Q'
VERBATIM REPORT
KIRST ANNUAL MEETINO
OF THH
Si'iffl
Ull.lK
(III
(l
ciiua
mu.l) IN MAPI.K ROOM. PALACK HOTEL, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
APRIL 21, 1896
Charles H. Croceer
President Market Street Railway Company, San Francisco
PRESIDENT
Association Organized December 16, I895
OKl-TCE OF THE SECRETARY
III« KROADWAY, OAKLARD, CAL.
1S96
<irliÁ_ti;íi.,^ --cía C^zßx
Hàiïcûày Supplies
Nuts
Bolts
Spikes
purchase jEconomícallii anî
pap ©iviöenhs
Rails Ties
Frogs Tie Plates
Switches Rail Joints
Track Tools
Cars
Car Seats
Rail Saws
Fenders
Registers
Nut Locks
Gongs
Springs
Car Trimmings Sand Boxes Bell Cord
Car Trucks Car Heaters Head Lights
Car Wheels Cond's Punches Brake Shoe;
Trolley Poles Mica Gears
Trolley Harps Mica Segments Pinions
Trolley Wheels B. & S. Segments Tape
Trolley Cord Pole Brackets Felt
Rheostat Plates Brasses Babbitt IMeta
Motor Bearings Cotton Waste Rail Bond;
Graphite Bushings Armalac Hart Switches
Peerless Compound Carbon Brushes Feed am
Span Wire
MORRIS-ATKINSON CAR BRAKE
WESTERN ELECTRIC CO's OVERHEAD MATERIAL
C. B. KAUFMAN & CO.,
Telephone Main 616 525 Mission St., San Francise
I
VERBATIM REPORT
OF THE
kirst annual meetino
OF THE
HELD IN MAPLE ROOM, P.iLACE HOTEL, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
APRIL 21, 1896
Charles K. Crocker
President Market Street Raitway Company, San Francisco
PRESIDENT
Association Organized December 16, I895
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
ItlS BROADWAY, OAKLAND, CAL.
1896
Press of Jordan Printing Co., Oakland
\
Officers 1896-97
PRESIDENT
CHAS. K. CROCKER
President Market Street Railway Company
San Francisco
VICE-PRESIDENT
S. B. McIvEREOAN
Superintendent San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway Co.
San Francisco
SECRETARY AND TREASURER
J. E. MORRIS
Superintendent Highland Park and Fruitvale Railroad
Oakland, Cal.
CONTENTS
Appointment of Committee on Permanent Organization ii
By-Laws 54
Constitution 12
Constitution . ■ 54
Election of Temporary Chairman 11
Election of Temporary Secretary 11
Frontispiece, Mr. Chas. F. Crocker i
" Mr. J. E. Morris 2
;Tames of Persons Present 9
Paper on Ascending Grades by Electric Floree, by Mr, P'oster. . . .17
Paper on Transfers, by Mr. Vining 27
Paper on Registration of Piares and Transfers, by Mr. McLenegan . . 36
Paper on Long-Distance Transmission of Power, by Mr. Shock . . . .41
Paper on Fenders, by Mr. Stein 44
Remarks of Temporary Chairman 9
MINUTES
OF
PRELIMINARY MEETING OF THE STREET RAILWAY
ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA.
San Francisco, December i6, 1895.
Pursuant to call of Mr. S. B. McLenegan, Superintendent
of the San Francisco and San Mateo Railway Company, dated
December i, 1895, for the purpose of forming an association of
the representatives of the various street railways of the State,
the following named persons were present at the Occidental
Hotel, San Francisco, at 2 o'clock p. m., Monday, December
t6, 1895: Mr. E. P. Vining, of the Market Street Railway
System; S. B. McLenegan and G. A. Loring, of the San Fran¬
cisco and San Mateo Railway; F. W. Wood, of the Los
Angeles Railway Company; M. D. Stein, G. H. Fairchild,
and A. W. Barron, of the Market Street System; E, M, Van
Frank, of the Sutro lines; J, Sparks, of the Oakland Con¬
solidated; L- Wheeler, of the Alameda, Oakland and Piedmont
Railway; Walter Tiffany, of the Piedmont and Mountain View
Railroad; C. Gustafson, of the Oakland, San Leandro and
Hay wards Railway Company; F, J, Woodward and J. E.
Morris, of the Highland Park and Fruitvale Railroad.
The meeting was called to order by S. B, McLenegan,
who stated the object of the call, as follows:
remarks of temporary chairman.
Inasmuch as I have been instrumental in calling you
gentlemen together this afternoon, I presume it is necessar}'
tor me to address you briefly concerning my object in doing so.
It is generally understood, I believe, that our purpose in
meeting today is to discuss the organization of a street rail¬
way association, an association that .shall have for its primary
I o Mimdes of the Preliminary Meeting
object the gathering together annually, or at such intervals as
may be desired, all interested in the street railway business of
this State.
With that object in mind, alter consultation with Mr.
Vining, of the Market Street Railway Company, I sent out
circulars to all interested, for the purpose of ascertaining
what support an association of this kind might hope to
receive.
Much to my pleasure, favorable responses were received
from representatives of nearly all of the leading street railway
companies in the State, the only notable exceptions being
the Sutter and California street companies, of this city, from
whom no replies, either for or against the proposition, were
received.
With these exceptions, favorable responses were received
from eleven of the leading street railway companies of the
State, and so much interest was manifested in the subject,
that I felt amply justified in calling you together to take such
action as might be deemed best.
It was not to be expected that every company in the State
should have responded to the first call made upon them. It
should be remembered that I was acting without any author¬
ity in the matter, and that I was personally unknown to nearly
all outside of this community.
I think, however, that if the matter is properly taken in
hand by a committee, that no difficulty will be experienced in
drawing every company in the State into the association.
' From all that I have learned by a considerable acquaint¬
ance with street railway men of this Statë, I believe that gen¬
erally speaking the business is in the hands of active and
intelligent men, and to whom an association of this character
would be an excellent thing.
No man who desires to keep pace with the times should
confine himself or his interests wholly to the boundaries of his
own horizon. I believe that an association conducted on the
same lines as similar organizations in the Eastern States,
would tend to broaden our ideas, enlarge our experience, and
make us more useful to our employers.
There is not a line of business, that I recall, but that; has
Street Railway Association of California i e
found either a State or National Association of benefit to its
general welfare.
Should we be less progressive or less mindful of our own
interests, than others around us?
Our interests are identical in many ways, and an inter¬
change of ideas upon subjects relating to our business cannot
but prove beneficial to all concerned. I believe that an asso¬
ciation will tend to create a bond of sympathy between the
various companies throughout the State, and when the time
comes, as it surely will, all may stand together on any propo¬
sition adverse or injurious to our interests.
I desire to thank Mr. Vining, of the Market Street Rail¬
way Company, for the sincere interest he has taken in this
subject, and also Mr. Wood, of Los Angeles, who has come a
long distance for the purpose of being present at this prelimin¬
ary meeting. With the aid and co-operation of these gentle¬
men, I believe that this association will be a success.
On motion of Mr. E. P. Vining, duly seconded, Mr. S.
B. McLenegan was elected temporary chairman. Mr. F. W.
Wood was placed in nomination for temporary secretary, but
declined, on the ground of his inability to act, by reason of
business engagements. On motion of Mr. McLenegan, J.
E. Morris was elected temporary secretary. Mr. Wood
moved that a committee on permanent organization be
appointed by the chair, its members to be selected from the
northern part of the State. Mr. Vining moved to amend by
striking out the words "northern part of State," and insert¬
ing "from State at large." Amendment accepted by Mr.
Wood, and motion adopted as amended. The chair there¬
upon appointed E. P. Vining, F. W. Wood and L- Wheeler,
as a committee on permanent organization, with instructions
to meet immediately and formulate a constitution and plan of
organization, and report at earliest convenience. A recess
was then taken. At 3.20 p. m. E. P. Vining of the commit¬
tee on permanent organization read the following report of
the committee. Your committee on permanent Organization
would respectfully report:
First. They recommend that the officers of the Associ¬
ation consist of a president, a vice-president, a secretary and
12 ñlinutes. of the Preliminary Meeting
treasurer, and an executive committee which shall include the
three officers above named, together with two other members
of the Association.
Second. As to the presidenc}^ your committee recom¬
mend that the chair appoint a committee of three to wait
upon Col. C. F. Crocker, and request him to accept the presi-
dencj' of this association, in accordance with the unanimous
wish of its members.
Third. For the vice-presidency, your committee nomi¬
nate Mr. S. B. McLenegan. For the position of secretary and
treasurer, your committee nominate Mr. J. E. Morris.
Fourth. Your committee recommend that the temporary
chairman be requested to nominate two members of the exec¬
utive committee to serve on said committee, in addition to the
three officers above named.
Fifth. As to the constitution of this association your
committee recommend the following, viz:
CONSTITUTION
OF THE
STREET RAILWAY ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA.
- ARTICLE I.
NAME-
. The name of this Association shall be "The Street Rail¬
way Association of California," and its office and headquar¬
ters shall be in the City of San Francisco.
ARTICLE IL
OBJECT.
The obj'ect of this Association shall be the acquisition of
experimental, statistical and scientific knowledge, relating to
the construction, equipment and operation of street railways,
and the diffusion of this knowledge among the members of
Street Raihvay Association of California ij
this Association, with the view of increasing the accommoda¬
tion of passengers, improving the service and reducing its
cost; the establishment and maintenance of a spirit of fra¬
ternity among t^ie members, by social intercourse; and the
encouragement of cordial and friendly relations between the
roads and the public,
ARTICLE III.
MEMBERS.
The members of the Association shall consist of such
street railway companies in the State of California, as shall,
by a proper representative express their concurrence in the
constitution and the by-laws of the Association.
ARTICLE IV.
AMENDMENTS.
This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote
of all the members present at any regular meeting or properly-
called special meeting, pr.ivided: That no amendments shall
be made which shall not have been submitted to each member
of the Association, in writing, at least thirty days prior to
the date of the meeting, when the proposed amendment is to
be acted upon.
ARTICLE V.
BY-LAWS.
Your committee fecommend that a committee of three be
appointed by the temporary chairman, to formulate by-laws
and present same for the consideration of the Association at
its next meeting.
F. J. Woodward moved the adoption of the report, sec¬
onded by F. W. Wood. E. P. Vining moved to amend the
report by substituting the word "three" instead of "two,"
in fourth section. The report was then unanimously adopted
as amended, and the committee discharged.
In accordance with the report. Chairman McLenegan
named. F. W. Wood, E. P. Vining and L. Wheeler, as the
Executive Committee to act in conjunction with the three
officers.
If Aíinutes of the PielÍ7nÍ7¡a7y Meeting
E. P. Vining moved that Mr. McLenegan act as chair¬
man of the committee to wait on Col. Crocker. Carried.
A. K. Grim, M. D. Stein and A. W. Barron were
appointed a committee to formulate by-laws and present to the
Association.
