"Some time ago there seemed to be manifested in Shanghai considerable interest in the matter of improved transportation. Tt was with no little regret that T read, in the columns of the N.C. Herald, of an apparently strong movement in favour of the overhead electric trolley for the Settlement. Perhaps it is necessary to provide means of rapid transit for Shang-ai, but it would be a step backward, as well as asad defacement of the quiet, well-kept streets, to erect posts and stretch trolley wires through them, when there are several sources of motive power available for the purpose which are much better and which do not involve unsightly structures. Moreover, the trolley is a constant source of danger. It is responsible for many serious accidents and a "live wire" charged with a deadly current should never be permitted in any community. Many fatalities have resulted from the breaking of the wires, and within a few days a woman literally burned to death on the street, in this city, by coming in contact with a broken telephone wire which had fallen across a trolley wire. I believe that the trolley will soon be condemned in all large' cities—that public sentiment will demand the adoption of some other and safer source of power for street railways.
It is not my purpose to enter upon a discussion of the various new systems for street railway transportation, particularly since I do not know what the conditions may be in Shanghai at the present time. But the subject has more than a mere local interest to the residents and business men of the East, since there are many places where short lines of railway for freight and passenger traffic could be made very profitable, if only a cheap and reliable system of motive power is available. What is required is small plant which can be operated cheaply, capable of meeting all possible demands. Ju my opinion, which is entirely disinterested, the coming motor for large cities is the compressed air motor. Only recently has such a motor been perfected, thoroughly tested and found to meet all the requirements of large traffic. Experiments have been carried on for years in order to attain the greatest possible efficiency and certainty of action, and Ihave no doubt whatever that the compressed air motor will replace the trolley. Phe pressure used in the eylinders is about 2,000 pounds to the square inch. In order to control this great pressure a great amount of experimental work has been done. In some respects, this system is admirably adapted for use in Shanghai. The motor is noiseless, perfectly safe and easily managed. On long lines, as in New York and Chicago, the compressed air will be distributed through pipes to stations where the car cylinders can be re-charged without loss of time. Moreover, compressed air can be likewise supplied to small manufacturing establishments to be used as a source of power, assis now the custom in Paris.
where is another system which is perhaps even better adapted to the conditions prevailing in the East, principally because the power is generated only as itis required. In this system a small gasolene engine on each motor car generates an electric current which operates a motor. There is also a storage battery which takes up any superfluous current. Thus, when going down grade, -with the current shut off from the motor, the engine continues to run and the times are hard, and so is the pressure; and current passes into the storage battery, to be used as required. The sdvanteges of this system on a line from Shanghai to Woosung, for example, would be that there is no large plant to be kept constantly running, yet whenever there is a demand for power for a busy day, all the motors can be put in action in a moment. When the cars are idle there is no waste of power.
have not entered into the question of cost, as I not know whether the time has come for the residents of Shanghai to take up the subject.
However, there is no} doubt that either of these two systems would be infinitely better than the trolley and I would be glad to contribute whatever further information may be desired concerning them. I shall be pleased to correspond with residents who may deem the matter worthy of attention. My address can be obtained from the Editor. ith July.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.