Year: 1868

An observation-disclosures Of the Road


Security Against ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


Rapidly Of Observation-Disclosures
Dividends and Accommodation.


Those Of our readers who at any time within the
past six months have passed through the lower or
southern end of Greenwich street must have OBJ
served on Its western side railroad track, upheld
by series Of strong looking pillars Of wrought iron,
extending from Battery place northward half mile,
or to the near neighbornoOd Of Cortandt street.
This elevated road-a section Of that in time may
extend to Yonkers-has been put up for the purpose
of testing the capabilities of track and carriage,
the whole nodus operandi of which is the invention
of Charles I. Harvey and secured by upwards
of twenty patents, covering some eighty claims,
that since 1860 have been secured in France, Eng
land, the British Provinces and the United States.


The road, taken as whole, is unique, and its sue
cess although no actual experiment has been made
upon it, is admitted by intelligent engineers and
perienced railroad men. AS a means Of conveying
passengers quickly, cheaply and safely from one end
Of the island to the other there seems to be little
doubt OF It's future superiority roads laid the
surface Of the ground or sin the deep bosom Of the
earth buried"


on the completion of the material inventions of
Mr.. Harvey, in 1s66-that is OF those which were
necessary to the sure working Of q railway such as
Is contemplated, association was formed, and the
Legislature of the State Incorporated 1t under the
title of ''The West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway
Company" and authorized 1t 'to operate exclusively
by means of propelng cables attached to stationary
engines placed beneath or beyond any street through
which a railway may pass, and shall be concealed
from view so far as the same may be detrimental to
the ordinary uses of said streets.n


Other rights not hurtful, however, TO the public
were granted this company, upon condition that its
failure success should depend, so far as the work.
ing OF the road went, upon the opinion Of Board OF
Commissioners, three in number two Of whom were
to be appointed by the Governor, and the third by
the Croton Commissioners. on the passage OF the
act the company commenced the erection OF the ex-
perimental hafmile section, but its progress has
been slow. Last summer, when ground was broken,
an Injunction was sued out by interested parties and
the work delayed two months, when the Injunction
was removed and It perhaps is well here to state
that at time have owners Of property on the pro-.
ected line raised objections to the necessary exca-
vations for the purpose Of building vaults in which
small engines are to be placed for operating the road
the rains commenced and It was not until some
months subsequently to the erection OF the


first iron column that visible progress could be made
During the past winter every propitious day was
seized to push the section forward. and 1t Ia now all
but ready for the crusis erpertmentum that is to
decide its fate.


The road, we should here remark, Is built with q
single track the design being to have lines OF road
on opposite sides OF the thoroughfare through which
II may pass, the cars or trucks moving In opposite
or contrary directions Each track VIII be Ave feet
In width between the centre OF the rails and be sup
ported by q series OF columns OF about nine inches
diameter at the surface OF the pavement. These
columns are, In the section erected placed at inter-
walls OF about feet except at street cross
ings where they necessarily further apart along
the curbstone between the sidewalk and the car
riageway. These again are attached by girders or
braces TO the track, which IL placed perpendicuary
their centres and at distance In the clear Of four
teen feet from the pavement.


The engines In the street vaults built Immediately
under the track at distances OF half mile, are IN
tended to revolve endless steel wire ropes to Which,
by an ingenious device, the carriages are, whlle
passing up or down, TO be attached or disengageu,
and ~ perfectly under the control OF the brakeinan
The steel wire rope Is mounted with small TRUCKS
with shoulders at regular distances 50 feet ann %
these the car Is attached or detached and stopped
with perfect safety and without noise or Jar WITHIN
distance OF thirty feet. This result obtained oy
means OF series OF elptcal springs on revOvlng
shan, placed lengthwise to the car. by means oi
this spiral shaftunder, as we have said the care OF
| the brakeman-the cars are mounted on patent
wooden treadwheels also new Invention, raced WIN
single or double nanges-run without noise. luis
wheel has been pronounced infinitely superior ahu
| more durable and less expensive than any mere


tofore invented and within ten years Will superseue
those now used on cars prope.edo oy sscaln Saa..


II In the intention of the company TO Ut up Delov
| the Park, AZ distances a quarter OF y mlte suD