On motion of Mr. Wood, the secretary was requested to
communicate with all companies who have not signified their
intention of joining the Association, and endeavor to secure
their aid and co-operation with the Association. Mr. Wood
moved that when the meeting adjourn it adjourn to some date
to be fixed by the Executive Committee, at which time the
report on by-laws will be presented, and at which time papers
for discussion will also be presented. Seconded by F. J.
Woodward. Carried.
Mr. E. P. Vining offered the following resolution, which
was unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That the thanks of the members of this Asso¬
ciation be hereby tendered to Mr. S. B. McEenegan for his
active and efficient efforts to bring about the organization of
this Association, and that the members take this method of
expres.sing their appreciation thereof, believing that he has
thereby rendered substantial service to the interests of every
street railway company in the State of California. The meet¬
ing then adjourned, subject to call.
Street Railway Association of California if
MINUTES
Proceedings of the Street Railway Association of Califor¬
nia, at its First Annual fleeting, held April 21, 1896,
at 1.30 p. m.. in Marble Room, Palace Hotel, San Fran¬
cisco, California.
The meeting was called to order by Mr. C. F. Crocker.
The following persons were present, representing the
companies set forth :
San Francisco, Col. C. F. Crocker, Market Street Railway
Company.
San Francisco, E. P. Vining, Market Street Railway Com¬
pany.
San Francisco, M. I). Stein, Market Street Railway Com¬
pany. .
San Francisco, A. W. Barron, Market Street Railway Com¬
pany.
San Francisco, G. H. Fairchild, Market Street Railway
Company.
San Francisco, H. A. Iddings, Market ¿street Railway Com¬
pany.
San Francisco, C. J. Kaighin, Market Street Railway Com¬
pany.
San Francisco, J. C. Skinner, Market Street Railway Com¬
pany.
San Francisco, S. E. Foster, Market Street Railway Com¬
pany.
San Franci.sco. F. F. Vanatta, Market Street Railway Com¬
pany.
San Francisco. S. B. McEenegan, San Francisco and San
Mateo Electric Railway Company.
San Francisco, G. A. Eoring, San Francisco and San Mateo
Electric Railway Compaii}'.
San Frahcisco, E. M. VanFrank, Sutro Railroad Company.
i6
Minutes of the Preliminary Meeting
Oakland, Walter Tiffany, Piedmont and Mountain View
Railway Company.
Oakland, C. Gustafson, Oakland, San Leandro and Hay-
wards Electric Railway.
Oaklank, E. P. Vandercook, East Oakland Street Railway.
Oakland, J. E. Morris, Highland Park and Fruitvale Rail¬
road.
Los Angeles, J. T. Burke, Los Angeles Railway Compan\'.
Sacramento, T. A. W. Shock, Sacramento Electric Power
and Light Company.
S-in Jose, J. P. Burke, San Jose and Santa Clara Railway
Company.
Monterey, H. A. Green, Monterej' and Pacific Grove Street
Railway and Electric Power Company.
The San Diego Electric Railwa}^ and the Alameda, Oak¬
land and Piedmont Electric Railway,, were not represented.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved.
The code of by-laws for the Association were then pre¬
sented for consideration, and read to the meeting by the sec¬
retary.
Mr. Vining. Mr. Chairman, in order to bring the subject
up for consideration, I move that that portion of Article V of
the by-laws which provides that the treasurer give a bond, be
erased—be stricken out. It seems to me that the amount of
money that will be in the hands of the treasurer is so small that
it is hardly necessary to go through that formality. No funds
will be misappropriated, anyway, so I think it may be wiser
to strike out that clause. If any member thinks it best to
retain it, I shall have no objection to voting to that efiect.
Mr. McLenegan. I second the motion.
The President. It has been moved and seconded that
that portion of the by-laws providing that the treasurer give
a bond, be stricken out.
Thereupon the motion was adopted.
The President. The motion is^now upon the adoption of
the by-laws as amended. Are there any further amend¬
ments ? Are you ready for the question ?
Thereupon the by-laws as amended were adopted.
Street Railway Association of California ij
Mr. Foster read the following paper entitled Ascending
Grades by Electrical Force :
ASCENDING GRADPIS BY ELECTRICAD P'ORCE.
Mr. President and Geyitlemen of this Association:—
The problem of climbing grades by devices other than
the cable has been approached very cautiously by street-
railway men. In the old days of horse-cars a six per cent,
climb called for an extra or "hill" horse, and sometimes for
the interference of the humane society.
With the advent of electricity the problem was made
easier, but was still hindered by the fact that early street-
railway motors were designed of too small capacity. Steam
road practice also influenced the early constructors a good
deal, and the maximum safe attainable grade was considered
to be somewhere about six or eight per cent.
We all remember the story of the effort of Frank Sprague,
in 1888, to climb a six per cent, grade on the pioneer electric
road at Richmond, Virginia. The air was pervaded with a
pungent odor, the car speed gradually failed, the trial trip
came to an end, and a messenger was dispatched to the power¬
house for some "instruments" to assist in getting the party
home. The "instruments" were two mules, and many early
roads had occasionally to connect up the same kind of instru¬
ments in circuit.
The motors being of insufficient power to keep the car up
to a fair speed on the grade, the counter E. M. F. dropped,
and the current absorbed increased in proportion. The result
of this was that armature wires, designed to carry a maximum
of two thousand amperes per square inch, had to carry ten
thousand amperes per square inch for from fifteen to sixty sec¬
onds. That the insulation failed is not to be wondered at.
This rise of current was prevented at first by lead-fuses
in the circuit, but the duty of street-railway men is to run the
cars on schedule time, rather than to coddle electrical machin¬
ery, and the fuses quicker grew remarkably in size. Worse
than this, they sometimes changed in material as well as in
size. These abnormal fuses increased the number of burned-
out armatures and hastened the day of heavier motors.
i8 MÍ7tutes of the Fiist Annual Meeting
In 1892, railway-men and motor-builders began to realize
that heavier motors were needed; the forerunner of the latest
series parallel controller appeared on the scene, and the cost
per car mile was brought down to a more reasonable point.
These powerful motors rendered feasible grades that it
would have been unwise to operate with the old equipments.
The toothed armature cores, instead of smooth cores, and
the protected field-spools reduced the item of motor repairs,
and a large amount of power formerly wasted at starting was
saved by the new controllers.
San Francisco has had her round of experience with elec¬
tric traction on grades, from the fifteen-horse power motors
with rheostatic control on eleven per cent, grades to the latest
twenty-five and thirty-horse power motors with series paral¬
lel controllers on fourteen and one-half per cent, grades.
Roads were thus equipped where franchises included a
few steep grades with much level track. The only two sys¬
tems of traction available were cable and electricity. The
light traffic and numerous curves rendered the expense of the
cable-construction prohibitive, and either electricity had to be
tried or the line abandoned.
In order to climb these unusual grades two twenty-five-
horse-power motors on each single truck car were decided to
be necessary'. These twenty-five-horse-power motors are far
in excess of what is required to propel the cars on the level,
and we thus .see already that some of the penalties for operat¬
ing electric cars on heavy grades are the necessity of trans¬
porting heavier motors than are needed on the level, the
attendant lower average car efficiency and the increased rail-
joint abuse.
It is hardly necessary to note that single-truck cars have
been found to be better than double-truck cars for he ivy
grade work, as in the former the motors are given the benefit
of all the adhesion the weight of the car can give, while in
the latter some of this weight is supported by the four wheels
that do not act as drivers for the car.
It, of course, requires more power to propel a car over a
steep grade than over the same distance on the level. By
power is meant the product of the force by the time. It not
Street Railway Association of California ig
only requires more force in the form of amperes multiplied by
volts, but this force has to be exerted for a longer time to
cover the same distance on a grade.
There is, however, a misconception in some minds as to
the power that is really required by an electric car on a grade.
The formula used in determining the force required to propel
a vehicle shows that when on a grade this force increases rap¬
idly with the grade when the speed remains the same. But
the speed of an electric car does not remain the same on a
grade as on the level.
The motors are only capable of a certain effort, and as on
a grade the car not only has to be advanced horizontally, but
also raised vertically at the same time, the work to be done is
increased and the car speed decreases until it is within the
power of the motors.
FIG. 1.
The diagram No. i shows how the power consumed
increases froppthe level to a 14.54 cent, grade under prac¬
tically coqstaiit voltage. Also how the speed decreases. The
20
Miniitci of ihe First Annual Meeting
dotted line shows how the power would have been expected
to increase had the speed remained the same.
Another feature of grade-climbing—the freedom from
wagon interference is often overlooked. On a road where
heavy grades prevail, very little wagon traffic is met with,
and the slow-running and frequent stops and starts, so preva¬
lent on a level line, and .so wasteful of power, are absent.
When a car starts up a grade it has an uninterrupted run to the
end, and its short pieces of level track are usually clear. The
result of these compensations is that the average amount of
electrical energy absorbed on one thousand car miles covering
.seven consecutive days, on a level city line, is but fiftj' per
cent, more than the average on one thousand car miles on a
city line in which several ten and twelve per cent, grades
exist. The level line was 24,000 feet long where there is a
total rise of but one hundred and forty-two feet, and the other
was 16,000 feet long, which comprises two hills. The line
rises one hundred and eighty-six feet to the top of the first
hill, descends ninety-two feet, and rises to the second hill top
one hundred and forty-three feet. The same style of cais
and motors were used in both cases.
When the new series parallel controllers came out,
instructions were given to use only the series notch on heavy
grades, as it is more economical to run the motors in series
than in multiple. Let us see what the basis for this advice
was, and its value. Ou grades over six per cent, about two
times as much current is used, and over twice the speed is
attained b}' the car, when ,the motors are run in multiple, as
when run in series. This exce.ssive flow of current causes an
increa.se in sparking at the brushes, sends the armatures to
have the commutators turned sooner, and the greater sjjeed
on the grade wears the bearings and gearing more rapidly.
From the standpoint of the repair-shop, the series combination
is thus seen to be the cheaper.
From the standpoint of the power-house engineer, too. it
is better for the cars to be run up hill on the series notch, as
the power-plant can handle twice as many cars that are run¬
ning on the series notch as if the cars ran on the multiple
notch. The lines containing heavy grades are the bugbear of
Street Railïvay Association o/ California
21
the engineer, on account of the abnormal fluctuations in load
due to the cars climbing the grades on the multiple uotch.
Where the plant is nearly loaded, this sudden occasional call
for four times the normal current often results in the whole
line being cut out in order to assure current for more import¬
ant lines.
From the standpoint of the investor, the series notch is
preferable, as when the cars are run up the grade with the
motor in multiple the system must be not only equipped with
boilers, engines, generators and feed-wires of double the
capacitjq that would be required if the series method of run¬
ning the motors were used, but this double capacity must be
running and ready at all times, as it is not a case of a load
coming on at 7 a. m. and 5 p. m., but it appears at regular
intervals through the day, and must be provided for.
