May 17, 1889.] 



SCIENCE. 



373 



they have posed their subjects, how they have taken thought of 

 every important line. 



This of which 1 have written is a branch of photography which 

 has been but little attempted, and it is certainly worth notice ; 

 worth entering upon, if your taste leads you in this way, with ear- 

 nestness and enthusiasm. LAURA M. MarquaND. 



IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BENTLEY-KNIGHT ELECTRIC 



RAILWAY SYSTEM. 



In Science of Jan. 18 we described the electric railway on 

 Observatory Hill, Allegheny City, Penn., equipped by the Bentley- 

 Knight Company, and illustrated the motor trucks in use on that 

 line. In this number we give a plan and elevation of a double- 



from the wheels. The spring support makes the wear less, while 

 allowing the motors to give a yielding impact to the load at start- 

 ing. The commutator-brushes are fixed in position when the 

 motor is first adjusted, and need no further adjustment. 



While the Bentley-Knight Company has paid considerable atten- 

 tion to conduit construction, and has laid and operated success- 

 fully such systems, and claims to control that system by many 

 patents, it is a mistaken idea to believe that it confines its attention 

 to such lines ; the Allegheny City line being, in part at least, an 

 elevated-conductor road. The grades, curves, and general diffi- 

 culties of that road we have already referred to. In Boston, the 

 Bentley-Knight motors, while running over three miles of conduit, 

 are also running over twelve miles of elevated conductors. This 

 company has lately taken the contract for the Port Chester, White 

 Plains, and Tarrytown Street Railway, crossing Westchester 



motor truck, which is considered an improvement on that pre- 

 viously described, and which is now in use on the West End 

 Street Railway Company's line in Boston (see p. 374). 



Each motor is of fifteen horse- power. The trucks are the heavi- 

 est yet built and operated for electric tramway service, and are 

 used to pull two cars on week days, and three cars on Sundays. 

 They are equally well adapted for use with elevated conductors or 

 with the conduit system, although our illustration shows them as 

 equipped for the latter. The insulation has been carried to a high 

 point. The truck is independent of the car-body, and goes under 

 any ordinary car without alteration and without raising a car above 

 its ordinary height. Control is effected by a lever on the front 

 platform. The reversal of the car may be instantly effected, and 

 during this reversal the current is automatically cut off. 



As is seen by the illustration, the motors themselves, together 

 with all gearing, are supported outside between the spaces of the 

 axles of the car, giving ease in getting at the wearing parts, and 

 enabling the motors to be carried in a position where they are 

 least in the way, and least exposed to splashes of mud and water 



County, upon which line heavy double-motor trucks, similar to the 

 one described in this number, will be employed. 



The June number of The Chautatcquan presents a wide 

 variety of topics in its table of contents. William P. Trent, M.A., 

 of the University of the South, discusses " The Position of Women 

 in Ancient Greece ; " the ninth in the series of Greek biographical 

 sketches by Thomas D. Seymour, M.A., of Y'ale University, has 

 for its subject " Ptolemy Soter ; " Russell Sturgis finishes his two- 

 part paper on "The Archasologist in Greece;" the Rev. J. G. 

 Wood describes some " Odd Fishes ; " Albert Shaw, Ph.D., con- 

 tributes an article on " European Town Life ; " Professor Charles 

 J. Little, LL.D., of Syracuse University, concludes his two-part 

 paper on " The Paris Mob and its Achievements ; " the Hon. A. 

 B. Richmond denounces the •' license curse " in " The Relation of 

 Rum to Crime ; " Mrs. Carl Barus writes entertainingly of " Ori- 

 ental Legations at Washington ; " and Ripley Hitchcock recounts 

 his experiences " At the Head of the Rails " in the Black Canon 

 of the Gunnison. 



