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October 8, 1898.||
with the freight traffio to the various steamer wharfs.
That it is a crying shame that a colony so up-to-date as this is not already provided with some variety of the many successful systems of tram cars, needs no telling: and that such a system would fill a "long felt want' and also the pockets of the shareholders is not difficult of demonstration
19
The first part of this article, then, will be de- voted to the "Construction and Working," and the second to the commercial view of the case.
The line at present could run from Quarry Bay as Eastern terminus to Kennedytown in the West, a distance of seven and a half miles, practically level all the way.
The first and most important point to decide would be the motive power to adopt.
The chief systems at present in rogue are:-
1. Horse.
2.
Cable.
3. Steam.
5.
4. Electric Underneath Conduit.
Accumulator. Overhead Wire.
6.
39
11
Examining these systems we find :- No. 1.-Would require the importation of special animals, and the climate would be against them; besides, horse traction is almost a thing of the past as all animal traction should be.
No. 2. Is really a splendid system and the only objection to it is the vital one of expense, the roadway of a cable line costing seven to nine times that of the electric overhead system. No. 3.Steam is costly and generally cum- brous, the weight of the motors requiring a specially well laid and ballasted track.
Of Nos. 4, 5, and 6, the electrical system, the track of an underneath conduit line is as expensive to build as that of the cable, and there has been no really successful line to my knowledge on city streets; although for cou ducting tunnel or subway traffic it has been applied successfully, notably in the case of the City and South London Railway.
The accumulator system,-undoubtedly the ideal one if perfected-being still in an experi- mental stage is not to be thought of by a practi- cal community.
We now come to the Overhead Trolley Wice, the only electric system which has been a practical and commercial success wherever tried, and which is adapted in every way to give satis- faction to this community.
As the remainder of this article is devoted to the examination of this system and its applica. tion to the needs of Hongkong, a few words of description may be of benefit to those not ac- quainted with its working; always praying the reader to make due allowance for the difficulty experienced by the writer of an article like the present in steering the proper course between vague generalities and technicalities not un- derstanded of the lay mind.
31
Each car is provided with an electric motor, of from fifteen to twenty horse power, capable of driving the car up to twenty-five miles an hour on the level. The electric current needed is generated in a central power house, in the same manner as that for electric lighting. About sixteen feet above the rails a heavy copper wire is run along the track, supported by posts with arms whose extremities project to about the centre of the tails, which extremities carry the wire. This wire is charged with current from the power house. Connection is made from the roof of the car to the wire by a rod carrying a pulley running on the under side of the wire, collecting the current and passing it to the motor beneath the car. The cars are very handy to stop and start, and in every way suitable for running through crowded thoroughfares with a minimum of accidents.
This system is rapidly superseding the cable
in all the Great American cities, perfect as some of their cable lines are..
The following table taken from the U. S. Census Reports of 1890-while the horse cars were still popular-gives the distribution an? costs of lines operated in different ways:
Motive Power. Length of Track Total cast in
j
Animal Electric Cable
in miles. 5;661
1,261
488
Steam
711
U.S. dollars, $195,121,682 51 35,830,919.63 76,346,618.23 82,058,038.51
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
This table shows the electric line is the most economical to build and operate. The disad. vantages most generally cited to attend this system are more imaginary than real, and the two chief can be easily disposed of.
The poles and wires are said to obstruct the traffic. Now as the wires are always at least fourteen feet above the road way, and can easily be placed higher if the local authorities require it, and the posts can be placed close to the curb, in the same line as the gas lamp posts, this objection hardly counts, especially in Hong- kong, where there is no high vehicular traffic to speak of.
Regarding the danger of the overhead system I cannot do better than quote the words of Mr. F. L. Pope, the inventor-or at any-rate the discoverer of the inventor-of the system-
"With a view to getting at the actual facts of the case, the Boston Advertiser, a few months ago, sent out a circular letter asking for information from every city in which electric railways are in actual operation, from Portland, Me., to Galveston, Texas. It was asked what system was used in each place; whether there had ever been loss of life or injury from wires; whether there Was any serious objection on the part of the public to overhead wires, and what was the general opinion in the locality as to the effect of the introduction of electricity upon the street rail- way service. Replies were published from sixty-four cities and towns. All but four of them were favourable. Not one solitary in- stance of accident or serious injury from electric currents was reported. One of the ob. jecting places was Newport, RI., where it seems the " upper teu" strenuously opposed the introduction of anything that would popularise riding on the streets."
Supposing, then, that the overhead trolley electric system was adopted, we will now proceed to consider the routes and running of the cars best adopted to local needs.
The traffic would naturally divide itself and could be most conveniently handled by dividing the line into three sections.
