Evening journal., 1911-10-30
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
When Science Kept Capital
Waiting
By Holland

For a year OF TWO Delolo MS uedth1
which occurred in 1892, Jay Gould was
very anxious that the New York Ele-
vated Railroad system, of which ne
owned the majority of stock, should
give up the little steam locomotives
which hauled its trains and be oper-
ated by electricity. He could see no
reason why, if it we're possible to op-
crate trolley cars on the public roads,
It would not also be possible to haul
by electricity the trains Of the ele-
vated railroads. He therefore took up
the matter with Mr.. George Westing-
house. Jr., and did not hesitate to let
the inventor know that he was rather
impatient to have the elevated roads
electrified.
Il said to Mr.. Could" Mr.. Westing-
house told me, that the principle OF
electric traction as applied to high
way trolleys involved very different
apparatus from that which would be
nedeed If elctric traction were applied
TO elevated railroads or any otner
form Of rapid transit. / told him that
he should wait a few years DeIore
trying to have his elevated lines cleo
trified Indeed, told him that he must
wait-that there we're many problems
to be worked out before we could
guarantee to electrify his elevated
roads. But despite all that said / dc
not think that Mr.. Gould quite under
stood why our people were not ready
to Jump at a proposition to electriry
the elevated railroad system OF New
York
About two years after Mr.. Gould's
death | found that Russell Sage, VINO
was the most influential member OF the
board of directors, had become verj
much interested in the electrihcatloI
/ of the elevated system. He and severd
others high In authority in the affairs
of the system came to Pittsburgh sole
ly for the purpose of looking over al
electric motor upon which we hat
been at work for some time. They saw
this motor hauling trains equivalent e
those operated upon their rapid tran
sit system over a stretch of third raj
experimental track of standard gauge
which We had laid in the yards of oul
shops. They we're enthusiastic over the
motors performance, and they seemed
anxious that we should go ahead Will
propositions for the electrifying of tn
elevated roads. But / told them EN-
phatically that that could not be dom
at that time.
"'Why not?' they asked, in surprise
"Well, l replied, there are severa
/ little details that have to be WORKED
out before we can guarantee to equll
your. elevated lines with electricity,
But was the rejoinder, the cleo
trio train here in this yard seems &
work satisfactorily
"'But it doesn't, I said. We still
have a lot of experimenting 10 dI
What you want in the way OF electri
cal equipment Is, first of all, safety
next, speed up to a maximum limi
and then, economy. Now it is possibl
TO electrify a rapid-transit system s
that it will operate trains: ! beieN
Boston has begun to do that alread
But il is another think so to perfe
an apparatus that you can be guaral
teed safety, economy and the spec
YOU require All this entails the worl
ing out of many details. In my opiniC
II will be two or three years before q
manufacturers OF electrical apparatl
IN the United States will be able to So
that the problem has been worked ou
Certainly we do not purpose to say
until we are sure ! would advise 20
therefore, to 90 on operating your ell
waited system with your little steam l
comotives until you have been inform
ed that at last the perfect, becaul
the safe, economic and satisfactor
method Of operating rapid-trans
trains by electricity has been work'
out"
With more OF less apparent reluc
ance Mr.. Sage and his associates II
tened to the advice OF Mr. Westin
house and needed t. Several yea
later, when Mr.. Westinghouse told II
Of this conversation with them, tho
capitalists we're still waiting on SC
ence.
How much longer will they have
wait" / asked Mr. Westinghouse.
Il don't like to make predictions
was the reply, but think can safe
say that within a few months Il
problem of eQuipping rapid-tran.
lines with a safe electric system vi
have been worked out"
In less than a year from that tin
Mr.. Westinghouse was able to sa,
"The problem of electrihcation
rapid-transit and steam railroads sy
TENS is solved" Shortly afterward d
NewYork Elevated Railroad syste
was equipped with electricity.
Copyright, 1911, by p. J. Edwards
rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will 4
0The Story OF the First TWO-Cent-