From the standpoint of the watts per car mile of the coal-
pile, however, the multiple notch is found to be slightly
cheaper. Ou grades over six per cent, ttnder ordinary condi¬
tions, single-truck cars equipped with two twenty-five-horse¬
power motors, were found to require, when the motors were
run in multiple, from nothing to tourteen per cent, less expen¬
diture of power than when the motor.-^ were run in series.
The current will be more when in multiple, but the time
will be less than in an inverse ratio to the current, or what is
the same, the speed will be more than in a direct ratio to the
current. For example, on a given grade two times the cur¬
rent is absorbed and 2.6 times the speed is attained. Thus
the power is less at the multiple notch. This saving, how¬
ever, is not worthy of consideration, as it is undoubtedly
more than counterbalanced by the lo.ss at the generators due
to inefficient running at under-load most of the time.
This saving on a fourteen and one-half per cent, grade
amounts to only one and one-fourth k. w. hours per mile of
grade run.
The amount of it all is, that, as roads are usually built
with but few and short heavy grades, and the rest of the lines
more nearly level, the use of the multiple notch involves a
-slight saving for a few moments of each trip and a waste iii
22
Minutes of the First Anntial Meeting
the form of interest money and unnecessary coal burned for
inefficient generators for the rest of the time.
On the line where must of the tests were made, the saving
lasts 6.2 per cent., and the waste 93.8 per cent, of the running
time. Tiie series notch is thus seen to be the more economi¬
cal. Ordinary mechanical reasoning teaches us that the
amount of power required to propel a car up a grade is inde¬
pendent of the speed. If the speed is slow, the force required
is less, but the time during which it is exerted is longer. If
the speed is rapid, the force is greater, and the time less, so
that the result is the same in either case. The explanation of
this disagreement between theory and the facts is found when
we consider the relative car efficiencies at the two notches.
The efficiency is higher at the multiple notch on a heavy
grade because the work done by the motors approaches more
nearly their rated capacity where their efficiency is a
maximum.
This greater economy at the multiple notch held good
■under the conditions of the tests made, only on grades above
six per cent. On about a six per cent, grade the power con¬
sumed is the same at the series as at the multiple combination,
while on lesser grades and on the level the series is the more
economical notch at which to travel a given distance. The
tests were made under ordinary conditions of load and volt¬
age. Of course every railroad manager must decide accord¬
ing to his local conditions which is the larger, the value of
the coal .saved by the use of the multiple notch, or the extra
expense for repair work on armatures due to the quadrupled
flow of current, plus the interest on the additional station
capacity rendered necessary in order to safely handle the
sudden heavy calls for current made by the hilly lines, plus
the interest on the extra amount of feeder-wire needed to keep
up the voltage when from three to four times the current
usually used on the level is called for. There is still another
expense to set against the saving in coal, and that is the item
of lamp-breakage. If feeders of sufficient size are run to the
hilly portions of the line so as to hold up the voltage for the
few moments during which the cars are climbing at the
multiple notch, these feeders will be too large for the line the
Street Railway Association of California 2j
rest of the time when the cars are not climbing, and the voltage
will rise and as the lamps will be running up over normal
candle-power most of the time, their life will be shortened
considerably.
The question of requiring more cars when the series
notch is used on grades in order to secure the same headway
will not come up unless the line is run with no lay-over at the
ends. On the line tested comprising 33,000 feet of single-
track and having five heavy grades each way, one and one-
halt minutes only would be lost each half trip by changing
from the multiple to the series method of climbing heavy
grades, or three minutes to be made up in half the time of a
round trp. Diagram No. 2 shows how the power-curves for
Pereents of Grades Street Kv. Journal
FIG. 2.
the series and the multiple notches converge and diverge as
the car goes from the level to a fourteen per cent, grade.
It is frequently asked what the .steepest grade is that can
be ascended by an electric car, and the question is as often
2^ Minutes of the First Annual Meeting
left unanswered because the questioner cannot state the exact
coefficient of friction between the car-wheels and the rails.
It is easier, and fully as much to the point, to tell of
what steep grades have been climbed, and to call attention to
the fact that it is not a question of how steep a grade can be
climbed, but how steep a one can be safely descended. In
San Francisco cars are operated successfully both ways on a
14.54 cent, grade, and on the Piedmont road in Oakland
on a fourteen and one-quarter per cent, grade up and down.
In Seattle, ^Vashington, on Rainier avenue, by the help of
sand a single-truck car climbed a 16.85 cent, grade three
hundred feet long, but in this case it is not dared to allow a
car to descend without an outside check 011 its speed.
The problem of ascending grades is a simple one for the
motorman. He turns his controller handle and the motors
do the work. When a grade is to be descended, however,
there is a demand made for brains, from the engineer of the
car. There have been a few accidents, on steep grades in San
Franci.sco, and in almost every case it has been shown that
the motorman became excited. That he failed to do what he
should have done, or worse, in some ca.ses, he did what he
should not have done. Flat wheels are made frequently
while descending grades, and if the true cause were known,
it would be found in most cases to be due to the fact that the
car was allowed to attain an unsafe speed at the top of the
grade before the brakes were applied. If a car is brought to
practically a dead stop at the top of a grade, and then let
down the hill at about six or eight miles an hour, the danger
of a runaway or flattened wheels is very slight. If the track
is slippery sand can be used. Should the brake mechanism
fail, now, or an unexpected obstruction call for a sudden stop,
at the low speed the motorman would be better prepared to
make an emergency stop before damage was done, than if his
car was running at fifteen or twenty miles an hour when the
trouble occurred.
That the exercise of due diligence on the part of the
motorman renders it perfectly safe to descend quite heavy
grades with electric cars is shown by a consideration of the
Street Railway Association of California 25
fourteen per cent, grade on Harrison street from Third to
Hawthorne.
The wagon traffic on Third street, at the foot of the hill,
is the heaviest in the city, and yet cars have been descending
this steep grade, si.K hundred feet long, for four years without
an accident.
Some motormen have devised a method whereby they
can come down heavy grades rapidly, have the brakes on
fairly hard, and yet no't slide the wheels. This result is pro¬
duced by putting the controller on the series notch while the
brakes are set.
The maximum braking effect has been found as the result
of an elaborate series of tests made bj' European engineers, to
be produced by applying the brake-shoes at a pressure just
under the skidding point. In case the wheels slide, the
brake-shoes should be released at once, the wheels allowed to
revolve and be then gripped again.
' These ingenious motormen have found that by the usé
of the motors, they can hold the car braked at that point of
maximum retardation just short of skidding, and can keep
the car-wheels free from slipping, while maintaining a higher
rate of speed than is possible when not using current in
conjunction with the brakes. The idea of using power while
descending giades, however, is just the reverse of what all
street railway men have been seeking to realize, namely, how
to recover, while descending, some of the power consumed in
ascending. It also seems most dangerous for motormen to
get into the habit of using current while descending a grade,
lest in case an emergency arise they continue to advance the
controller-handle instead of throwing it back to "off" before
rever.sing. When at the series-notch it is impos.sible to reverse
the motors. The controller-handle must first be thrown to
"off." If the controller is on, it necessitates one more oper¬
ation before the car can be stopped, and in an emergency the
time occupied for this extra move is extremely valuable.
It can perhaps be plausibly argued that a car can be
stopped more quickly by causing sliding wheels to rotate than
by leaving them sliding, from a consideration of the tests
mentioned above. Here it was found that the pull per ton
20
Minutes of the First Annua! Meeting
required to tow a car with the brakes set decreasetl from
forty-two pounds to five pounds as soon as the wheels slipped.
Conversely, it inigiit be claimed that if the wheels were
turned when slipping the car speed would be checked. It
would be a good deal cheaper, hcm'ever, to make these wheels
turn by slacking off the brakes than by trying to do it by,
using current.
The problem of ascending grades where electricit)' forms
only a portion of the power required Tor the work is solved
in this locality in three typical ways—at Mt. Lowe, near
Pasadena, Cab, in San Francisco on the Fillmore-street grade
and on Rainier avenue in Seattle, Washington.
At Mt. Lowe two cars are permanently attached at oppo¬
site ends of a cable that passes around a winding-drum in the
power-house at the top of the grade. The force of gravity
on the descending car aids the ascending car in its ascent.
The track construction is three rail with a turnout at the
center of the route where the cars pass each other. The sys¬
tem is controlled entirely from the power-house above.
A positive difference in loads is made up by a stationary
electric motor actuating the winder, and a negative difference
is offset by a brake on this winder. Plere grades as high as
sixty-eight per cent, are surmounted. . It is really, however,
more like a mining proposition than a street-railroad one.
On Fillmore street, in San Francisco, we have a practical
double-track street-railroad proposition. The descending car
assists the ascending car on the same principle as at Mt.
Lowe. The positive difference between the loads of the two
cars and the friction of the gearing, cable, etc., is made up by
the use of the motors on one car; any negative difference being
controlled by a hand brake on the tail sheave-on the hill-top.
When each of the two cars ends its upward or downward
course, it is quickly released from the cable and proceeds on
its trip. The grade here is 25.54 cent, and about twenty-
five-horse-p(5wer is used to work the whole mechanism, includ¬
ing both cars. In this case two cars, one descending and one
ascending, are essential for the working of the device.
At Seattle the line is singe track while under it is a
second track in a conduit. The passenger-car runs above, and
Street Railway Association of California 2j
a load of pig-iron as a counter balance, below. A descending
car pulls the car of iron up to the top of the hill onto a bit of
level track, where it stands. The next ascending car, by start¬
ing up and pulling on the cable, which is endless, starts this
counter-balance car down, and receives a.ssistance from its
descent in climbing the seventeen per cent, grade.
Here one car only is needed at a time, but it must be
always going in the right direction.
Mr. McLenegan. Mr. Foster, I would like to ask if you
slide your wheels on the Fillniore-street grade. Could ycu in
operating your cars, one car going up and one car coming
down ? Is it po.ssible ?
Mr. Foster. The car going down usually furnishes the
current.
Mr. McLenegan. But I also understood you to say that
you occasionally used your motors in going down hill, with
the brakes set.
Mr. Foster. None of my men have done that, but I am
aware that by putting on the brakes part way, and turning
the current on they can prevent the wheels from sliding.
Mr. McLenegan. That is a fact. That is done very fre¬
quently. On the road to which I am attached we operate a
very heavy funeral-car, and very frequently it is very difficult
to keep the wheels from sliding. In a case of that kind the
motorman has avoided flatening his wheels by setting up
the brakes, and it has .saved us a great many flat wheels.
Mr. Foster. That is unsound, theoretically.
Mr. McLenegan. It has saved a great many flat wheels.
President Crocker. We will now listen to a paper by
Mr. Viiiing ;
Mr, Vining, Mr. President and gentlemen: When I
attempted to write out what I shall have to say upon the sub¬
ject of transfers it reminded me of some of my experiences in
examining some of the ponderous volumes which have come
down to us from former centuries.
