Roberts, William F., Munson Electric Conduit Co., Chicago. Robinson, E. I., Laclede Car Co.. St. Louis. Rodgers, J. K., The Mark Railway Equipment Co., Chicago. Ross, Edward L., Chapman Valve Mfg. Co., Indian Orchard, Mass. Sachs, Gustav, Western Electrical Supply Co., St. Louis. Sharp, Charles E., Southern Electrical Supply Co., St. Louis. Shultz, E. B., Shultz Belting Company, St. Louis. Shultz, J. A. J., Shultz Belting Company, St. Louis. Shultz, John R., Shultz Belting Company, St. Louis. Silk, A. E., Jewell Belting Company, Hartford. Silver, William S., William S. Silver & Co., New York. Skinner, C. E., Westinghouse Electric and Mfg. Co., Pittsburgh. Slee, A. W., William Wharton, Jr., & Co., Inc., Philadelphia. Smith, Charles C., Falk Manufacturing Co., Milwaukee. Snow, F. William, Valentine & Company, New York. Speer, J. S., Partridge Carbon Co., Sandusky. Spencer, E. J., Safety Insulated Wire and Cable Co., New York. St. John, William, Safety Car Heating and Lighting Co., New York. Stearns, Sumner E., Murphy Varnish Co., St. Louis. Stewart, B. F., Westinghouse Electric and Mfg. Co., Chicago. Stieringer, Luther, Interior Conduits, New York. Stone, Frederick W., Fletcher & Stone, St. Louis. Storer, N. W., Westinghouse Electric and Mfg. Co., Pittsburgh. Sullivan, J. J., Hamilton Corliss Engines, Chicago. Sunny, B. E., General Electric Co., Chicago. Sutton, William, American Car Company, St. Louis. Taylor, John, Taylor Electric Truck Co., Troy. Taylor, T. H., Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co., Chicago. Ten Broeck, W. H., Diamond Truck and Car Company, Kingston. Trimble, James A., Brooklyn and New York Ry. Supply Co., Elizabeth, N.J. Urling, George A., The Duff Mfg. Co., Allegheny. Vail, J. A.. Hooven, Owens & Rentschler Co., St. Louis. Walker, George, Henry Company, Chicago. Walker, Russell, Heine Safety Boiler Company, St. Louis. Waples, W. L., Jenney Elevator Co., St. Louis. Ward, D. O., Weber Railway Joint Mfg. Co., New York. White, C. B., Central Electric Company, Chicago. White, T. C., Central Union Brass Co., St. Louis. Whitmore, C. E., Consolidated Electric Purifier Co., New York. Wiley, J. R., Standard Underground Cable Co., New York. Wilkinson, T. W., Campbell & Zell Co., Baltimore. Wilkinson W. H., Diamond Truck and Car Gear Co., Kingston. Wise, Clift, General Contractor, Chicago. Wolf, J. H., J. H. Wolf & Co., St. Louis. Woodward, A. H., International Register Co., Chicago. Zell, A. F., Campbell & Zell Co., Baltimore. Zimmermann, W. F., Westinghouse Electric and Mfg. Co., New York THURSDAY'S SESSION RECONVENED. The meeting reconvened at 12 m. INVITATION TO THE ANHEUSER-BUSCH BREWERY. The President: At two o'clock special cars will be in waiting at the Southern Hotel to take the attendants to the Anheuser-Busch brewery, and all gentlemen and ladies at the meeting are invited. The annual banquet will take place at half past eight o'clock this evening. The first order of business is the reading of the paper on "Modern Overhead Electric Construction," by Mr. Benjamin Willard, General Superintendent, New Orleans Traction Company, New Orleans, La. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON "MODERN OVERHEAD ELECTRIC CONSTRUCTION." Mr. Willard being unable to attend the meeting, Mr. Henry W. Blake read the paper, as follows: TO THE AMERICAN STREET RAILWAY ASSOCIATION, Gentlemen:-In the equipment of electrical street railways the item of overhead construction is a very important one, and one susceptible of many ideas. There are many different methods and kinds of materials used on overhead work, all of which would go to make up practical and modern construction, but as a matter of fact there is hardly any two installations which are nearly alike. The reason for such a variety of construction is naturally the results of engineers' ideas, conditions and opinions relative to the merits of different manufactured parts. It is hardly possible to standardize all methods and appliances in such a way as to meet the general approval of different engineers, as the requirements vary with local conditions, and what may be found practicable in one locality may be found faulty in another. Difference in local conditions is not alone responsible for our in Fig. 1. Sectional Feeding Point. The ability to standardize construc- My ideas relative to what is necessary for practical modern overhead construction will, undoubtedly, differ in many respects from the opinions of others, and in some instances may be found not practicable, but experience has proven to me many important features to be observed in modern overhead construction, and I can only submit what in my opinion and during my experience I have found to be substantially practical. Trolley line construction can be erected in various ways and still conform to good practice, one difference being in the kind and cost of poles to be erected. There are various requirements governing the selection and kind of poles to be used which determine an important factor in the first cost. Municipal requirements may compel you to erect steel or wooden poles, or you may be allowed to make your own selection. In the first instance, the price is fixed and you have only one thing to do; in the second instance, you have opportunities which are left for your own discretion. The steel pole presents a neat and attractive appearance, also takes up only a small amount of space, which are the chief points in its favor. The insulating qualities are not as good as with the wooden pole, and although I am not prepared to say positively as to its lasting qualities, I have made some observations of deterioration on wrought iron columns that have been in the ground for several years and estimating that this deterioration would take effect in the same proportion with steel poles, I am convinced that in a moist climate a limit on the practical life of such poles would not be over thirty years. While I am not strictly an advocate of wooden poles, I am of the belief that from a practical and financial standpoint, wooden pole should be used in many instances. Through the business sections of cities steel poles are in some respects better, as they are not affected by being wilfully or accidentally mutilated. In suburban or residence districts the wooden poles, when properly dimensioned, answer every purpose, and appear fully as well as the steel poles. A heart pine or cedar pole will, if properly selected and kept painted, last in some climates twenty years. This is a known fact from observation of poles that are now in sound condition after having been erected for that length of time. Suppose we select New Orleans as a suitable location to build a road Fig. 2. Switch Box. and base our estimates on cost of material there. The cost of steel poles would be greater than in many northern cities, owing to freight rates and distance from the manufacturers of such poles. Wooden poles can be furnished for less in New Orleans owing to their near production, so that I think an estimate covering cost at that point would be a fitting proposition for other localities. Steel poles for one mile of span wire construction, 104 poles at $15.00 each would cost $1,560.00, and assuming their life to be thirty years, the interest on your investment for thirty years at five per cent. per annum would be $2,340.00, or a total first cost and interest of $3,900.00. The setting of steel poles necessitates the use of concrete, which is an expense to be figured over the cost of wooden pole setting, so we must figure at least the cost of such material and labor, which would be $4.50 per pole, or $468.00 per mile, and figured with interest for thirty years at five per cent. per annum, it would be $1,170.00, or a total for interest and first cost of material and labor of $5,070.00, which is to be considered against the cost of one mile of wooden pole construction covering the same period. |