352 



LAND-TRANSPORT. 



Section V. — "VVihe-Tramways. 



At the end of 1850, the first wire-tramways of the simplest 

 kind were erected iu order to convey bundles of firewood and 

 faggots weighing up to half a cwt. down precij)itous hillsides. 

 A stout iron wire was used for this purpose, which descended 

 the valley with a gradient of 25-30 °/^ and on which the trans- 

 ported material passed hanging by a hook, or a twisted withe. 



Fio. TOP. 



This simple arrangement has more recently led to continual 

 improvements at several places in Switzerland, the Tyrol, 

 and Germany, with the object of transporting larger pieces of 

 wood, and especially logs and butts for sawmills. At present 

 there are two kinds of ^^ire-tram\^a_ys, those with one or two 

 wires. 



1. J>()i(blc Win'-Trdiinrdi/s. 



These consist of two wires about o centimeters or one inch 

 thick, each of them composed of a wire-rope made of C strands 