I noticed it was the system of the authors of past genera¬
tions, no matter what their subject was, to commence with
the creation of the world, and having thus laid a firm founda¬
tion thej' could safely build up from it to the subject in hand.
28
Mmnies of the First Annual Meeting
In treating the subject of transfers it seemed advisable to
follow their custom, at least so far as to go back a century or
two and consider the causes which led to the establishment of
street railway lines, and to inquire what were the public
needs which such lines were intended to serve; with this
foundation firmly .settled, we shall be in a position fairly to
consider how far transfers ma}- be used as an auxiliary to the
proper work of a street-car line, and as a help for meeting the
needs which the line was built to supply.
It will readily be .seen that the necessity for personal
transportation in our cities arises from the fact that people
have three distinct interests, each of which requires a separ¬
ate location, so that the population is compelled to go back
and forth between the place at which one of these interests is
to be served, and the other locations in which they are inter¬
ested.
Every man has, or should have—first, a home; second, a
place of business; and in addition to these, he has a craving
for relaxation which leads him frequently either to some
place of amu.sement, or some place of worship. Hence,
every morning, a great majority of our citizens are com¬
pelled to travel in some way from their homes to their places
of business. Later, the children go to school, and many
of the women visit the shops and stores for the purpose of
obtaining the family supplies. All returning to their homes
again before evening comes on. Still later in the day, some
considerable number of the people visit some place of amuse¬
ment or worship.
This is the regular routine for week-days and on Sundays
it is varied by an abandonment of business and a general
exodus either to the churches or to the parks and seaside
re.sorts.
In villages and small cities the homes and places of busi¬
ness can be brought near enough together, so that the people
can easily walk back and forth.
In olden times, cities resembled a cluster of villages,
brought close together, usually on the bank of .some river or
t)ther navigable water. Here, merchants lived above their
Street Railway Association of California
29
shops; clerks boarded with them; customers lived not far
away, and churches were near at hand.
Almost the only need for personal transportation was to
amusement-grounds; these were used but two or three times
a year, and then they were reached by wagon or by boat.
As time went on, the villages which composed the city
gradually grew and came closer together. The waste ground
between them filled up; then the space became greatlj'
crowded; land became too valuable to permit of its use for
yards or gardens; the streets became so crowded that it was
unsafe for children to play in them. Then the families who
could afford to do so, moved their homes away from the
crowded business district to .some spot where they could have
more open ground and pleasanter homes. Men with mone3'
to invest, seeing the growing crowds of people walking back
and forth, establi.shed lines of omnibuses upon the streets,
and regular lines of boats upon the rivers. After a time, the
common use of steam railroads called general attention to the
ease with which a load could be moved upon rails, as
compared to the difficulty of hauling it over the rough pave¬
ment of a citj' street. So, within- the recollection of many
who are here to-day, tramways or street-railways began to
come into use; at first they were operated by horses alone, or
in rare instances, as in the case of Market street in San
Francisco, thirty years ago, by steam dummies.
Later, the fact that San Francisco was very hilly and
that horse-cars could not be operated in a large section of the
city, led to the introduction of the cable system. Only a few
years ago, a practicable system for the operation of street-
railway lines by electricity was introduced, and we have all
seen the rapidity with which this system is supplanting all
others.
The introduction of street-railways in American cities
was greatly helped by the fact that they differ from Fhiropean
cities in having been founded but recently; starting in a small
way, with business interests all brought together in one sec¬
tion, and the residence portion in another, which at first was
not far away. As the cities have grown, the business district
has expanded, but still has been kept together in a compact
JO Minulet of the First Annual Meeting
body, while the people have found it necessary to seek new
homes in a new residence district farther back.
The compactness of the business district has been greatly
helped in recent years by the introduction of elevators, which
have enabled ten or twenty stories to be piled up, one above
another, upon the land where before only three or four at
most could be advantageously used; hence, most of our
American cities have a single, small, compact business center
with street-car lines radiating from it in every direction.
In most of these cities, there is, therefore, comparatively
little need for transfers, as the radiating lines of street cars
enable nearly all of the people to travel back and forth
between their homes and their places of busine.ss without
transfer; while the places of amusement are also so conven¬
iently reached, or by comparison, are so seldom visited, that
the occasional double fare is a matter of but little importance.
This is the case in Chicago, St. Louis and Boston; while
the long and narrow shape of the island upon which the City
of New York is built, also leads to such a location of the
railroads that comparatively few transfers are wanted.
There are two cities in the country, however, so laid out,
and with business so scattered that it is impossible so to locate
street-railway lines that through cars can carry the people
back and forth between their homes and their places of busi¬
ness. These cities are Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Philadelphia has but a small foreign population, and as
native Americans are never willing to crowd together in
tenement houses, they occupy more rt om than the same num¬
ber of recent arrivals from Europe; each family endeavoring
to have a horiie of its own; hence, Philadelphia covers a great
deal of ground, and as it is laid out with the squareness of a
checker-board, without the diagonal streets which are found
elsewhere, the demand for transfers between the lines running
north and south and tho.se running east and west is very
great.
In San Francisco, the desire for abundant elbow-room has
also had a large influence upon the character of the city
streets, and added to this, has been the fact that in early times
the fear of earthquakes kept the buildings low. The numer-
Street Railway Association of California
31
ous hills were left comparatively unoccupied, while the valleys
and level districts which are interspersed, were crowded with
buildings. Hence, business interests were widely scattered,
and a number of residence districts grew up which were far
distant from each other.
So it happens that no practicable street-railway routes
will enable more than a fraction of the people to travel be¬
tween their homes and their places of business by through
lines, and for a large proportion of the population, transfers
are necessary.
Now, it is evidently the case that the object of transfers
is merely to place passengers who cannot reach their destina¬
tion in through cars, as nearly as pos.sible in the position
which they would occupy if the cars ran through to their
desired destination.
Passengers traveling in through cars would not expect to
be permitted to leave the car at some point on the way to
transact business at that point, and then to enter another car,
and continue their ride to their ultimate destination, all for a
single fare. Neither would any passenger expect to be able
to leave the car and give his seat to another person to con¬
tinue the ride for the fare which the first had paid. Neither
would any person expect to make a round trip for a single
fare. »
It unfortunately happens, however, that the issuance of
transfers intended only to meet legitimate needs, is frequentlj'
made the occasion for the establishment of great abuses.
Passengers traveling upon an east and west line, would
often take a transfer to a north and south line, and their ask
tor a second transfer to a car which will carry them back to a
point near to that from which they originally started; thus
securing a round trip for a single fare, and taking time for the
transaction of business of .some kind at or near one of the
transfer points.
A more serious evil, however, is found in the fact that
many passengers, whose destination is near some transfer
point, who do not expect to ride any further, will take a
transfer, as it costs them nothing, and will give it awaj' to
J2 Minutes of the First Annual Meeting
0
someone else to use. so that the second pa.ssenger can travel
upon the fare paid by the first.
The largest abuse of this kind has been practiced by news¬
boy,«, who make it a regular business to beg for transfers from
passengers leaving the cars near crowded business centers.
Ladies, actuated by the most charitable motives, very fre¬
quently take transfers which they do not need, and which they
do not expect to use, for the purpose of giving them to some
newsbov, with the idea that they will thus help the boy, and
quite forgetful of the fraud upon the street-railway companies
to which they are thus becoming parties, and equally forget¬
ful of the injury done to the boys in teaching them to try to
procure a living by questionable methods, rather than by hon¬
est industry.
Many business men, who would not stoop to dishonesty
in more important transactions, become parties to petty frauds
of th.is nature, and many reputable men in the City of San
Francisco have made it a regular practice to take a transfer
and give it to some newsboy in the morning, and then obtain
a transfer from the same boy in the evening; so making a
round trip from and to their homes for a single fare. The
boy's profit in the tran.saction being found in the occasional
sale of a newspaper.
As a check upon the improper use of transfers, the time
limit has been established; but although this is a valuable
feature, it does not entirely prevent the traffic, as it is almost
impos.sible to limit them closely enough not to permit an
opportunity for exchange. In cases in which a newsboy can¬
not di.spose of a transfer before its time limit has expired, he
is generally able to find some charitable person with a transfer
recently issued, and having a longer limit, who will exchange
with him; thus giving him additional time in which to sell a
paper and throw a transfer in with it.
The most efficient check upon practices of this kind has
been found to consist in the employment of transfer agents,
who are able to watch the business at the corners which they
occupy, and who, by the exercise of reasonable care and judg¬
ment, can prevent many of the frauds which would otherwi.se
be practiced.
Street Railway Association of California
33
We have recentlj' placed a transfer agent at the corner of
Third and Market streets, and the experiment has resulted so
successfully, that we contemplate extending the same system
to other points. The remedy is somewhat expensive, but the
evil is so great as fully to warrant its application, At the
corner above mentioned, while the volume oí business has
remained practicallj' unchanged, we have, since the agent was
placed at that point, issued about six hundred transfers less
per day than were formerly given out at that point, and have
received about the same number of additional cash fares. At
an expense of about five dollars per day, we have, therefore,
made an increase of some thirty dollars in our receipts, and
the statistics which we have upon the subject show that an
average of nearly two thousand transfers per day (of a value
of one hundred dollars) were made the subject of the kind of
traffic above described.
While five cents is a small sum, two thousand times that
amount, or one hundred dollars per day, or thirty-.six thous¬
and dollars per year, is not a small sum; and it is the duty of
the officers of street-railway companies to put a stop to leaks
of this kind in their legitimate revenue.
We believe that this object can be accomplished in the
Manner above indicated, and shall give the plan a thorough
trial.
It is probable that there is hardly another city in the
country in which the evil has grown to the magnitude that it
has attained in San Franci.sco, and it may therefore be ex¬
pected that an attempt to break it up will meet with serious
resistance. There can be but little doubt that a means will
finally be found, which will enable the citizens of San Fran¬
cisco to enjoy every legitimate use of the transfer S5'stem
which they need, without subjecting the street-railway com¬
panies of the city to the heavy losses which they now endure.
Such a result will be as beneficial to the public as to the
stockholders of the street railway companies; for the abuse of
the transfer privilege compels the adoption of stringent rules,
which would otherwise be unnecessary, and prevents the
issuance of transfers at manj' points where they could be
Minutes of the First Annual Meeting
advantageously given, if their use could be confined to their
proper purpose.
Hoping to receive from the gentlemen present, some sug¬
gestion or information which will be of assistance in the solu¬
tion of this vexed problem, I will now bring my remarks to
a clo.se.
After reading the paper, Mr. Viiiing continued:
Mr. Vining. One remedy which has been tried is to
have the transfer check identify the passenger by some kind
of a description, but it would not work here on San Francisco
lines. The travel is so great that it would be impossible for
the conductor to issue so many transfers and stop to punch
each one separately in the limited time in which it would be
necessary for him to do the work. Then, of course, there is
a liability of error in punching these transfers. If ninety-nine
■thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine transfers were
handled without an error, and the one hundred thousandth
had an error, this would enable the holder of the one hundred
thousandth transfer to get large damages. Therefore, that
method of handling transfers seems to be impracticable where
they are issued by millions. The best way is to limit the
time very closely. The closer the time can be brought the
better it is; the less negotiable they are. An agent stationed
at a place where transfers are given out, can do a great deal
to Vjreak up the illicit traffic which exists in these checks.
