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The The Wire Rope Street
Railways
of San Francisco, California
By A. S. Hallidie
This system of street railroad, the invention
of Mr. A. S. Hallidie, was put in use by the Clay
Street Hill Railroad Company, in the City of San
Francisco, California, August, 1873, since which
time it has been constantly running, and has been
found to answer all requirements, and to exceed
the expectation of engineers and others who had
examined the plans of the inventor; and has been
adopted by other companies in San Francisco.
It is adapted to all kinds of metropolitan railroading,
where the surface of the streets has to be kept
free from obstructions, where locomotive steam
engines are not permitted, or where the streets
are so steep as to make the use of horses difficult
or impossible.
The system consists of an endless wire rope placed
in a tube below the surface of the ground, between
the tracks of a railroad, and kept in position by
means of sheaves, upon and beneath which the rope
is kept in motion by a stationary engine, the power
being transmitted from the motor to the rope by
means of grip or other suitable pulleys, and from
the rope to the cars on the street by means of a
gripping attachment fixed to the car by a steel
bar, and which posses through a narrow slot in the
upper side of the tube.
It presents no impediment to ordinary travel. The
rope is grasped and released at pleasure by a peculiar
gripping device attached to the passenger car, and
controlled by a man in charge. The car is more smoothly
started than by horses, and instantly stopped on
any part of the road; its mechanical construction
is simple and easily controlled, and on the streets
it does not frighten horses or endanger lives.
A description of this system, as in use by the Clay
Street Hill R. R., of San Francisco, will best explain
the modus operandi.
Clay street is a central street in the City of San
Francisco, and for a number of blocks near the lower
terminus the road is very densely populated: the
street is only 49 feet wide from house to house,
and between the sidewalks is occupied by two lines
of gas pipe, one line of water pipe, a street sewer,
and at the cross streets by water cisterns.
The lower terminus of the road is at the intersection
of Kearny and Clay streets. The summit of the hill
is 307 feet above Kearny Street. The incline on
Clay Street has a double track, and is 5,197 feet
long; the rope runs into the engine house at Leavenworth
Street. The ascending grades are as follows: From
Kearny to Dupont, 45 fcct; from Dupont to Stockton,
45 feet; from Stockton to Powell, 62 foot; from
Powell to Mason, 42 feet; Mason to Taylor, 48 feet;
from Taylor to Jones, 67 feet. Then the grade descends,
as follows: Jones to Leavenworth, 15 feet; Leavenworth
to Hyde, 50 feet; Hyde to Larkin, 50 feet; Larkin
to Polk, 45 feet; and then an ascent of 15 feet
from Polk Street to Van Ness Avenue. The distance
between each street is 4121⁄2 feet. Clay Street
runs at right angles to the above streets, which
have widths varying from 45 feet to 68 feet 9 inches.
All the street crossings are level. The steepest
grade is 1 in 6 15/100.
The general arrangement of the system in use by
the Clay Street Hill Railroad is as follows:
An endless steel wire rope, three inches in circumference,
11,000 feet long, is stretched the whole distance,
lying in iron tubes, supported every 39 feet on
11-inch sheaves. This rope is supported at every
change of angle at the lower crossings on sheaves
four feet in diameter passing around a horizontal
sheave eight feet in diameter at the lower end of
the line, and at the engine house around two angle
sheaves, each eight feet in diameter, which lead
the rope on the grip pulleys, also eight feet in
diameter which are driven by one 14 x 28 engine.
The steam is furnished by one boiler 16 feet x 54
inches, using 3,700 pounds of coal per day. They
have also duplicate engine and boiler, which are
held in reserve.
The patent grip pulleys, being furnished at their
circumference with jaws that grip and release the
rope automatically by pressure of the rope in the
jaws, prevents the rope from slipping; and being
set in motion by the engine actuates the endless
rope, while traveling up one tube and down the other.
In addition to the sheaves that support the rope
in the tubes, at the upper side of each crossing,
where the incline makes an angle upward, there are
sheaves in the tubes that keep the rope down and
from striking the upper part of the tube.
