In the above cases of electrical construction, the motor car would be capable of pulling one or two tow cars, if necessary. These figures, your Committee has no doubt, will be found to be calculated within a reasonable limit of cost. Now to get the most economical service and the best results it would be well, in the judgment of your Committee, to rebuild the roadbed, if an old road, and start with a construction that would be as nearly perfect as possible, and that to be a girder rail construction, with ties 2 feet 6 inches apart, 5 x 7 yellow pine, the rail to weigh from 45 to 60 lbs., the weight to depend upon the traffic that would in all probability be carried upon it.

This is no doubt the most important step after deciding to adopt electricity; by this means the amount of wear and tear on cars is reduced to a minimum, and to a certain extent the damage to the motors is prevented; or if a storage battery, the constant jarring of the batteries. It will also enable a more even rate of speed to be maintained, as also a much faster rate than could be obtained under any other conditions.

It is advisable, also, to have the motors examined after each trip, to see that nothing is out of repair. Do not let the motors work at a disadvantage, as a dollar or two expended at the proper time will save hundreds in the future. Also see that the men running the cars are careful and capable of exercising a little judgment. A careless man will ruin a motor in a short time by forcing the whole current through it, when there is no reasonable excuse for doing so ; particularly in starting the cars. A little attention in this direction will amply repay the time and expense devoted to such inspection.

If running a number of cars, it will probably be more economical for the Company to put in its own power plant rather than to depend on the electric light plant'; or it may be absolutely necessary to put it in by reason of having no such source of power. This plant need not necessarily be placed along the line of the road, as the power being transmitted through a wire, the plant can be placed where the cost of running the generators will be the least, which, if water power is at hand, or if in a coal district, would tend to materially reduce the cost; yet for ordinary purposes power can be leased from any electric light plant at a reasonable cost per car per day.

As to cars, the majority are now ordinary 16 foot bodies, placed upon independent trucks, so that old cars can be utilized, but if a new equipment is desired it would be best that the bodies be placed upon independent trucks, and that both ends be closed, or, in other words, a bow window front and back, with the side entrance clear as in the ordinary car. Or if the road is a double track with loops, and cars are run in but one direction, it would be still better to have the front entirely closed, as in the construction of the latest style of cable This construction of the car will protect that portion of the electrical

cars.

apparatus which is now exposed to the elements, and also make a much neater car, or if the road carries a large number of passengers, a twenty to twenty-two foot car upon double trucks, the same pattern, would give even better results. With the small cars, have at least two motors of fifteen horse power each, and with the large ones, it is a question whether or not the motors should be twenty horse power each. Do not stint the power of the motors. There is no doubt in the mind of your Committee that considerable of the trouble heretofore experienced has been for the want of sufficient motor power. With this power under the cars and the wire overhead, it may safely climb grades of ten per cent. and more with perfect ease, but with the storage battery it is hardly safe to climb a grade of more than six per cent.

The question of operating the line during the winter months is also a serious one, but there is no doubt that if the rail is kept clear, little or no trouble will be experienced. To do this it is desirable, in addition to a plow, to use a large sweeper, operated by two fifteen horse power motors, with the brooms working independently of the gear, and propelled by a separate fifteen horse power motor, using at the curves and switches some little salt to keep them clear.

This will keep the rail as clear as required under ordinary conditions, and in addition to the above there should be attached to the cars a small scraper in front of the wheels, to keep the accumulation of snow or ice from the track that may be thrown there by the traffic on the street.

Now as to the cost of operating a road. This will rest solely with the management. It should not under any circumstances exceed ten cents per mile, to include the cost of conductors and drivers. Of course there are exceptional cases where the cost is much greater by reason of conditions which do not exist ordinarily. It was the desire of your Committee to be able to furnish some exact figures on this particular point, but it was found almost impracticable, as the majority of those from whom the information was sought preferred not to disclose the cost of running their roads.

A few figures showing the gross earnings as well as the operating expenses for some of the months of the past year on roads operated by electricity will probably be interesting, although the names of the roads will be withheld. Operations of a road for the month of August, 1889:

Gross earnings from operation

Total operating expenses.

Showing net earnings to be..

$3,821 95

1,856 67

$1,965 28

In the operating expenses of this month were included $480 interest charges

on floating and bonded debt.

Total mileage for the month

Average cars operated .....

Average cost per mile per day for operating road..

Deducting amount of interest charges will give....

per mile, which is certainly a very satisfactory showing.

.19,181 miles

8

.9.67 cents.

7.12

For the first 31 days' operation of another road we have:

This shows a cost per mile of motors of only 10.86 cents, and by adding the additional mileage of tow cars, reduces the cost per mile to 6.86 cents. In this case it would be well to note that the cost of power was reduced to the average of $1.39 per car per day.

Again we have for another road for the month of July, 1889: Receipts

Operating expenses

Showing net gain of

With the motors making......