We have tried that, and the result has been so encouraging
that we shall soon try it at other points. But this, of course,
is very expensive, and it takes a great many nickels to pay the
salary of the man who is employed in that way, and to pay
all the incidental expen.ses. But this much would be accom¬
pli: hed—the men would give us the benefit of their knowledge
and observation in breaking up this evil which now exists.
The President. Does any one desire to ask any questions
of Mr. Vining ?
Mr. McLenegan. I .suppose, Mr. Vining, all this will be
remedied when we have to carry passengers for two and one-
half cents.
Mr. Vining. Speaking upon that subject, I will say that
I saw an article in a railroad journal which introduced a report
Street Railway Association of California
35
made by the Railroad Commissioners of Massachusetts.
They gave a long list of the expenses of operating over the
different railways of the state, and, with the exception of some
three or four roads, and these of little importance, there were
none in the state which did not pay out over three cents per
passenger for every passenger carried. In some cases four
cents or more were paid out. On many cf these lines the men
did not receive over $1.25 per day, and as you have already
had your attention called to the fact, we pay just about double
that price, so that if tliey scheme to reduce the charge, they
will find it even more impracticable here than it was in the East.
It has been declared impracticable by the Railroad Commis¬
sioners of Massachusetts. They presented to the Legislature
a report showing that almost without exception (and these
only three or four) the actual cost of operating is over three
cents, in many cases running over four cents, and in some
cases five cents.
Mr. Shock. Have you had any trouble from an exchange
of transfers between 3'our employees, or from a traffic in
transfers by your men ?
Mr. Vining. We find it has existed to some slight extent
among the employees, but the system of supervision that is
used makes it very likely to be detected.
Mr. McLenegan. It seems to me that under the present
system it is very hard to limit the time ver}^ closely, and that,
as transfers are now arranged with a chance to hold it over at
least a half an hour, there will always be opportunities to
trade it off. It seems to me that the only salvation is to limit
it to a very much shorter time.
There is one road in San Francisco using a different
transfer; that is the Sutter street line, which uses a continuous
transfer. I suppose it is more economical in the matter of
printing, but it seems to me that it affords employees an
unlimited opportunity to give them to their friends, or to
anybody that may be disposed to accept them.
Mr. Vining. In Eastern States where the demand for
transfers is very small, and the roads very long, extending
from one town to another, they charge eight cents for a trans¬
fer, The result is that if a man pays for a transfer he will
JÓ Mimites of the First Annual Meeting
finally use it; he is not very likel3' to give it away. As for
the question of time, we find it pretty difficult, with a car
loaded with passengers wiioin it is necessary to provide with
transfers in a limited time, to punch the check more than
twice. There can he only one punch to indic.ate the time.
Therefore it is necessary to indicate the hour and minute on
the ticket. We formerly had tickets which were limited to
the hour and half hour. They now have twenty minutes on
one side and forty minutes on the other. They can be
punched in that way. With a car loaded with passengers it
is impossible for a conductor to do more than that. Where
transfer agents are located, however, it is quite possible to
punch the five-minutes limit, because the agent has more
time in which to do it.
Thereupon a paper was read by Mr. McLenegan upon
the subject of "Registration of Fares and Transfers:"
THE KEC.ISTRATION OF FARES AND TRANSFERS.
This subject is one that has probably given nearly every
street-railway manager more or le.ss serious concern at some
time or other, in consequence of which all interested in this
business have certain well-defined ideas which it would be
difficult to change.
In the face, therefore, of what nearly every manager has
determined upon as best suited to the requirements of his
individual road, it would hardly seem profitable to advance
any arguments for or against any particular system.
In the first place, I doubt very much whether there is any
system of registering fares and transfers that is not open to
.some objection, or which cannot be manipulated in the hands
of unscruimlous employees.
It is but just to presume that everj' manager is desirous
that his companj' should receive as many fares as possible, and
that all sources of loss, either from a defective system ora dis
honest manipulation, may be reduced to a minimum if not
eliminated altogether. It is my judgment that the first step
in this matter should be directed toward the selection of em¬
ployees rather than in the direction of any particular device
or system.
Street Railway Assoríation of California
It is not a difficult matter in these times to obtain good
men; men who are active, intelligent and conscientious, and
who will, I believe, work for the interests of their company.
In the matter of selecting men there is considerable difference
of opinion regarding the employment of those having had pre¬
vious experience.
Personally, I would always select men of experience, pro¬
viding, of course, their past records were good.
As to the device employed in the registering of fares, I
believe that to be of secondary importance. There is at the
present time an almost endless variety of both the stationar\'
and portable registers, all of wliich doubtless possess .some
merits.
Tiie general practice throughout the larger street-railway
centers of the east, today, is in favor of the stationary regis¬
ter, chiefly because there are fewer opportunities to tamper
with it; then, too, being constantly in sight of the passenger,
it affords something of a check upon employees.
If this subject involved merely the registration of cash
fares, it would not present many difficulties, aside from obtain¬
ing them in sufficiently large quantities to make it interesting.
Unfortunately, there is another element entering into it,
namely, transfers, which cause new complications to arise, and
are often times a source of serious loss to the company.
This portion of the subject has already been warmly
debated by many street-railway managers, and probably no
argument that I could advance for or against the registration
of transfers would convince those of a contrary mind. Per¬
sonally, I do not advoc.ite this registering, and, further, I do
not believe that it is necessary to secure the company against,
loss. Indeed, so confident do I feel for my position in the
matter, that I state it as my belief that a railway company
will lose more in the long-run by placing a value upon, and
registering transfers, than by merely collecting and cancelling
them with the ordinary transfer nipper.
Remove all value from the transfer and you remove
incentive for the substitution of transfers for cash fares, collu¬
sion with tjie emploj'ees of connecting lines, and other manip¬
ulations which are always possible. About a year ago it was
^8 Minutes of the First Annual Meeting
decided to discontinue the use of the bell-punch on the road
which I represent, with which cash fares and foreign transfers
had previously been registered according to the prevailing
custom; a portable register of local manufacture was substi¬
tuted for the registration of cash fares only.
Having record, of course, of the volume of transfer busi¬
ness under the old system of cancellation with the bell punch,
the experiment was watched with much interest. It was
feared by some that the transfers would not be turned in
unless cancelled in such a manner as to hold the conductor
responsible, but after a year's trial I am fully satisfied that
registration of foreign transfers is totally unnecessary, and
our business in that line, amounting to 120,000 per month is
in far better condition to-day than it was when the change
was made.
I do not contend that this plan would answer in every
case; managers must and will continue to exercise their best
judgment as to what seems best suited to their individual
requirements; but generally speaking, I believe there will be
found fewer leaks without the registration of transfers than
would otherwise be probable.
Whatever system may be employed I believe that it is abso¬
lutely necessary to follow it up with á thorough course of
inspection. I do not think that managers, as a rule, appreci¬
ate the necessity of this same inspection. It matters little
how much confidence may be placed in employees, as a mat¬
ter of di.scipline I consider it necessary that they should feel
themselves constantlj' under surveillance from unknown quar¬
ters. There is another matter in connection with this subject
that may properly be mentioned with it, namely, what con¬
stitutes a legal tender of fare ?
This has always been a subject of much discussion and
no small amount of litigation, and the denomination of money
which a conductor is legally boni d to receive and change is
one of great concern to the management of street-railways.
Unfortunately there is not a single decision of which I
can find any record concerning the maximum sum of money
which may be tendered for a fare. In the absence of any
regulation by a street-railway company of which the public
Street Railway Association of California jç
have ample notice, as to the largest coin or bill which would
be received and changed, I believe that a judgment would cer¬
tainly be recorded against a company whose employees
refused to receive and change a bill or coin of large denomin¬
ation and who ejected the passenger in consequence.
The Revised Statutes of the United States, Section 3585,
provides that the gold coin of the United States shall be legal
tender in all payments of their nominal value—that is for all
sums from the face value of the coin and upward. Section
3586 provides that the silver coins of the United States shall
be legal tender at their nominal value for any amount not
exceeding five dollars.
Both of the above statutes are silent concerning the larg¬
est denomination of money that may be tendered in payment
for a given sum. Section 3587 provides that the minor coins,
dimes, nickles and pennies, shall be legal tender at their nom¬
inal value for an amount not exceeding twenty-five cents.
Under this .section a conductor may not lawfully refuse pen¬
nies either for one or five fares, nor may an employee, actu¬
ated by vindictive motives at having to change a large piece
of money, legally give the passenger a larger amount of the
minor coins than the sum above named.
The Revised Statutes make no mention of postage stamps
as legal tender, and I do not think a street-railway compan}^
would exceed its legal rights in refusing to receive such as
legal tender and ejecting a passenger who declined to pay any
other fare. A case of this kind occurred under my own
knowledge a few weeks since, when an employee of mine was
presented with two stamps and a penny in payment for a fare.
The conductor was not a lawyer, but with most excellent
judgment declined to take any chances with a California jurj¬
as directed towards railway corporations, and accepted the
stamps for his own use, and rang up a nickel for the com¬
pany. I believe, therefore, that a street-railway conipanj' has
the right to make reasonable rules concerning the maximum
sum that may be tendered in payment of a fare. The public
should, however, have ample notice of snch a rule, in order
that no dissatisfactions might arise on the part of the intend¬
ing passenger.
40 Minutes of the First Annua! Meeting
The President. Any questions desired to be asked upon
the subject of Mr. McLenegan's paper?
Mr. Vining. Referring to that portion in relation to legal
tender, I read in one of the railroad papers of a decision ren¬
dered by a New Jersej' court. I think, thougli, that Mr.
Stein or Mr. Barron are more familiar with that subject than
I am.
Mr. Stein. That was simply a decision in which the facts
were that a passenger was put off the car because the con¬
ductor refused to take a twenty-dollar piece. Suit was
brought in the United States Court, and it was decided that
the conductor should have changed it. Then there was
another case reported. It was a smooth coin; a smooth
twenty-five cent piece. It was so smooth that no sign could
be seen on it at all, and it had no evidence of its being a coin
except in size, and the presumption that it was a coin.
The President. That decision referred to a mutilated
coin rather than to a large piece of money.
Mr. Vining. In a case reported in the California Reports,
the Supreme Court of California held that a conductor was
under obligation to use all reasonable means to endeavor to
make change for a five-dollar piece which had been tendered.
It was said that the passenger must tender a reasonable sum,
and that the carrier must accept such tender, and must fur¬
nish change to a reasonable amount.
The President. The Court did not attempt to decide the
case.
