SCIENC 



(Entered ai ihe Pusi-Offlue of New York, N.Y., as Second-Class Matter.] 



A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF ALL THE ARTS AND SCIENCES. 



Seventh Year. 

 Vol. XIV. No. 344. 



NEW YORK, September 6, iJ 



Single Copies, Ten Cents. 

 53.50 Per Year, in Advance. 



THE JULIEN ELECTRIC TRACTION SYSTEM. 



The Julien electric cars have now been in regular passenger 

 service for a little over two years in Brussels ; and a report has 

 just been prepared of the cost of motive power during that time, 

 including the renewal of batteries, the wear and tear on motors 

 and machinery, the generating and storing of the energy, and re- 

 pairs and replacements generally, — in fact, every element that can 

 be understood by an engineer to be motive power. It is found that 

 the cost of motive power has been a trifle less than three cents per 

 kilometer, or about five cents per car-mile ; in this, the cost of 



three and five-tenths cents per car-mile net, including depreciation 

 on battery, cost of generating current, and handling of batteries. 



The car shown in the accompanying illustration, Fig. 3, has'been 

 in constant use in this city for several months, and is of the' type 

 selected by the Julien Company as the standard for their service. 

 It has a sixteen-foot body mounted on a rigid truck with a six-foot 

 wheel base, which carries two ten horse-power electric motors, — the 

 truck being entirely independent of the car body, and may be re- 

 moved if necessary. The weight of the car, with motors, gearing 

 and battery in position, is between six and seven tons. The mo- 

 tors are geared direct, one to each axle, and are accessible from 



FIG. I AND 2. — STORAGE BATTERY CHARGING RACK, JULIEN ELECTRIC CAR STATION. 



maintaining the batteries has amounted to a cent and six-tenths 

 per car-mile. 



It may be of interest to know that the estimate of the cost of 

 motive power as based on the experiences of the Julien Electric 

 Traction Company on the Fourth and Madison avenues, and pre- 

 pared prior to the report at Brussels, and without any knowledge 

 of the cost there, is within a fraction of being the same. The 

 Julien Company find the cost of motive power on Madison Avenue 

 to be five and three-tenths cents per car-mile. In the cost of mo- 

 tive power as estimated in New York, however, was included in- 

 terest on investment, amounting to one and eight-tenths cents, or 



the car floor by trap-doors. The battery consists of 108 cells, 

 which are placed in six trays of nine each on each side of the car 

 under the seats ; these trays are placed in the car by dropping the 

 side panels. 



The chief difficulty encountered in the operation of the Fourth 

 Avenue line was the handling of the batteries, but recent improve- 

 ments have entirely overcome this difficulty. First, a flexible con- 

 nector was devised, by which it is possible to couple up cells with 

 great rapidity. Next a battery rack was constructed large enough 

 to store batteries for ten or twelve cars. This rack is shown in Figs. 

 I and 2. This rack makes it possible to remove the batteries from 



