engine was about six tons, and the boiler had thirty copper tubes, 21⁄2 inches in diameter.

"This engine was run on trial trips on the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad at various times from July 2, 1831, until August 1, 1831, when the first regular excursion trip was made. On this occasion the following rode in the coaches: Erastus Corning, Mr. Lansing, ex-Governor Yates, J. J. Boyd, Thurlow Weed, Mr. Van Zandt, Billy Winnie, penny postman: John Townsend, Major Meigs, Old Hays, high constable of New York; Mr. Dudley, Joseph Alexander, Lewis Benedict and J. J. DeGraft. The engineer was David Mathews and the conductor was John T. Clark, who mounted a small seat attached to the rear of the tender, and gave the signal for starting by blowing a tin horn. The fuel used was dry pitch pine.

"As there was no spark arrester on the stack, the smoke and sparks poured back on the passengers in such volume that they raised their umbrellas as shields. The covers were soon burned off these, and each man whipped his neighbor's clothes to put out the fire started by the hot cinders.

"When a stop was made at the water station an attempt was made to remedy the disagreeable jerks resulting from the slack between the coaches by wedging a rail from a neighboring fence between each car and tying it fast by packing

yarn. The plan succeeded, and the train arrived at Schenectady without accident. After the party had partaken of refreshments at Schenectady they returned to Albany, and that completed the first regular trip of a locomotive and train in New

York State.

"There will also be on exhibition at the fair three modern railroad cars and a modern locomotive. The cars will be the same

as now used on the Empire State Express, and will consist of a kitchen car, a combination baggage and smoker and a coach.

"A comparison between modern-day cars and the DeWitt Clinton train will be very interesting. The DeWitt Clinton pulled three very small passenger coaches, which were really old Concord stage coaches made over. It plowed along at the rate of 15 miles an hour, while the Empire State Express flies from New York to Buffalo at 65 miles an hour. The old coaches were 15 feet long and seated six passengers inside and four on top, while the modern coaches are 80 feet long and will accommodate 84 people.

"The New York Central lines have had under consideration for some time, the adoption of a train service which will be commensurate with the exposition, which beyond all doubt will be the finest of its character ever given on the globe. The table at present laid out consists of a galaxy of fast trains, and modern day coaches, parlor and sleeping cars are now being built for this purpose.

"Prominent among the trains is the Louisiana Purchase Limited, which will run between New York and St. Louis, via the New York Central, Lake Shore and Big Four roads and will be supreme in point of elegance between New York and St. Louis."

Electricity on the Miami and Erie Canal.

The general interest which has been aroused by the appropriation on the part of the New York legislature of $101,000,000 for the improvement of the State canals, and also by the various attempts which have been made within recent years to use electric power in drawing the barges of the Erie Canal, lead us to suppose that an account of the Miami and Erie Canal, the only waterway in this country which is successfully operated by electricity, and the only example in this country of three-phase traction, will not

be without interest to our readers. The

work of electrifying the. Miami and Erie Canal is due largely to the energy of Thomas N. Foredyce, who, in 1900, conducted a series of experiments with an electric towing locomotive which ran along the banks of the canal on a specially

built track.

Through the courtesy of Charles W. Ricker, an engineer, who rendered valuable assistance in the electrification of the canal, we are enabled to likewise to present a full account of the present illustrations of the waterway, and

installation.

Along the line of the canal are 95 locks, each 90 feet long and 15 feet wide. The gates are of the wood, swinging-miter type, and are operated by hand. There is but one summit level, which is 395 feet above Lake Erie and 512 feet above the Ohio River. Its length is 23 miles, beginning 100 miles north of Cincinnati. The high levels are supplied by three artificial lakes and by rivers.

The canal boats are towed in a string by a locomotive running on the tow path. Before electric locomotives were used, each boat required, for 24 hours' operation, a crew of two steersmen, two drivers, and one cook-in all five personsbesides five mules. The average speed was about two miles an hour. With the new system, each boat needs only two men and the locomotive four men for the same period of time. The speed has been increased to three miles per hour. The numerous curves and irregularities of the channel render it impossible to string to gether more than ten boats, each 80 feet long. About 200 feet of line are used between the motor and the first boat, and 50 feet between boats, so that an electric mule drags a tail some 1,500 feet in length.

Since the whole length of the canal is to be supplied from a moderate number of generating stations, the principal transmission is naturally by alternating current at high tension, with reducing substations at intervals along the line. Owing to the small number of large units forming the load, and their ability to bunch, the sub-stations must be placed far apart, or some of them will be idle much of the time, thereby involving a low all-day efficiency. The average demand per unit is high, involving a high average line loss. These conditions rendered it necessary to select a high trolley voltage. The running conditions are such that induction motors can be used to advantage. Stops are infrequent. A string of boats must be set in motion slowly in order to prevent breaking of the towing lines. Hence the slow starting torque, as compared with series motors, is not a serious objection. The higher trolley voltage possible assures good regulation and a good starting torque without excessive expense for copper.

The Cleveland Construction Company, who designed the electrical equipment, installed an alternating-current system throughout, with locomotives equipped with three-phase induction motors to which energy is supplied from a three

conductor line, consisting of two overhead trolley wires and the track.

The track is built along the towpath with the finished surface 2 feet above the water level. Between Cincinnati and Hamilton, the canal lies mostly along hillsides, with the towpath on the higher bank, which is about 16 feet thick at the water line, with slopes of 14 to 1. The sub-grade is 12 feet wide. The central line of the track is about 6 feet from the water's edge.

Along the main line, the maximum curvature is 25 degrees. In Cincinnati, however, there are sharp curves which require a very short wheel base for the locomotives. The only grades are at locks and depressions under low bridges. The steepest slope is 2 per cent. Within the city limits, railroad bridges and street bridges could not be raised, so that the tracks under them had to be depressed to allow the locomotives to pass. At three places the towing track crosses the canal. Where a drawbridge has been installed it must be opened immediately after the motor has passed to allow the boats to float through. Quickness of movement is important.

A three-phase, 60-cycle current at 4,200 volts is delivered at the switchboard and transmitted over the transportation company's lines, 5 miles distant, to the first station-just within the northerly limit of Cincinnati. This is a motor-driven generating station which supplies the first trolley section, extending from the Cincinnati terminal northerly 71⁄2 miles, at 390 volts, 3-phase, 25 cycles. Static transformers raise the pressure for transmission along the canal to the other stations, where it is reduced to 1,170 volts for the three-phase trolley circuit. In all, there will be four reducing stations about 12 miles apart, the most northerly about 6 miles south of Dayton. A typical station is that which is known as No. 2, at Rialto-typical because all the other reducing substations are to be exactly like it. The equipment consists of three 150-kilowatt, 25-cycle, 33,000-volt to 1,170-volt self-cooling oil transformers connected in delta in both primary and secondary. Each substation is placed at the middle of the station which it is to supply.

The 33,000-volt transmission line from the transportation company's station No. 1 consists of three aluminum cables made up of seven strands of wire. These are arranged in the form of a triangle at the top of the poles, with one wire above and