THE KANSAS CITY CABLE RAILWAY. 547 



which add much to the engines. The engines combined are equal to five hundred 

 horse power. 



The engines are about twenty feet apart, having a common shaft thirteen 

 and a half inches in diameter. On the end of the shaft nearest the east engine 

 the large driving-wheel is fixed; it is eighteen feet in diameter, ^X^eighing 34,500 

 pounds. A very heavy and substantial pillar-block supports the shaft between the 

 fly-wheel and the large gear on engine-shaft. This gear has an eighteen inch 

 face, and is geared into a large gear ten feet in diameter, keyed on the main- 

 line shaft of driving machinery. A very heavy cast-iron girder-frame surrounds 

 the gear referred to. The main-line shaft extends westward across to the girder- 

 frame of driving machinery. This frame entirely surrounds the driving ma- 

 chinery and is eighteen inches in depth and seventeen inches across the upper 

 face. Between the two outside parts of the girder-frame there is arranged a 

 central piece running north and parallel with the outside frame. On each of these 

 three parts of the girder-bed or frame of the machinery, and supporting the 

 main-line shaft, are heavily proportioned pillar blocks. Next the two outside 

 pillar blocks tKe five-foot gears of the machinery are keyed on a sleeve on the 

 main shaft, which shaft revolves in the sleeve, each of which have a sleeve arranged 

 on their inward side. In these sleeves eight steel circular plates are permanently 

 fixed. Another sleeve is keyed on to the main shaft, which also has eight circular 

 steel plates arranged which revolve with the shaft, but which are worked laterally 

 on a key in the shaft. When the sleeve is moved inward with its steel plates, the 

 plates take up against the steel plates in the sleeve on the gear, causing frictional 

 contact, which is gradual but positive, and when the plates are brought together 

 with sufficient pressure the gear revolves with the main driving-shaft. These 

 gears are connected with a series of gears, which cause the two driving drums 

 twelve feet in diameter of each set of driving machinery, around ^^ hich the cable 

 passes, to revolve. The central piece of girder frame separates the two sets of 

 machinery, either of which is set in motion or deprived of motion by means of 

 the lever connected with their respective clutches described above. These 

 clutches are known as the Weston Clutch and are the largest of the kind applied 

 to this class of machinery. 



When accidents occur to the cable and it is desired to repair it, the clutch 

 belonging to that particular set of machinery is released, and the other is forced 

 against the gear plates of the other set of machinery; thus the other cable is set 

 in motion, doing the work of the injured one until it is repaired. The injured 

 cable is then, by means of auxiliary engines, slowly led into the engine-room where 

 the repairing is done. 



These auxiliary engines, especially designed for this purpose, were built by 

 the New York Steam Engine Company. The driving machinery was made by 

 Poole & Hunt, Baltimore, who have a national reputatiori for manufacturing the 

 finest gears and machinery of this character. 



Back of each set of driving machinery there is a track built which extends 

 five feet above the floor of the engine-room, and supported by a series of brick 