The central section (hereinafter referred to as Section A] would extend from Causeway Bay, say Kennedy's Stables, to the Sailor's Home. This section, passing as it does through the most crowded part of the city, would require a double line of rails. The best route would probably be from Causeway Bay along the sea front to Arsenal Street, up Arsenal Street aud along Queen's Road as far as the Cricket Ground, turning to the right at the Officer's Mess, down to the sea front at Murray Pier, along to the New Pedder's Wharf, back up to the present Praya, and along the present Praya to the Sailor's Home. If thought advisable short feeders could be run from this line to tap the most crowded parts of the city, say to Queen's Road about the Western Market, and along Queen's Road from the Officer's Mess to No. 5 Police Station. This article, however, will only consider a main line along the water front. The length of Section A would be 3.58 miles.
'The second section [B] would extend from the Sailor's Home (on the Praya) to Kennedy town, having its terminus at Cadogan Street and having a length of 1·136 miles.
The third section [C] would "extend from Causeway Bay to Quarry Bay, and have a length of 2.78 miles. For Sections B and C single lines of rails with the neces y sidings would
suffice.
Вед 88
289-
On Section B one car would give a service every fifteen minutes, making the round trip in that time, at au average of nine miles an hour.
On Section C two cars would be required to give a fifteen minute service, doing the round trip in half an hour, at an average speed of eleren miles an hour. After 6 p.m. one car an hour up to midnight would suffice.
What is known as the short body car, that is one running on a single four wheeled truck, carrying about thirty passengers and measuring about eighteen feet in length over all, would suit the local traffic. Of course the cars would be divided into first and second class, the first to seat, say, six. Each car would be powerful enough to draw a
"trailer of the same seating capacity as itself, if the exigencies of the traffic at any time required it; such as running the workmen to and from the sugar refineries.
When the road round the island is finished the circle of the rails could be completed. Of course it is not for a moment contended that it would pay to run cars round on schedule time, or even to erect the overhead structure, but if the rails were laid special accumulator cars [that is carrying their electrical power with them self contained" may explain it to the lay mind] could be provided, and would be of infinite use for military purposes, and a source of joy to seekers after health, fresh air, or pleasure.
PART II.
FINANCIAL.
The following table of cost of construction is an average of that of the best British and American systems, with due allowances for freight. Wages being relatively low in this colony, the costs may be taken to be, if any- thing, inside that given in the table.
All re- duced to local currency :—
Track.
Costs of Construction.
Eleven miles of steel rails, sleepers, &o., and
laying of same at $10,000 per mile $110,000.00
4 miles overhead structure (iron poles), single line, and erecting same at 8,000 per mile
3.58 miles overhead structure, double line,
at $9,000 mila
per
Cars,
}
32,000.00
32,220.00
15 in use, 3 spare, 2 trailers at $8,000 per car 120,000.00 Power Station Equipment.
Averages $300 per car horse power; one car requires 20 borse power; 20 cats at 20 horse power at $300 per horse power
120,000.00
Total cost excluding land and buildings. $414,220.00 or say Total Cost T..
$500,000.00 This is surely a small price to pay for what would be a really high-cross road, and a credit to the colony.
To ran the line efficiently the services of five Europeans would be required-a manager, au engineer, two electricians, and a clerk. Of other suitable labour there is in the colony an ample supply.
In the table of operating expenses that fol- lows the wages are calculated on this basis. The costs of materials for maintenance and repaitsis an average of that of twenty-two electric roads, similarly equipped to the one under consideration. The depreciation is taken from the same source, and is found to be-on all the plant-seven and a half per cent, per annum. The table of income is calculated on the pro- bable fares collected per mile run by the cars To obviate the trouble of on each section. handling such a large amount of copper money on the cars, thres cent tickets (after the manner BO convenient in of the rickshaw tickets Shanghai) could be issued by the Company for the use of second class passengers.
Daily Balance Sheet Expenses.
The power station, er stables, repair shops, etc., could be placed at or near the junction of Sections A and C, as close to the
Not to enter into technicalities too possible. deeply, the use of surface-condensing engines— only possible in this colony when the plant is Wages:- placed near the sea-would result in a saving of from thirty to forty per cent. in the fuel bill, one of the largest items in the expenses of running an electric road.
The number of cars required for Section A to gira a service each way every five minutes-would be twelve. Each car would make a round trip an hour, at the moderate average speed of seven miles. From 6am. to 6 p.m. a five minute service would be needed; from 6 p.m. till 11 p.m. a fifteen minate service would probably meet all quirements.
re-
Manager at $500 ■ month Power station and repair shop staff Conductors, imotor men, and track staff Office staff
$16.86
38.90
35.00
8.00
Material:--
Coal 5,3 tons at $10.00 a ton
53.00
Oil, stores, fresh water, etc
16.50
Required for maintenance of track and over-
head structure
17.00
18.60
6.00
7.00
$214.06
Required for repairs of cars and motors Required for repairs of power plant Insurance, legal expenses and printing
Total daily expenses.....