Evening star., 1934-01-23
LINKS RAIL NEEDS
AND POWER PLANS
Founder of Rapid Transit
Urges EIectrification on
Large Scale.
BY JOHN A. CRONE.
Specfai Dispa trh IN The atar

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. January 23-Question-
ing the optimistic predictions of unlim-
tied and economic sources Of power
from the breakdown Of the atoms
structure, now being attempted in
American and foreign laboratories,
Frank J. Sprague. the father OF rapid
transit and an early associate Of Thomas
A. Edison. today told the opening con-
vention session Of the American Insti-
tute Of Electrical Engineers that cit Il
OF transcendent importance to make
the fullest use Of what We have at
hand"
Mr.. Sprague, inventor OF the first elec-
trio railway in the United States and
introducer Of the multiple-unit system
OF transportation. which also opened UP
new era, made his remarks in re-
sponse to an address by Frank Hadley,
president OF the Interborough Rapid
Transit Co. The occasion was the
presentation Of bronze portrait bust
OF Mr.. Sprague to the institute
A somewhat shy, slender figure with
white mustache and thinning white hair,
Mr.. Sprague, who is II, told the engi-
neers he was sorry never to have had
the opportunity to do pure research,
and work for current needs"
Looks to Railroads.
Naturally. look to a greatly en-
!arged use of electricity in the railroad
field. partly with the help of the Gov
ernment funds. Some time ago urged
this as fully warranted activity in the
current public works program"
Mr.. Sprague rejected the idea Of OBJ
tanning power from the breakdown Of
the atom and said he preferred to 60
along with the engineers In their plans
to utilize the vast power chain Of the
Nation, through the unification of
Muscle Shoals, Boulder Canyon, the
propects, for the benefit of the rail-
roads and thus provide cheap travel,
Electriication of American railroads
proposed in a detailed way here a week
ago by Frederick H. Mcdonald, con-
sulting engineer Of Atlanta, Ca. Ad-
dressing the eighty-frst annual meet
ing of the American Society of Civil
Engineers he declared that "a large
consumer (of the nationally intercon-
nected power system) could be a ma
tionally unified non-competitive rail-
road system, electrically operated, to
give the lowest transportation cost in
history. The resulting billions Of dol
lars in the production and installation
Of necessary railroad electrical equip
ment alone will react into every
avenue of business and create one Of
those continuous new industrial activ-
tiles sought by all to pull us out of this
depression"
Started at Richmond.
Mr. Hadley in his presentation speech
to DR.. John B. Whitehead, president of
the Electrical Engineers. said that Mr..
Sprague installed in Richmond, Va, in
1897, the first electric railway system OF
any size in the world.
The invention of the multiple-unit
system of train operation" he contin-
ued first installed in 1897 on the
South Side elevated railway III Chicago,
marked the opening Of another new
epoch in transportation since it per-
mitted the makeup Of train Of any
length with all the characteristics Of a
single car. This system Of combining
group Of individual cars, each complete
in all respects, and providing for oper-
ating all controllers simultaneously
through a train line from a master
switch on any car. rightly permits Mr..
Sprague, in addition to being called
the father of the trolley line to use
the title, father of rapid transit
tcopyrieht. 1e34D