Mr. Vining. It was held that it was necessary on both
sides to use all proper efforts, one to accommodate the other,
and it was decided that the conductor might have made fur-
thei efforts; that he migiit have stopped a car going in the
opposite direction; that he might have asked the passengers;
that he might have done something more than he did d<j to
.secure change for the five-dollar piece.
Mr. Shock. What do you consider the best register ?
Mr. McUenegan. The best portable register ?
Mr. Shock. Yes.
Mr. McUenegan. We are using (me that was manu¬
factured in San Francisco. I think it is called the San Fran-
Street Railway Association oj California
41
cisco register. It is very light, a very good device for that
purpo.se, but if I.vvere going to start out afresh I would prefer
to have a stationary register, over any other kind. There is a
portable register made by the Railroad Register Company,
that is very heavy, which we used, but the men complained
that after they carried it all day it became very burdensome.
I have no doubt that it did.
Mr. Shock. I like the stationary register the best. We
are using a St. Louis register, which is very good.
Mr. Burke. What would you do in a case where a
twenty-dollar gold piece had been tendered by a passenger
who had several small coins in his pocket, but who insisted
that the twenty-dollar gold piece be accepted ?
Mr. McLenegan. I would make him go to the office to
get his change. I would let the conductor keep the coin and
bring the passenger to the office for his change.
Mr. Vining. A case of that kind is fully covered by the
decision I have mentioned.
Mr. McLenegan. But you say he had other small coin
in his pocket.
Mr. Burke. He put his hand in his pocket and when he
drew it out he had the silver in his hand.
Mr. Vining. I presume the decision to which I referred
would cover the case. It would cover that point fully. In
that case it was held the duty of the passenger as well as of
the conductor to use all reasonable means to make the change.
Mr. McLenegan. I do not think that in a case of this
kind, if carried to the Court, it would find any favor at all.
It would be evident that the passenger had intended to har¬
ass and annoy the conductor, and I do not think he would in
Court have any standing at all.
Mr. Shock read the following paper upon " Long-
Distance Transmission of Power;"
LONG-DISTANCP; TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRIC POWER.
It has been the study of hydraulic, as well as electrical
engineers, for years past as to the best and cheapest methods
of utilizing the vast water powers, which have been running
to waste, and transmitting this power long distances.
42
Minutes of the First Annual Meeting
The problem has at last been solved, and water powers
within reasonable distances of great cities, are at a premium.
The Sacramento Electric Power and Eight Company was
the pioneer of the world to transmit power in large units over
a long distance.
Thirty years ago the idea of building a dam across the
American river for irrigating and power purposes was thought
of by Mr. H, G. Livermore, the father of Mr. H. P. Liver-
more, the present general manager.
The work has been continued under Mr. Albert Gallatin
and Mr. H. P. Livermore, and to-day at Folsom can be seen
one of the most extensive hydraulic works in- the world.
The dam contains 37,000 cubic yards of masonry. It is
fitted with a shutter operated by five hydraulic rams, and
when the shutter is raised, a reservoir back of the dam is
formed, holding 13,007,105 cubic yards of water.
Thrust of dam 1,911 tons, stability 7,979 tons. A canal
5o'x4o'x8' conducts the water from the dam to the power¬
house, a distance of a mile and three-quarters.
The power-house is a substantial brick structure, built on
granite foundations and contains four 1200 h. p. horizontal
cormic turbines, coupled direct each to a general electric 750
k. w. three-phase generator.
The generators are excited by 30 k. w. 500 volt multi¬
polar generators which are direct coupled to their individual
wheels.
The Falsch and Piccard water governor is used and on a
test, regulated within four per cent, from no load to full load.
The generators at full speed of 300 revolutions run at a
pressure of 800 volts which is stepped up to-11,000 volts
through step-up transformers.
There are nine step-up transformers in the station of 260
k. w. capacity each.
The power is transmitted to Sacramento over two pole
lines. The poles are 40' round Washington cedar set six feet
in the ground, and large standard G. F. porcelain insnlators
are used, which have a factory test of 30,000 volts before
shipping. Fach pole line has six wires and each set of three
wires has a capacity of 1,000 h. p. The necessity of a double
Street Railway Association of California
43
line has often been demonstrated as the service during the
twenty-four hours cannot be interrupted. By means of
switches at Folsom and Sacramento, the power can be thrown
to any line or any set of transformers, so that in any event an
interruption to the service can be only a matter of a few sec¬
onds. The line has stood the severe gales of the past winter,
only a few minor repairs having to be made.
At the sub-station in Sacramento the current is trans¬
formed down through step-down transformers of 125 k. w.
and 40 k. w. capacity to 1,000, 500, 230 and 115 volts for
power and incandescent lighting.
In this station are three 325 h. p. synchronizing motors,
which are coupled by means of friction clutches to a counter¬
shaft, to which are belted one M. P. 200, M. P. 90 and two
Edison 80 k. w. 500 volt generators for operating twenty
miles of street-railway, owned by the company, and for small
500-volt motors. To this countershaft are also belted three
100 light brush arc machines and two 125 light machines of
the same type for city and commercial lighting.
The company has in operation 234 city lights, 117 com¬
mercial arcs and 3,000 incandescent lights 150 h. p. in small
direct current motors and 100 h. p. in small three-phase
induction motors, also operating twenty-two regular cars on
its street-car system.
Electrical machinery is now being placed in the Buffalo
Brewery, Phœnix Mills and other institutions, and recently a
contract was closed with the Southern Pacific Company for
electric power for its shops.
The plant both at Folsom and Sacramento is duplicated
throughout, thus avoiding any possibility of a shut-down.
There are four transmission plants in the wc/rld operating
at 10,000 volts: Oerlipen, Switzerland, Guadalajara, Mexico,
San Antonio, Texas, Sacramento, California.
The low tension distribution is laid out on the standard
four-wire system, the three wires of the three phase and neu¬
tral for incandescent lighting and small motor work.
Motors can be operated successfully on this system with¬
out any apparent change of voltage at the lamps.
In addition to the low tension distribution for incandes-
u
Minutes of the First Anmia! Meeting
cent lighting a i,ooo volt line is run stepping down to 104
volts to the transformer, for residence lighting and outside
motor work.
The plant commenced operation July 16, 1895, and has
been operating constantly ever since. This proposition is the
pioneer for similar propositions in this state, which ^.re now
being installed, and proves to the world that it is a success,
both electrically and financially.
To commemorate the coming in of electric power an
Electrical Carnival was given on the night of September 9,
1895, which in splendor could not be beaten the world over.
Ten thousand incandescent lights, in the form of circles,
towers. May-pole, and signs, were burning on that night, and
those who saw it will have the satisfaction of knowing that
they were able to see one of the grandest exhibitions of the
nineteenth century.
Another achievement in the electrical field, and which is
coincident to the entrance of electrical power, is the success¬
ful operation of long-distance telephone over a pole-line carry¬
ing 10,000 volts.
Since the installation of the long-distance line, installed
by Capital Telephone and Telegraph Company of Sacramento,
it has been in succesful operation.
A test of the power plant showed ninety-eight per cent,
efficiency of transformers. Ninety per cent, in the line, and
the water-wheels eighty per cent. All the machinery has
come up to guarantees, and in the case of transformers and
generators have exceeded the guarantees one and two per
cent.
The next paper was one by Mr. Stein on the subject of
"Fenders."
FENDERS, ARE THEY PRACTICAIiI.E ?
Mr. President and Geyitlemen of the Street Railway Association
of California:—
When all the ingenuity and intelligence of the whole
street-railroad fraternity of the United States, reinforced by
the great army of inventors and cranks, have been unable to
Street Railway Association of California ^5
solve the fender question, it is at once evident how ungrate¬
ful is the subject allotted to me;—Fenders, ate they Practicable f
In the last few years, thousands of fenders have been
designed, and hundreds tested, but few have been chosen, and
these few were adopted simply for the mere sake of having a
fender, and not because they were by any means considered
as answering the purpose ot a life-saving device.
The governing bodies of most of our large cities, and
some of the smaller ones, have taken up the question of fen¬
ders, determined to compel, the street-car companies to adopt
one which they, as tlie representatives of the public, could
approve; but in most cases when the trials were made, and
the generally unsatisfactory results observed, the cars were
still left fenderless, or, as I have said before, some fender was
adopted officially in order to satisfy the public, but with very
little confidence in its ability to fulfill its mission.
The condition of my subject being thus in a chaotic state,
I cannot attempt to' give an elaborate history of the fender
question, but simply and briefly enumerate a few results of
the tests which our company has made at the instance of the
Board of Supervisors of this city.
I presume there is no one here who is not familiar with
the various newly-patented fenders, described and pictured
from time to time in the street-railway publications. I think
I may say that we have tried most of these, and also quite a
number that were designed by the mushroom growth of local
inventors that so suddenly sprung up here.
It was our aim throughout all the trials to obtain the
very best life-saving device, and in each case ample opportu¬
nity was given the inventor or promoter to demonstrate the
particular merits of his appliance.
But no fender experimented with received the approving
sanction of the Supervisors; no one among the number teste l-
was found of sufficient merit to be called practicable, and it
might be well to observe here, that no critici>m can be made
as to the non-scientific personnel of the tribunal passing judg¬
ment, militating against the force of their decision, for the
question of the practicability or non-practicability of fenders
addresses itself, so far as its primar}- efficiency as a life-saving
4-6
Minutes of the First Annual Meeting
device is concerned; to the mind of every observing common-
sense individual.
From the foregoing the only reply that can be made to
the question, the title of this paper, so far as all past experi¬
ments warrant, can be readily deduced.
If double-truck cars with trucks near the ends of the
cars, substantially like cable-cars, were in vogue the fender
question could be readily solved, inasmuch as any guard
attached to the truck could be carried very close to the ground,
and would also reach to the end of the car and provide pro¬
tection both as a wheel and a car-fender. But in this era of
single-truck electric cars we have a problem which seems
especially designed to baffle all attempts at solution.
We are confronted with cars on a six to seven-foot wheel
base having an overhang of from eight to ten feet, and mount¬
ing grades as steep as fourteen per cent.; (one of our lines, in
fact, climbing a twenty-five per cent, hill with the aid of a
cable and balance-car, an exceptional case, however, which
need not be considered) this overhang/when approaching the
vertical curve at the foot of a grade of from ten to fourteen
per cent, causes it to approach six to eight inches nearer to
the ground than it does on a level. This fact, of course,
makes it evident to anyone familiar with cars that anj'^ fender
carried on the front of the car body or projecting beyond it
must be attached high enough to clear such vertical curves,
say twelve inches, as it would hot be practicable to raise and
lower the fender every few blocks to suit the conformation of
the ground.
In one or two cases we tried hinged fenders, which we
calculated would ride over such places, but we found that it
required only a few trips to hammer them into an unrecog¬
nizable mass. Furthermore, when so arranged as to ride over
high places, they would with equal ease ride over the objects
they were intended to catch, thus looking like a huge jaw
swallowing the dummy.
