Newspaper cuttings from years gone by
Source - National Library of New Zealand - Papers Past
IMPORTANT INVENTIONS
IMPROVED TRAMWAY CABS. Mr A. McGill, of the firm, of Messrs James McGill and Son, builders, of this city, has taken out letters patent in this colony and various other countries for an important invention in connection with street tramways. In this invention there are no rails visible from the street, merely the slot such as is now used in cable tramways, so that the first important improvement appears in that there are only two grooves (one for each line) instead of six as now, and four in any line, and consequently there is no need for the company owning the tramways keeping the street in repair beyond a few inches on each side of the slot. Except that no wheels are to be seen the car resembles the ordinary cars. As there are no wheels above ground, there is no chance of crashing and mangling persons and animals; no dust is raised by passing cars; there will be no grinding and squealing of the wheels, and no jolting from stones on the line, for with this system this last is impossible. The whole secret is this: The ordinary tube or tunnel now in use in cable tramways is adopted, and perhaps made slightly larger than some (but not larger than others), and in this the rails are laid below the street; a trolly (or one at each end, bogie fashion) is placed on those rails, and the car is carried on them by broad plates of steel running up through the slot, as the gripper now runs. For electrical cars or for cable cars the trolly is where it is wanted for its work, as will be seen at a glance by practical people, and even for steam or horse traffic the plan has very many advantages over the present systems. Though with the latter the first cost might be more, still when the keeping up of the streets is taken into consideration and the obvious uses that the tunnel could be put to in a city, besides the advantages enumerated above, there is no doubt that the system will soon be in high favour. No poles would be required in the streets where electricity is the motive power. Among the advantages claimed are :— The cars would ran much easier and would be almost noiseless ; a saving of 75 per cent, would be made in the cost of repairs to rails which would be kept dry and would therefore last much longer; the cars can be kept clean much easier, and there would be an absence of dust raising; with no rails on the surface the street car can be kept cleaner, and the danger of horses and carts slipping on the rain is minimised, and the running will not be interfered with by snow or frost. In the case of electricity the return circuit can be used, thus doing away with poles. and the lighting of streets, shops, dwellings, etc, could be easily effected. As the invention has met with the approval of all engineers who have seen the plans, it is believed it will soon be used on many tram lines.IMPROVED STUFFINGS FOR HARNESS, ETC.
We have been shown the specification and plans of what is unquestionably an important invention in the shape of an improved method for stuffing the cushions of horse collars, saddles, furniture, railway carriages, and vehicles of every description by means of pneumatics. The idea is a comprehensive one, and covers & wide field. In the first place it is proposed to supplant the present stuffing for horse collars with a properly - shaped and moulded tube, which will be inflated with air in the same way as the bicycle tyre. The outward covering will be composed of leather, etc, as at present. It is claimed that the now collar will not only be much lighter, but that it will adapt itself to the horse instead of the horse to it. Its use will, it is claimed, prevent Gora shoulders and, among other things, prevent a jar to the shoulders in starting to pull a heavy load. The pneumatic saddle is to be made of leather as at present, with moulded and stayed bags, which will be inflated as already described. This will not only reduce the weight of saddles, but will render them more comfortable to both horse and rider. In the case of household furniture it is proposed to supplant the present wire springs, shavings, etc, with pneumatic cushions, which are to be covered with various kinds of material, as at present. These cushions can either be made with plain moulded bags to the required shape, or they can by an ingenious contrivance be buttoned as under the present system. When it in considered that the present mode of stuffing is not only a receptacle for dust but frequently becomes more or less decomposed, the health aspect alone of the pneumatic system must at once commend itself. The next field covered by the invention under notice is that of railway carriages, which of itself should provide an enormous outlet. Then come carriages, cabs, and other vehicles, which again present an almost unlimited scope. Taken altogether the adoption of pneumatics for the purposes described is one of the largest schemes of recent years, and when the success of the pneumatic tyre is considered there is apparently no reason why the pneumatic stuffing should not be as successful. The inventor is Mrs Arthur McDonald, of this city, who is in possession of patent, rights and provisional protection for the whole of the Australasian colonies, and has applied for patents in Great Britain, America, Canada, and protection in all other important countries. It is the intention, we understand, to form a small syndicate locally to purchase an interest in the invention, after which it is proposed to develop the industry, and to then offer it to the public. With this object in view Mr McDonald will shortly proceed to London.
From Otago witness 12 June 1901
AUTOMATIC BRAKE FOR CABLE CARS.
Mr W. E. Richardson, of Outram, whose name is well known to the public by reason of his having introduced into that township electrical power for lighting, pumping, and other purposes, has designed and patented; an automatic shoe brake for cable cars, which he believes will be more effective — so far as runaway cars are concerned, at any rate — than are the ones worked by hand and at present m use. The least delay in applying hand brakes to a runaway car means that on a steep grade a tremendous speed is attained in a few seconds, and the difficulty and danger in pulling up then becomes very great. Mr Richardson's brake, however, is constructed on the principle that it is to work the very instant that the car attains a speed beyond that ordinarily run, and it is to be quite independent of the driver. The brake is very simple in arrangement. To the axle of the car a pair of balls are attached, and they work on the same principle as an ordinary engine governor. As the axle revolves, the centrifugal force makes the balls fly open. When the car reaches a certain speed the balls open out sufficiently to strike a trigger, which releases a lever, allowing the shoe brakes to drop in front of and under the wheels of the car. The wheels are removed entirely from the track, and the weight of the car is thrown upon the shoes, which then constitute a very effective brake. If the trigger does not act on the first stroke being given, it is operated upon again and again, each time harder as the car gains speed. Mr Richardson thinks, however, it would act instantaneously in each case. A trial of the brake was made on the 4th on the Roslyn Company's line at James street, Roslyn, there being present Messrs, Chisholm, Duncan, M'George (directors), and Floyd (manager), of the Roslyn Tramway Company, and Mr Loudon, of the Mornington Tramway Company. The grade where the trial took place is exceptionally steep, and very suitable for testing the capabilities of the brake. The patent being, of course, in its initiatory stage, a trolly, and not a car, was used on Tuesday. Mr Richardson seated himself upon the trolly, and several times released it at the steepest parts of the line. In each case the brake pulled up the trolly promptly. Only about half a second was required to stop it dead. It seemed, indeed, as if the trolly came to a standstill too quickly. The James street line, however, has not yet been used, and the rails are very rough. On a smooth line Mr Richardson says there would be a certain amount of skidding, and this would tend to make the stoppage less severe. Mr Richardson states that the brake can be fitted to the cars without in any way interfering with the present brakes. There is nothing very cumbersome in the gear, and nothing in it is likely to break or get out of order. As one of the directors observed on Tuesday, the trial so far as the trolly was concerned was very satisfactory. The true test is of course, the car itself. Judging by Tuesday's trial, the experiment should be worth making.