Showing average expense per mile...

For another road we have:

Receipts from operating, So days..

Total operating expenses.

Showing net earnings for that period

$10,605 00

3.735 00

$6,870 00

.46,647 miles. 8.01 cents.

$5,500 80 2,441 27

$3.059 53

This road running 17,063 miles, giving the average expense per mile of 16.66 cents.

Last, but not least, we have a report of a road for the month of August, 1889:

Operating receipts...

Total expenses.

Net profit.

$4.317 46

871 04 $3.446 42

The total expense of this road figures at 14 cents per mile. The average number of miles that an electric car should make under favorable circumstances is at least 120 miles per day of eighteen hours, which is 50 per cent. in excess of what we can now get from horses.

It will perhaps interest some of you to listen to a few extracts from a letter written by one operating an electric road, in which he says: "We find a flattering comparison in favor of the electric motor, and have experienced great difficulty in keeping the people off the roofs of the cars, so anxious are they to ride; have carried them on the brake beams, hanging out of the windows, and on

coupling bars. A single car whose seating capacity is twenty-two, has carried one hundred and two passengers in one load. We have experienced no difficulty whatever in carrying these loads up the steep grades of our city. We can further state that in our six miles of track we have but one block without a grade of from one to eleven per cent. So great has been the increase of travel since we began to use the motors in place of horse cars, that we have already found necessary to quadruple our equipment."

it

The instances stated above are only a few of the many from roads operated by electricity, all of them showing an increase in traffic, and paying large dividends to the holders of the stock.

The most notable instance of the past year has been the resolution of the Board of Directors of the consolidated roads of Boston to equip their whole system with the overhead wire. A portion of this system has already been equipped, and from the statement of President Whitney we have the fact that on their extension to Arlington, of the Cambridge division, there has been at least 150 per cent. increase in traffic, with 50 per cent. decrease in the operating expenses, giving us a net gain of 200 per cent., which is something marvelous. We have had unfortunately within the past month a report of the breaking down of the overhead system in the city of Richmond, and yet with all the results from reports as to the success of the overhead system, we will have some few who will bring this road up as an example of what the future will be of roads operated by the overhead wire. Why this should have occurred in Richmond is hard to tell, and can best be explained by some one with a knowledge of the

cause.

The question of the relative merits of the different systems of electrical construction it has been thought best to leave open to discussion by the members of the Association.

In closing, would say that it has been stated that electricity as a motive power is as far ahead of the cable, as the cable was in advance over horses.

THOMAS C. BARR,

Committee.

DISCUSSION ENSUING ON THE FINANCIAL SUCCESS OF ELECTRICITY AS A MOTIVE POWER.

The President: What is your wish in regard to the report? Mr. Cleminshaw: I move that it be received and placed on file, and spread upon the minutes.

The motion was carried.

A delay of some moments ensued, no one being inclined to open the discussion.

Mr. Cleminshaw: I understand we are here to-night to hear the electrical question discussed. It strikes me that there are many very modest men here. We want to learn something about it, and we understand there are gentlemen here who can tell us

about it. I was going to say, Mr. President, that there are gentlemen here, not members of the Association, who have been invited here, that can open the question, and open it fully and ably, and then the members can ask questions as on former occasions; and in that way we can get at what we want to learn. Mr. John S. Wise, of Richmond, was called upon to speak.

REMARKS OF MR. JOHN S. WISE ON THE RICHMOND
ELECTRIC ROAD.

Mr. Wise Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I am the general counsel of the Sprague Electric Railway and Motor Company, of New York, which has been slandered so much about the road at Richmond. I desire to make a statement here as to the condition of that road and the causes of the failure, which I think will be satisfactory to any impartial mind. The Richmond Union Passenger Railway was chartered by the State of Virginia and the city of Richmond, through the influence of Mr. Maurice B. Flynn, who came with his companions and obtained that charter, and made a contract with the Sprague Company for the equipment of his road. In the first place, it was a scheme to put in a shoestring and pull out a tanyard. It was not backed by the proper capital at its beginning. It was a very desirable charter; and it was a very desirable enterprise for any electric railway equipment company. The Sprague Company, in its anxiety to obtain the largest and longest electrical railway in the world, concluded a contract with Mr. Flynn before he had actually located the whole route of his road, or given them the particulars of the route over which he was to go. Mr. Flynn organized his Company by making between the Company and his own concern a construction contract; and I fancy I stand among gentlemen who understand the meaning of a construction contract. [Laughter.] To make a long story short, he made his Company bargain with himself to give him thirty-one thousand dollars in bonds, and forty-three thousand dollars in stock per mile, and it was a fair presumption that he would not lose anything on it. He proceeded to made special contracts, first, for his roadbed and tracks, next for his electrical equipment and power plant, and, lastly, for his cars and the site for his power house. He made the contract for his roadbed and track with a business partner ;