CABLE RAILWAYS for city passenger service had their origin in San Francisco, and it was at first thought that the system was only applicable to straight lines with heavy grades in favor able climates, but this view was changed when cable traction was established in Chicago on level lines with sharp and difficult curves and was operated despite snow and other climatic disad vantages. As a result an enormous impetus was given to the construction of cable railways in America and such lines were built in a score or more of American cities. In 1886 the Tenth Avenue and 125th Street cable road was put in operation in New York. City, and several years later this was followed by the Third Avenue line, 12 miles long, and the Broadway and Lexington Avenue lines. In 1891 there were 70 cable street railway lines in operation in the United States, with an ag gregate mileage of 5773/4 miles. The new construction and ex tension of the next two or three years increased this total to about 700 miles, which marked the height of the cable railway in America. Since that time the mileage has steadily de creased under the competition of electric traction, until in 1900 there were but 300 miles of cable railway in operation in the United States.
In construction the cable rail way consists of a standard street railway track having an underground conduit between the rails. Ill this conduit there runs an endless wire rope cable guided by suitable pulleys. A slot at the top of the conduit permits a grip projecting down ward from the bottom of the car to enter the conduit. This grip is provided at its lower end with jaws which can be so operated from the platforms of the ear as to grasp and tudoose the cable at will. Generally in modern practice dupli cate cables are installed in the conduit, the pur pose pose of which is to have a second cable ready for operation in ease of breakage or other accident. Movement is given to the cable by means of a re volving drum around which the cable is wrapped, these drums being operated by powerful steam engines installed in power houses located at in tervals along the line. Generally speaking, it is not desirable to operate a greater length of cable than 25.000 feet. but cables as long as 30. 000 feet have been successfully operated. The prevalence of curves is perhaps the most impor tant factor determining the length of cable which can be operated. As a general rule it is found
that a right angle curve puts a strain upon the cable plant equal to that entailed upon it by 1000 feet of straight road. It may be assumed that from 40 per cent, to GO per cent. of the power used in operating a cable railway is con sumed in operating the cable itself. The size of cable most generally used is 1 inches, and the material favored is crucible steel. The life of street railway cables averages about fourteen months, giving from 70.000 to 80.000 miles of service, but there are records of cables having given 144,000 miles of service. In a few cases, of which the New York and Brooklyn Bridge is notable, the cable is not inclosed in a conduit. but is carried on pulleys above ground or on an elevated structure.
In respect to street railway transportation generally the most notable facts are the enor mous growth of street railways in mileage and capital invested, and the predominant position held by electric traction for street railway opera tion. Both of these facts are graphically illus trated in the accompanying diagrams, compiled by the Street Railmcay Journal. In the ten years between 1890 and 1900 the street railway mile age of the United States more than doubled; the mileage of cable railways decreased about one half : the mileage of horse railways decreased from over 6000 Miles to 370 miles; and the mile age of electric railways increased from about 2000 miles to over 19,000 miles. A similar course of development has been recorded in the tramway systems of England and Continental Europe, although the totals do not reach the aggregates recorded for the United States. For a condensed statement of the development of electric railways in the countries outside of the United States and Canada, see ELECTRIC RAIL WAYS.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Outside of the electric railway Bibliography. Outside of the electric railway field (see ELECTRIC RAILWAYS) there are no books of much value relating to street railways. There is. however, a large volume of periodical literature of high class available. Among the sources of information of this class the follow ing may be consulted with advantage: Reports of the American Street Railway Association (Chicago) ; Volumes of the Street Railway Jour nal (New York), and the Engineering News (New York) ; Street Railway Investments (New York).