I 



ELECTRIC RAILWAYS 



trial. The regular daily run of this car averaged some- 

 thing over sixty-six miles, but this by no means exhausted 

 the capacity of the batteries ; and it is estimated that it 

 could easily have run at least one- quarter farther without 

 re-charging. The surprising feature of these tests was 

 the low cost of running. The total cost of electric power 

 for the day^s run was about thirty cents, or 4.3 mills for 

 each mile. The ordinary New York street car costs on 

 an average about five cents per mile for electrical energy ; 

 but on the other hand, the carrying capacity of these 

 cars is almost twice that of the Edison car. 



The actual cost of running the car, however, was only 

 one of its many advantages. The fact that no under- 

 ground conduits have to be laid or overhead wires 

 erected and maintained makes the initial cost of install- 

 ing the line far less than by any other system. The 

 reduction in the cost of maintenance of the line is also 

 an important item, as it is estimated that the cost of 

 repairs on conduit lines is about $15,000 annually per 

 mile. 



But the most convincing proof that Mr. Edison has 

 really produced a practical storage battery car lies in 

 the fact that, after testing his car for three weeks in 

 actual traffic, the managers of the street-car line ordered 

 sixteen similar cars for operation over their road. 



MONORAIL SYSTEMS 



The introduction of electricity facilitated the con- 

 struction of monorail systems of roads, which had long 

 been the dream of rsdhoad constructors, since this power 



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