The next proposition was to provide a gu.ird that would
carry high enough to clear all places, but which could be low¬
ered l)y the motorman, in case of need. The Baltimore fender
Street Railway Association q/ California
was tried with this idea, and worked fairly well when operated
by the motorman.
The universal desire seems to be for an automatic device,
simple in construction and positive in action, and in following
this line of thought we tried one or two fenders which pro¬
jected in front of the car, well elevated and provided with
triggers on their extreme ends, calculated to drop the whole
device immediately on contact with a solid obstruction, and,
' as may have been expected, we found that with a car running
at about eight miles per hour the interval between the blow on
the triggers and the dropping of the fender could not be made
short enough, and the object would disappear under the car
before the reflex action of the machine manifested itself,
I think it must be admitted that whatever apparatus be
attached to the front of the car, a simple strong scoop or pilot
should always be attached to the truck immediately in front
of the wheels to catch or shove along an object that has
escaped the more pretentious front guard.
A guard so placed can be carried in places where the
street paving is fair, at about three and one-half inches from
the rail, in order to allow for the crown and irregularities of
the roadway.
Only passing mention need be given to the suspended
spring-mattre.ss carried ahead of the car on a set of wheels,
which the inventor proudly claimed could be used as a bag¬
gage car for bicycles when the car is traveling in the other
direction; or of the independent snow-plow fender shoved along
by the car. Then there is the revolving brush, calculated to
brush the victim out of the path of the car, but in reality rais¬
ing so much dust that passengers would almost perfer to be
run over than to ride behind it.
An amusing incident was the case of a small boy who
came into my office on his way to school, to show me a child¬
ish sketch, and ask my opinion as to the advisability of his
taking out a patent on his fender; it consisted of a wooden
roller covered with sharp hooked spikes. This roller was to
be kept revolving in front of the car and to catch the victim
by the clothes and land him high and dry on a platform.
When I called his attention to the fact that some of the hooks
48
Minutes, of the First Annual Meeting
might tear out a man's eyes and lacerate him generally in
such a manner that he would look as if he had come out of a
sausage-mill, he seemed for the first time to realize that when
a person fell in front of a car he did not first bundle himself
up in a blanket or two, so as to be conveniently hooked up by
the fender.
One of the requirements for a practical fender, that is not
usually considered by inventors, but which will at once appeal
to a practical street-railroad man, is, that it should not occupy
too much space, or if it does, it should be so arranged as to be
folded up when the car is stored away at night. Most car-
houses have been built to accommodate the cars of certain
lines, and are so located that they cannot conveniently be
enlarged. As a rule, they are too much crowded by the
natural increase of cars on those lines to allow for ati addition
of from six to eight feet to each car.
It seems strange to me that some of the statistical writers
who have presented data on so many subjects during the last
few years in the street railway journals, have not taken up
the statistics of accidents in relation to the question of fenders.
This is a subject that I should have liked to have taken up
for presentation to this association, but, as anyone who has
ever undertaken such work knows, it requires at least ten or
twelve months to gather material and condense it into a suit¬
able form. This subject would be an especially difficult one
to handle statistically, as but few roads have their records of
accidents in such shape that reliable data could be gleaned
from them.
The impossibility of thus preparing, in the short time at
my disposal, a comprehensive résumé of accidents, especially
collisions with humati beings, is therefore my excuse for in¬
flicting on you this informal description of my own experience
in fender tests, and the deductions I have made from them.
The statistics I have mentioned, and which I should like
to gather if possible from a large number of street-railroads,
comprise the following, and to my mind the most important
points bearing on the fender question:
What proportion of persons struck by cars are .struck by
the center of the car, and what proportion by the corners?
Street Railway Association of California ifç
What is the relative number of adults and children injured
in collision ?
How many persons are struck standing up, and how
many in a reclining or recumbent position ?
How many fall down in front of cars ?
Again, what are the results of the blows struck by the
front dash-boards, when the persons are thrown clear of the
track; and lastly and most important of all, what is the pro¬
portion of persons struck down by cars having projecting fen¬
ders, compared with the number struck by cars having no
front fenders, and making approximately the same number of
car miles under similar conditions ?
Is it not possible that the municipal authorities in most
of our cities are making a grave mistake in deciding upon
these projecting scoops and nets; is it not possible that they
are bringing about the very thing they are trying to avoid,
namely, danger of life and limb to the public they are anxious
to protect ?
This question can be answered satisfactorily only by hav¬
ing sufficient data from actual experience. But not having
this information to aid me, I must draw upon the resources at
hand for my conclusions, and I must say that I think that the
figures when obtained will bear me out in stating that a great
many people are knocked down and hurt by a fender project¬
ing in front of the car who would otherwise have escaped
contact with the car entirely.
We all know that it is a natural impulse to rush in front
of a car which is almost upon one, with the entire attention
concentrated upon the body of the car and the man in charge.
Whereas, ninety-nine per cent, of these people, probably, now
escape altogether, how many years must elapse before they
would take the projecting fender into consideration, especially
as it is below the natural line of vision, and what a series of
accidents would occur in this interval.
Such being the case would it not be better to provide a
scoop fender under the front end of the car which would drop
to the ground when released by a suitable trigger placed
slightly ahead of the car, in such a position that the trigger
Mimites of the First Annua! Meeting
would come in contact with tlie object in time to give the
mechanism a chance to act.
Such a device has been placed on one of the cars of the
Market-street Railway Company' and when perfected in some
minor mechanical details, I think will approach more nearly
to what is needed than anything I have yet .seen. In this
fender the trigger, which is made of light iron lattice-work,
acts also as a buffer to soften the blow of the car, and yet
does not project far enough ahead to become dangerous in the
way I have before alluded to.
In conclusion, I would say, that I trust the near future
will see the practicable life-saving fender an existing actual¬
ity, no longer a mere phantom of some inventor's brain. No
railroad man is blind to its necessity, no railroad but would
welcome its coming with open arms; no wanton niggardliness
accounts for the present absence of fenders, the fault lies in
the fenders themselves thus far proposed.
The expense incurred by railroads in fitting their cars
with the practicable fender, when it is a reality and at hand,
will be the greatest economy the roads have ever practiced.
In these days of constantly increasing population and
advancing civilization, rapid transit has become more and
more an established need in the daily transportation of a
city's population, the people have become, as it were, wedded
to it; but with more rapid transit, conies greater danger, and
the presence of greater danger demand^ the exercise of
greater precaution. Rapidity and safety are therefore the.
summa bona to be attained.
Their joint realization is made possible by the practicable
life-saving fender. May we soon hail its advent."
The President. Are there any questions which any
member desires !o ask upon this subject?
Mr. 'Vining. I dislike to take up so much time, but the
subject of fenders is of such general interest that perhaps it
would be interesting to hear something of the experiences oi
the members. Some little time ago I received from the Board
of Supervisors a jiamphlet a<lvertising a fender made by a
company in Providence; Rhode Island, which published the
pamphlet to show the workings and advantages of their
Street Railway Association of California yi
fender. It had been used on a line running from Newark to
Jerse}' City. It ran for fifteen months, and they published
this pamphlet to show the wonderful results claimed to have
been obtained. .We all know that the most dangerous period
in operating an electric railroad is the first year or so, when
the people are not familiar with its power, rapidity, etc.
They seem to think that the speed is the same as that of the
old-fashioned horse-car. It takes people some little time to
get used to an electric car, and they seem to forget that such
a car is almost as dangerous as a locomotive, and it takes
time for them to learn that fact.
Now, in Newark and Jersey City this record was not of a
fender used during the first year of the introduction of the
electric cars. It was after the electric cars were well known,
and after the people had learned to look out for electric cars,
that these fenders were first used; therefore the result ought
to have been comparativelj' good. Furthermore the road ran
through cities not nearly so large as San Francisco. During
the fifteen months in which that company u.sed this wonder¬
ful and extraordinary fender the result was as follows:
One hundred and twenty-six people were knocked down
by the fenders, four of these people were killed and nine were
seriously injured. According to their own statement ten or
twelve more were more or less seriously injured, and still
more were somewhat injured. So you see that even accord¬
ing to their own statement there were about twenty killed or
seriously injured, while there were one hundred more who
were knocked down and more or less injured.
Now, during the same time, in San Francisco, with roads
running through more crowded streets, during the first fifteen
months of the operating of our electric system only one-sixth
of that number of accidents occurred; of that number four
were killed. We had altogether sixteen accidents where they
had one hundred and twenty-six. I think the comparison of
these statistics shows very much in our favor. We know that
it is the practice of all men when they see a car coming, to
calculate whether they can cross ahead of the car or not.
Almost every one rushes across ahead of the car, just barely
in time to escape, and the adoption of a fender projecting
52
Minutes of the First Annual Meeting
beyond the front of the car is liable to cause six times the
number of accidents that would otherwise occur. The acci¬
dents that we have had, have all been either with small chil¬
dren who were too young to have been permitted to cross the
street alone, or else with people who were not in the full pos¬
session of their faculties, owing sometimes to old age, infirm¬
ity or disease, but owing more frequently to intoxication.
Mr. McLenegan. I would like to ask if there is any
other fender that you would prefer ?
Mr. Stein. There is no one of the fenders that we have
tried which in my opinion equals the simple common pilot-
board attached to the truck.
Mr. McLenegan. I believe that more accidents occur if
there are fenders on the cars, for then motormen think that
their cars are equipped with a device which will prevent acci¬
dents; in that way they grow careless, and more accidents are
likely to occur. I would like to ask the gentlemen who are
connected with the Market-street railroad what their experi¬
ence has been with the electric brake.
Mr. Stein. I cannot say very much about the electrical
part of the brake. Mr. Foster can tell you more about that.
We have been running it only about two or three weeks, but
to give it a fair trial it should run six months at least, before
we could really determine its efficacy and usefulness.
Mr. McLenegan. Have any defects been shown yet ?
Mr. Stein. Nothing, so far.
The President. Easily regulated.
Mr. McLenegan. I understand that this disc as employed
in the electric apparatus will wear out. I have never seen it.
Mr. Vanatta. Yes, the disc will wear out.
Mr. McLenegan. About how long a life do you suppose
it to have, judging from its present use.
Mr. Vanatta. Five or six months.
Mr. McLenegan. Is it expensive to renew in case of its
wearing out.
Mr. Vanatta. I should think one part would be, although
thus far there have been no defects in the brakes that we have
observed.
The President. I suggest that the question of printing
Street Raihvay Association of California 5J
the By-laws, and also the papers that have been read at this
meeting, and those that may be hereafter read, be left to the
executive committee to attend to. If that is not considered
advisable we can dispose of the question if any member will
make a motion,
Mr. McLenegan. I think it is a subject that very prop¬
erly should be left to the executive committee.
The President. It is a question of printing the By-laws
and the proceedings. The question is whether it should be
ordered done by a motion at this meeting, or the whole mat¬
ter be left with the executive committee, with power to act.
Mr. Mclyenegan. I move that the question be left to the
discretion of the executive committee.
The motion was then adopted.
Thereupon the meeting adjourned sine die.
