by the General Elec
tric company, are shutting tbs train
: through the Cascade tunnel. These giant
develop more than 20oO- horEepoWsy. Weigi
ms Ions and on tests have nov a tracriv
effort Of over s0O0o pounds These eIee
, trlc locomotives have been In operation
) since last July and they haul ths hesvles
steam trains, dead Engines and al, thrOug
this tunnel g. a GOOD speed which wns in
, possible for steam power. The WsnAtchs
river Is harnessed about thirty miles sour
q the tunnel where l0OoO- Horsepower 1
: generated BY The falling water This cleo
! triO2l snsrEy is transmitted % the slsctrios
E0ue about the tunnel.
One q the most unique features OF M
!. installation Is thai on the descendn
= grades the motors Ere changed into gen
r orators and ASSIST IN braktnG tralns dow
ths grade and return electric energy 70 II
lin. THIS . the first tine this feature IA