It will be understood that there is an opening in
the upper side of the tube. This opening runs the
entire length of each tube, forming a long slot
seven-eighths an inch wide. This slot is not immediately
over the center of the tube, but on one side, to
keep sand and dirt from falling on the rope, to
clear the upper sheaves, and enable the foot of
the gripping attachment to pass by and under the
upper sheaves, and over the lower sheaves in the
tube.
The connection between tire cars on the street and
the by the traveling rope is made by means
of this gripping attachment, which is hereinafter
described. The cars are made to seat 14 passengers,
and the dummy 16, but not seldom as many as 44 have
ridden in the ear, and 26 on the dummy - 70
in all; and the roads with broad gauge, larger cars,
and more even grades have, in one load on car and
dummy, carried as marry as one hundred and sixty
passengers. It is true, they were crowded, but this
is always the case on holidays. The traction car,
or “dummy,” with the gripping attachment,
is attached to the passenger car firmly, so that
there can be no danger of accident. The passenger
car is amply provided with brakes. In addition to
the usual car brake, there is another attachment
operated in the same manner as ordinary brakes,
which forces a broad band of wood down on each track
immediately under the ear. This arrangement is shown
in our first engraving. Strong iron drags are provided,
so that it an accident should occur in going up
the hill, they will immediately catch in the street,
and prevent the car from going backward. When it
is necessary to back down hill, these drags are
raised up out of the way by the conductor.
The “dummy” is also provided with powerful
brakes. The “dummy” and car are connected
with a suitable coupling, so that the weight. of
the car going down comes on the rope and is utilized
to draw up the other cars on the other track. ‘The
brakes are not usually employed when coming down,
except when it is necessary to stop, as the car
runs down with the same speed as the rope, as long
as the gripping attachment is in connection with
the rope.
By refer ring to the engravings, the system will
be more clearly understood. The first engraving
is a side view of road and car and dummy; the tube
is in longitudinal section and shows the arrangement
of the rope; the upper pulleys for keeping the rope
down where the grade changes upward, and the lower
or supporting pulley, also the gripping device attached
to the dummy and to the rope.
We have an isometrical view of the road-bed-portion
of the tube being removed to show the gripping device
attached to the rope; the lower end of the shank is
only shown (being broken off in the drawing), being
sufficient for the purpose; the construction of the
tube and the tube frames clearly shown, and the appearance
of the rails and slot and surface of the street when
paved.
The patent gripping attachment in two different
positions is shown. A vertical slide works in a
standard, and is moved tip and down by a screw and
hand wheel. This screw is shown on the cut of dummy
and road-bed. The small upper screw going down through
the large screw operates it. At the lower end of
this slide is a wedge-shaped block. The wedge actuates
two jaws, horizontally, which open and close according
to the direction in which the slide is moved, closing
when the slide is moved upward. These jaws have
pieces of soft cast iron placed in them, which are
easily removed when worn out. These pieces of it-on
are of proper shape and size inside to grip the
rope when they are closed over it.
On both sides of these jaws, and attached to them,
are two small sheaves. These sheaves are held by
means of rubber cushions, sufficiently in advance
of the jaws to keep the rope off from the jaws,
and at the same time to lead the rope fairly between
them, allowing it to travel freely between the jaws,
when they are separated, without touching them.
When it is requited to grip the rope, this slide
is drawn up by means of the small screw before described,
and the wedge at the lower end closes the jaws over
the rope, at the same time forcing back the small
guide sheaves on to the rubber springs.
The standard containing the slide, etc., is enclosed
and retained in an iron bracket, shown on the dummy,
and raised and lowered bodily through an opening
in the tube from above the surface of the street
to the rope in the tube by means of a screw and
nut with hand wheel attached. The iron bracket is
secured to a skeleton or traction car called a dummy,
as shown in first engraving. The dummy is coupled
to the passenger cars, at the bottom of the incline,
and uncoupled at the top, and vice versa; horses
can then be coupled to the car if desired. As before
stated, the rope is constantly in motion, running
between sheaves placed in the tithe. The slot of
the tube is on one side of a vertical line drawn
through the center of the tube; and referring to
Figs. 4 and 6, it will be seen that the foot of
the gripping attachment projects on one side, giving
it an L shape, enabling the jaws to pass under and
over the rope sheaves in the tube. In order to stop
the car, the jaws of the gripping attachment are
opened slightly; when tiny release the rope, the
guide sheaves take it, and the car stops.
