K^NS^S CITY 



Review of Science and Industry, 



A MONTHLY RECORD OF PROGRESS IN 



SCIENCE, MECHANIC ARTS AND LITERATURE. 



VOL VIII. FEBRUARY, 1885. NO. 10. 



ENGINEERING. 



KANSAS CITY CABLE RAILWAY. 



There are now two cities in this country that have cable railways in success- 

 ful operation, and very soon three others will be added to the list, New York, 

 Philadelphia and Kansas City. The latter city can claim the first duplicate cable 

 railway, the others having but one cable in the tunnel beneath the street for pro- 

 pelling cars. The distinction between a single and double cable in cable rail- 

 ways is what their respective names imply. In the ordinary cable railway, or 

 single cable road, when accidents occur to the cable, such as loosened strands, 

 broken wires or the cable is otherwise injured so as to affect its strength, to repair 

 these injuries it becomes necessary to stop the operation of the road, thus causing a 

 cessation of business which means a very great loss to the company, or which 

 may be prevented only by continuing to use the fractured cable until the hour of 

 stopping at midnight, which would cause still greater injury and perhaps ruin to 

 the cable for further use. 



In Chicago when serious accidents occur, the horses used on other lines 

 owned by the company are pressed into service and made to haul the cars. 

 Horses would be of little use pulling cars along the road in Kansas City, as the 

 grades are so excessively steep that it would be impossible to ascend many of 

 them. Should an accident occur, the public would have to wait until the repair- 

 ing had been done but for the additional cable and machinery that is at all times 

 ready for use at a moment's notice. The change from one cable to the other 

 requires but very little time, and the travel is not interrupted. The duplicate 