Minutes of the First Ajinual Meeting
CONSTITUTION
OF THE
STREET RAILWAY ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA.
ARTICLE I.
NAME.
The name of this Association shall be " The Street Rail¬
way Association of California," and its office and headquar¬
ters shall be in the City of San Francisco.
ARTICLE II.
OBJECT.
The obj'ect of this Association shall be the acquisition of
experimental, statistical and scientific knowledge, relating to
the construction, equipment and operation of street-railways,
and the diffusion of this knowledge among the members of
this Association; with the view of increasing the accommoda¬
tion of pa.ssengers, improving the service and reducing its
cost; the establishment and maintenance of a spirit of frater¬
nity' among the members, by social intercourse; and the
encouragement of cordial and friendly relations between the
roads and the public.
article hi.
MEMBERS.
The members of the Association shall consist of such
street-railway companies in the State of California, as shall,
by a proi)er representative, express their concurrence in the
constitution and the by-laws of the Association.
Street Railway Association of California 55
ARTICLE IV.
AMENDMENTS.
Thi.s constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote
of all the members present at any regular meeting or propeily-
called special meeting, provided: That no amendments shall
be made which shall not have been submitted to each member
of the Association, in writing, at least thirty days prior to the
date of the meeting, when the proposed amendment is to be
acted upon.
BY=LAWS
OF THE,
STREET RAILWAY ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA.
article I.
AFPDICANTS.
Applications for membership in this Association shall be
made in writing and addressed to the Secretary, and shall be
accompanied with the necessary admission fee. The appli¬
cant shall also sign the Constitution and By-laws.
ARTICLE IL
OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
The officers shall consist of a President, Vice-President,
Secretary and Treasurer, (the offices of Secretary and Treas¬
urer to be held by the same person) and shall be elected by
ballot at each regular meeting of the Association, and shall
hold office until their successors shall be elected. The Exec¬
utive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President,
Secretary and three other persons elected at the same time,
in the same manner, and for the same period as the officers of
the Association. This committee shall have the entire
charge and management of the affairs of the Association.
Minuta of the First Annual Meeting
ARTICLE III.
DUTIES OF OFFICERS.
The officers of the Association shall assume their duties
immediately after the close of the meeting at which they are
elected.
ARTICLE IV.
PRESIDENT.
The President, if present, or in his absence, the Vice-
President, shall preside at all meetings of the Association.
article V.
TREASURER.
The duties of the Treasurer shall be to receive and
safely keep all moneys of the Association; to keep correct
accounts of all receipts and disbursements and to pay all bills
approved by the Executive Committee; he shall make an
annual report to be submitted to the Association.
ARTICLE VI.
SECRETARY.
The duties of the Secretary shall be to take minutes of
all proceedings of the Association and of the Executive Com¬
mittee, and enter them in proper books for the purpose. He
shall conduct the correspondence of the Association, read
minutes and notices of all the meetings, and also papers and
communications, if the authors wish it, and perform what¬
ever duties may be required in the Constitution and By-laws
appertaining to his department.
ARTICLE VII.
MEETINGS.
The regular meetings of the Association shall be held on
the fourth Tuesday in March in each year, at such hour and
place as shall be designated at the preceding meeting. Spe¬
cial meetings may be held upon the order of the Executive
Committee, and notice of every meeting shall be given by
Street Raihvay Association of California 57
the Secretary to each member. Five members shall consti¬
tute a quorum at any meeting.
ARTICLE Vni.
ORDER OF BUSINESS.
(i.) At the regular meeting of the Association, the
order of business shall be:
1. The reading of the minutes of the last meeting.
2. The address of the President.
3. The report of the Executive Committee on the
management of the A.ssociation during the previous year.
4. The report of the Treasurer.
5. Reports of Special Committees.
6. The election of officers.
7. The reading and discussion of papers, of which
notice has been given to the Secretary at least twenty days
prior to the meeting.
ARTICLE IX.
ORDER OF BUSINESS.
(2.) At Other meetings of the Association, the order of
business shall be the same, omitting the second, third, fourth
and sixth heads.
ARTICLE X.
NOTICES.
The Secretary shall send notices to all members of the
Association at least ten days before each regular meeting,
mentioning the papers to be read and any special business to
be brought before the meeting.
ARTICLE XI.
MEETINGS OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
The Executive Committee shall meet at least one hour
before each meeting of the Association, and on other occasivnis,
when the President shall deem it necessary, upon reasonable
notice, specifying the business for which such meeting is
called.
5^ Minutes of the First Ajinual Meeting
ARTICLE XII.
voting.
All votes, except as herein otherwise provided, shall be
viva voce, and in case of a tie, the presiding officer shall vote.
Each Company shall be entitled to one vote by a properlj'
accredited delegation.
ARTICLE XIII.
re.vding of papers.
All papers, except reports of committees, must be ap¬
proved by the Executive Committee before being read to the
Association, unless notice of the same shall have been pre-
viousl}' given to the Secretary, as hereinbefore provided in
Article VIII, Sub. 7.
ARTICLE XIV.
papers, drawings and models.
All papers, drawings and models submitted at the meet¬
ings of the Association shall remain the property of the own¬
ers; subject, however, to be retained by the Executive Com¬
mittee for examination and nse, but at the owner's risk.
ARTICLE XV.
fees.
Members whose annual gro.ss receipts from passengers
.shall be more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000)
shall pay an admission fee of ten dollars ($10.00) and annual
dues of ten dollars ($10.00) payable in advance at eaeh regu¬
lar meeting. Members whose annual gross receipts from pas¬
sengers shall be less than one hundred thousand dollars
($100,000) shall pay an admission fee of five dollars ($5.00)
and annual dues of five dollars ($5.00) payable ia advance
as above. The Executive Committee shall have no power to
expend, for any purpose whatever any amount exceeding
that in the hands of the Treasurer at the time.
Street Railway Association of California
ARTICLE XVL
ARREARS. .
No member whose annual payment shall be in arrears
shall be entitled to vote. '
ATICLE XVII.
WITHDRAWAL.
Any member may retire from membership, by giving
written notice to that effect to the Secretary, and by paying
all animal clues to that date; but shall remain a member, and
liable to the payment of such dues, till such payments are
made, except as hereinafter provided.
ARTICLE XVIII.
EXPULSION.
A member may be expelled from the Association by bal¬
lot of two-thirds of the members voting at any regular meet¬
ing of the Association upon the written recommendation of
the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE XIX.
RULES.
All rules not provided for in these By-laws shall be those
of Robert's Rules of Order, as far as applicable.
ARTICLE XX.
AMENDMENTS.
All propositions for adding to, or altering any of these
By-laws shall be laid before the Executive Committee, which
shall bring them before the next meeting of the Association,
if it shall think fit, and it shall be the duty of the committee
to do so on the request of any three members of the Associa¬
tion.
y ARTICLE XXI.
COPIES OF CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS.
Each member of the Association shall be furnished by
the Secretary with a copy of the Constitution and By-laws of
the Association, and also a list of the names and location of
members.
JOHN A. ROEBLING'S SONS CO.
. . MANUFACTURERS OF.
dlife Hope and Cables
TELEGRAPH and TELEPHONE WIRE
INSULATORS, PINS AND BRACKETS
SUBMARINE ARMORED CABLES
LEAD ENCASED ELECTRIC CABLES
INSULATED IRON and COPPER WIRE
RUBBER COVERED COPPER WIRE
WIRE CLOTH AND NETTING
BARB WIRE AND NAILS
Feed Wire * Trolley Wire
25-27 FREMONT ST., SAN FRANCISCO
WORKS : TRENTON, N. J.
Warehouses, 117-119 Liberty Street, New York
171=173 Lake Street, Chicago, III.
The Newest
☆ ^ "¿f
Thing Outiîi
Q. E. 1000 Motor
(CdlCfl
VVRiTß FOR PARTICULARS TO
(jeneral £lectric (Company
1) First St., San Francisco
WE ARE HEADQUARTERS
FOR ALL KINDS OF
H^leetrieal I^ailu/ay /T\atenal
tURITE FOR PRICES
crucibi^e steel gears
crucible steel pinions
rawhide pinions
trolley poles and harps
bronze trolley wheels
graphite and bronze bushings
carbon motor brushes
cut and uncut mica
cotton waste and track grease
magnet and weather proof wire
porcelain and glass insulators
overhead insulation
¡fu = yFo(Iú> ß'ffctuc' ßv
^2^ Mission St., San Francisco, Cal.
Billings & Spencers Drop Forged Com. Bars
P. & B. Electrical Compounds
IT IS MADE OF
PURE INDIA SHEET
MICA
Micanite Rheostat Box Linings,
Micanite Taper Rings,
Micanite Commutator Rings,
Micanite Armature Troughs,
Micanite Tubes,
Micanite Rings,
Washers, Bushings
Micanite Cloth,
Micanite Plates,
Micanite Field Magnet Spools,
Cut and Uncut Mica,
India and Amber,
Gears,
Pinions,
Trolley wheels,
Trolley Harps,
Graphite Bushings.
The BROOKS-FOLLIS ELECTRIC CO.
Qcnsral Agsnts
523 Mission St., San Francisco, Cal.
MlCANlfh
NO SCRAP OR
GROUND MICA USED
RESISTERED
San Francisco^ 6-10-96.
Mr. Series Parallel,
Mgr. Assessment Ry. Co.,
Dear Sir:--
If your track is expensive to main¬
tain
kindly investigate the merits of
Yours very truly,
15-15 Fremont St. ABNER DOBLE GO
Joshua Hendy Machine Works
Works; Corners Bay, Kearney Office and Salesroom
and Francisco Sts. 33 to 44 Fremont St.
FRANCISCO, CAL
A RELIABLE SOLIRCE FOR
Axles, Hammered Iron and Steel
Bronze and Malleable Bearings
Car Wheels—( Griffin )
Carbons
Commutator Segments,
{Drop Forged and Foil Drop)
Gears—Machine cut steel and malleable
Gongs, Harps, Mica and Rings
Overhead Line Material
Pinions, Machine Cut, Steel
Rails, Fisli-Plates, Bolts and Spikes
Springs of all Descriptions
Trolleys and Trolley Parts
Trolley Wheels, Self-oiling
and Graphite Bushing
Trucks—-( Taglor)
A General Line of Electric Railway Supplies
Write for prices before purchasing.
IT IS A
FACT
That O
Annual
Product
of
INSULATED WIRE
EXCEEDS that of any other manufacturer in the United
States, and INCLUDES EVERYTHING in
the Electrical Line
Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co.
BARBED
BALING
COPPER
INSULATED
Worcester, Mass.
M.^KHRS OF
WIRE
.. WO-RKS...
Waukegan, Ml.
NAILS
ROPE
SPRINGS
BALE TIES
Sarr Francisco, Gal.
Sail jfrancisco ©fflce
8 anö 10 pine St.
pacific íülorfis
jßag anö Powell St.
vor AVILI. GET THE B;-,ST
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AT LOWEST
PRICES