The shank of the standard containing the slide,
which works in the slot of the tube, is one half
of an inch thick and 51⁄2 inches wide, there
being one eighth play on each side; all the essential
parts of the gripping attachment are made of steel.
The rope runs 171⁄2 hours per day, at a speed
of 6 miles per hour. The cars start every five minutes,
except in the afternoon, when they start every three
minutes.
The road has a gauge of 3 feet 6 inches. An ordinary
30 pound steel T rail is used on Clay street, which
is set flush with the street and presents a neat,
smooth appearance. The stretching arrangement at
the lower end has a counter balance of 3,300 pounds
weigh on a double purchase, which keeps a constant
strain on the rope under all circumstances.
This machinery so arranged that the wire rope passes
for some distance in open view of the engineer,
so that it can readily be examined at any minute.
The hill is the best portion of the city for residences,
and the road brings within five minutes of the business
portion of the city a large amount of property that
was comparatively worthless on account of the difficulty
of access, but is now much sought after, having
trebled in value since the road was completed.
After the Clay Street Hill Railroad had been running
three years and a half, and the economy and practicability
of the system was thoroughly tested, the Sutter
Street Railroad Company, whose lines had for many
years been unprofitably worked by horses, changed
their system from a horse road to the wire cable
system; and by the end of the year 1879 had reconstructed
neatly their entire road on this system. This company
has now 16,000 feet (over 3 miles) of double track
operated on this system. The gauge of the road is
5 feet, and its greatest elevation is 167 feet above
its initial point.
The California Street Railroad commenced running
April, 1878. Its length is 12,000 feet, and it passes
in that distance over two elevations, the heights
being 265 feet and 235 feet above base respectively,
the valley between being 125 feet above base. The
gauge is 31⁄2 feet, same as the Clay Street.
The Geary Street Railroad runs over a comparatively
level street and through the most central and populous
streets of the city. It was completed and commenced
running March, 1880.
All these roads are working successfully, and carry
in the aggregate about 35,000 passengers daily,
at a uniform fare of five cents.
Several other roads are projected on this system,
among which the Presidio Railroad Company has commenced
work, and will be two miles long when completed.
It ascends a hill 246 feet above its initial point.
The estimated cost of constructing this road, which
is five foot gauge, double track, runs over high
hills and much of it through hard rock, is two hundred
and ten thousand dollars. This includes lot, engine
house, all the machinery, road bed, cars, and full
equipment throughout. Of course, in other cities
where material and labor are cheaper and ground
more favorable the cost would be much less.
Although this system was first adopted on roads
where the grades are too steep for horses to work
to advantage, the economy of its working has so
demonstrated itself that all the level roads in
San Francisco have obtained amended charters giving
them the privilege of turning their horse road into
rope roads. The wear and tear on the streets, as
well as the accumulation of filth due to horses,
is entirely avoided. Humanity is not shocked by
the overloading of street cars or the overworking
of horses.
In cities where the severity of winter closes traffic
for days at a time, this system can keep its own
tracks clean by a cheap system of warming the tube,
and by the great traction power of the rope on snow
plows and scrapers - a power which it is impossible
for horses to produce struggling through the frozen
and snow covered tracks.
The saving effected by the employment of this system
from thirty to fifty per cent, on that of horse
roads, while its capacity for traffic is almost
unlimited. The speed at which the car travels is
from six to eight miles per hour. The Traction Railway
Company of San Francisco has control of this system
of street railroading.
The Cable Car Museum thanks Powell Street Gripman
Val Lupiz for locating and providing to the Cable
Car Museum web site this important historical writing.
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