Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1868-09-25
Two Inventions.

With the velocipede for travelling and
steam carriages for transporting freight over
common raods. there will be revolution in
modes of travel and transportation. We
presume that it may be assumed that the
velocipede is o success 1t has been salts
factorily tested in Paris, and New York ar
tifcers are now engaged in making arrange,
ments for the manufacture on a large scale.
Chicago, with more dash, enterprise, and,
we may add dissipation, than any other
American city, is before the large Northern
cities in experiments with the velocipede.
The fast young men of that fast city have
already introduced them Some of the We
locipedes are furnished with two wheels
and they set tandem fashion These are
difficult of management and are liable to
turn over. None but experts can venture
to use them. There are others furnished
with three wheels, one in front and two be-
hind as in cart These are for women,
children and staid men. They may be moved
at the rate Of fifteen miles an hour and much
Of the travelling now done on horseback or
railroad may be done by the velocipede.-
Should they come generally in vogue, there
will doubtless be numerous velocipede livery
stables
We have from time to time referred to
the progress made in the construction of
steam carriages for common roads. We
have before us an extract from the Edinburg
Scotsman, which contains an interesting no
tice of one. 1t says:
On Saturday afternoon very remarkable
sight was seen in this city A train of heav-
ily-laden coal wagons, looking exactly like a
luggage train, was observed coming steadily
up the steep incline leading into Edinburg
from Dalkeith. It was one of Mr.. R W.
Thompson's patent road steamers, with in
dia-rubber wheeltires, having four huge
loaded wagons in tow. Each wagon weighed
when empty two and three quarter tons, and
carried load Of five and one-quarter tons
of coal, making the gross weight of the wa g.
ons thirty-three tons. The road steamer
weighs eight tons. Thus total of forty
tons was in motion. The road steamer had
drawn the train from Newbattle colleries,
eight miles from Edinburg, over very billy
road, with rising gradients of 1 in 49,
The newspaper from which we quote de-
scribes the ease with which the road steamer
drew its train up hill from Pow Burn to
Mimic street, and speaks enthusiastically Of
the manner in which the India-rubber tires
performed their offices. The conductors had
perfect command Of the train, controlling
its movements and speed with the utmost
precision. The Scotsman thus concludes its
notice:
There can be no doubt this invention Of
the application of vulcanized India-rubber tc
the tires of road steamers forms the greatest
step which has ever been made in the use Of
steam on common roads. 1t completely re-
moves the two fatal difficulties which have
hitherto barred the way to the use of trac-
ton engines, viz: the mutual destruction
of the traction engine and the roads. The
lndia-rubber tires, interposing a-soft and
elastic cushion between the two, cifectually
protect them both from every jar and jolt,
in fact, as much so as if the engine were
travelling over tramway of India-rubber.
The road steamer, which drew the fou1
wagons of coal from Newbattle Colliery on
Saturday, was constructed TO draw less than
one -half of the weight comprised in the coal
train.