WHAT IS SAID OF IT BY ELECTRICAL AND ENGINEERING EXPERTS.
Kings County Elevated Railway Co., }
346 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.Hon. E. M. Boynton, Prest. Boynton Bicycle Railway Co.,
32 Nassau Street, N. Y.Dear Sir:—I have taken great pleasure in visiting and riding on your Electric Railway at Bellport, L. I. I was more than satisfied in regard to its feasibility and adaptability to quick transportation. By your single rail and narrow cars you have lightened many-fold the weight of trains, and enlarged proportionally the carrying capacity over steam roads, as at present existing, as you make a double-track road out of a single-standard gauge track.
I am fully satisfied as to its economical construction and working, its quick and rapid means of transit, and its absolute safety in transporting passengers and freight.
I see no reason why it should not be universally adopted, as the tests of both the steam and electric methods have proved its practical success.
Very respectfully yours,
O. F. BALSTON, Chief Engr. K. C. El. Ry.
(Special despatch to the Associated Press.)
New York, April 4, 1895.—A committee composed of members of the Senate and House of the Massachusetts Legislature to-day inspected the Boynton Bicycle Electric Road from Patchogue to Bellport, Long Island. The party entered a train at Patchogue at about noon, and shortly afterward were traveling around sharp curves and up steep grades at the rate of nearly a mile a minute, almost totally unconscious of the rapid rate at which they were going.
The results of to-day’s examination are thus summarized by a member of the committee: First, they are satisfied the system saves half the weight per passenger carried; second, makes one rail do more work than two now do; third, gives double the speed possible by any other system; fourth, is about one-quarter the expense to build, as compared with elevated railroads; fifth, is perfectly safe, silent, dustless and doing double the work at half the usual cost.
The committee seemed especially delighted with the capability of the road in giving a double track on a single post, thus solving the question of rapid transit in the narrow streets of Boston and its suburbs, where several charters are pending. The visitors agreed that the Bicycle System was safe and less injurious to property than the trolley system.
Manhattan Railway Company, Chief Engineer’s Office, }
71 Broadway, New York.Dear Sir:—In regard to your request for an expression of opinion in relation to the practicability of the Boynton Bicycle Railway, I have to say, that I think the system is thoroughly practicable; that the rolling stock can be economically constructed, and much lighter per live load carried than the ordinary rolling stock of equal strength.
By reason of the center of gravity coming directly over the single supporting rail, there will not be that disagreeable oscillation which takes place on the double-rail system, and which is so destructive to the rolling stock; and for this reason a high rate of speed can be maintained with greater safety than on the present system.
Yours truly,
J. WATERHOUSE, Chief Engineer.
Hon. E. Moody Boynton, President Boynton Bicycle Railway Company:
In the difficult road at Coney Island, and with its sharp grades and curves, where you have for two seasons passed one Bicycle steam train by another, thus making a double track of the standard gauge road, and wherein the running of ten thousand trains and the safe carriage of passengers, without accident, at high speed, with great smoothness and economy, have been accomplished, you have demonstrated your system to be perfectly feasible.
I have no interest in your Company other than as an engineer, but am pleased to give my impression concerning your road at Coney Island, as your success there has been very remarkable.
Yours truly,
F. S. PEARSON,
Consulting Engineer, 81 Milk Street, Boston.
Mr. F. S. Pearson was Chief and Electrical Engineer of the West End Street Railway, Boston; of the Brooklyn City Railway; New York City, Jersey City, and many other roads.
Philadelphia, Pa., May 4th, 1895.
Hon. E. M. Boynton, Prest. Boynton Bicycle Railway Co., New York, N. Y.
Dear Sir:—In reply to your letter of the 3d inst., requesting our opinion as to the merits of the Boynton Bicycle Railroad System, we beg leave to say that we believe the system possesses marked features of merit on the following grounds:
First; that a Bicycle railroad car, loaded with passengers, is much lighter than a loaded car of the same passenger accommodation of the present type, and consequently possesses corresponding economy in the power required to drive it at a given rate of speed.
Second; that owing to the lightness of construction, electric motive power, sufficient for the attainment of high speeds, can be applied to each car as an independent unit, instead of requiring a special electric or steam locomotive to haul one or more cars, thus obtaining for high speed railroads all the flexibility and advantages of the trolley system, as now employed in street passenger railroads.
Third; cheapness in the construction of the car, the roadbed and track, particularly when electric locomotion is employed, requiring an overhead structure.
Fourth; the advantage possessed by your system, in changing over from the present steam road to the Bicycle road, arising from the width of your car, which permits two cars to pass each other, on the ordinary 4′-8½″ track, thus providing a double track road in the space now occupied for a single track.
Yours respectfully,
EDWIN J. HOUSTON.
A. E. KENNELLY.
Headquarters Dept. of the East, }
Governor’s Island, N. Y.My attention was first called to the Bicycle Railroad System, as developed by E. Moody Boynton, some two or three years ago, and I have since, from a careful examination of its workings, satisfied myself of its superiority in several respects to other methods of transportation. Its simplicity of construction and cheapness of operation have commended it to my favorable consideration, and the running of the experimental trains at Coney Island, and Bellport, L. I., the former by steam and the latter by electricity, have convinced me that its advantages are many fold.
The liability of accident appears to be at a minimum, and the questions connected with the cheapness of construction, the economy in operation, the great speed of trains, and the comfort and safety of travel, appear to be entirely solved by the employment of the Bicycle system.
O. O. HOWARD, Major-General U.S. Army.