The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-11-02
NEW STREET GAR
FOR K. {. LINES
las Many New Features That Have
Never Been Tried Out In
Car Construction
Before.
CONSIDERABLY LIGHTER
noes Not Weigh Half as Much as
Cars Now in Use Of the Same
capacity-Is One
Man Car.

new street. car, embodying in
addition to all Of the best qualities
/! # the cars now in use; number of
new features which promise to revo-
: utionize car construction, and weigh
Ing less than half as much as
,tandard make of nearly the same
capacity and size, has just been ac
nuii ed by the Keokuk Electric .orl.
pany.
The street car is built after a
special design and there are not
more than two dozen in use in the
United States as yet. A few months
ago Manager j. p. Ingle of the Keo-
kuk Electric company saw one of the
TWO first models made and imme-
dately put in an order for one. 1t
arrived this week and will be placed
IN some portion of the company's
lines in a few days.
Lighter and Safer.
The designer had in mind the con-
,truction of car that would lie
lighter, safer, cheaper and easier to
handle than The present cars and his
ideas carried out in the car that has
been received here, are revolutionary
IN several respects.
The street car was built by The
American Car company of ST. Louis.
It was designed by c. o. Birney ard
Is known az the Birney car The
weight is only 11,O0O pounds, whereas
he ones in use in Keokuk now weigh
$4,000 pounds. The new car will
seat twenty-nine persons; the ones
ase now, thirty-two.
The car is operated throughout by
air. including the. brakes, door
mechanism, steps, etc. 1t is so cen
structed that one man is all that is
needed to run it.
Motorn1an Sits Down.
The motorman has a stool to sit
On With one. hand he works the
controller ald with the other the
compressed air machine that regn
lates the brakes, doors, etc, WI 10
with HIS feet he can sound the bell
and ring up fares.
The car is equipped with thermo-
stat which automatically controls
the heating and does not allow the
temperature to go above or below
certain range. This apparatus is also
being placed on all of the cars of the
Keokuk Electric company.
vi luG Gnu VI Tic NY
the side of the motorman, is the fare
box. The passenger drops his fare
In this and the motorman turns a
crank and the amount is registered
on a dial on the box. AS soon as
the register has been made, and not
before, the motorman can take the
money out of the box. There is no
way of getting at the money until
tho ha hoor, raeictpra1 The
m0tOrman also presses a continuance
With his foot and this registers the
number of passengers on second
dial which is il the car proper, and
like those in present use.
No STEPS Inside.
The whole inside of the car, in
GLIDING the seating room and the
front and rear platforms. are on one
level. In the cars now in use. there
Is step between the platforms and
the car. Because of the fact that
lighter machinery and smaller wheels
have been used, the distance OF the
body from the ground has been de-
creased, making it possible to dis
pense with the step. The step from
the street to the car is lower also.
This will be Il help in getting on
and off. There is no partition be-
tween the platforms and seating CON-
partment.
The doors are opened and the step
lowered by air The car is so con-
sructed that the door cannot e
opened until after the car has
stopped, or the car started until after
the door is closed.
Emergency Control.
One of the most remarkable fea-
lures of the car is the way it Is
controlled in cases of emergency. If
the motorman should faint, or drop
dead, or release his hand from the
controller during some accident or
excitement, the power is automat-
cally shut off, and brakes are put on,
The doors opened and sand deposited
on the rails.
When this occurs it takes forty
I'VE seconds to start the car. again.
ms Is a penalty to keep the motor
man from using the emergency stop
~ street corners.
Although the car is very light, 1t
Is also very easy riding. Only the
oest materials are used in the con-
struction and all the latest appliances
are on it. m fact the motors, air