The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-12-10
Locomotives Without Railways.

At the present moment, when so much
anxiety has been expressed on account of
the expectation of horses, Parliamentary
paper just issued will be read with interest
as showing that the time approaches when
we shall no longer require the service of the
noble animal. 1t appears by the reports On
Thompson's "road steamer" made to the
War Department., that this engine, unless,
perhaps, for hunting purposes, is far more
useful than the horse. Mr.. Anderson, the
superintendent of machinery, says he has
"come to the conclusion that the question
of steam traction on common roads is now
completely solved - that the application
of the india-rubber tire is perfect success;
that it opens up an entirely new field and
he looks upon this application as a disccv-
cry rather than invention. The wheel and
it's tire may be described as consisting of
broad iron tire with narrow tlanges, upon
which is placed ring of soft vulcanized
india-rubber; the ring is about twelve
inches in width and five in thickness, which
thus surrounds the entire tire, and is kept
in its place by the tianges then over the
india-rubber there is placed an endless
chain of steel plates, which is the portion
of the wheel that comes into actual contact
with the road, the reticulated chain being
connected by a sort of vertebra at each
side of the wheel. The india rubber tire
and this ring of steel plates has no rigid
connection, but are at perfect liberty to
move round as they please without consult
ing each other, or even without the con-
currence of the inner ring of the wheel
which they both enclose. Mr.. Anderson
states that the reason why this wheel is so
efficient is because the soft india-rubber
allows it to t1atten upon the road, whether
rough or smooth. The wheel, being a
circle, if it is rigid structure, presents
but small surface but this wheel con-
forms to every irregularity for space of
nearly two feet by the weight of the engine
causing the india-rubber to collapse, and
so producing a change of form. In the
construction of the road steamer the greater
portion of the weight, including the boiler,
rests upon the driving wheels the third
wheel in front is for guiding the direction
of movement, and is perfectly under con-
troll In the course of experiments wit
messed by Mr.. Anderson the engine went
up zigzag labyrinth of courts, and it can
describe any figure almost in space its
length. The boiler employed is an indie
pendent invention adapted to the carriage.
Its chief popularity is the copper pot for
holding water within the furnace, and it is
so contrived that if the boiler contains any
water the pot will have a full supply. This
arrangement keeps the centre of gravity
low, and allows the engine to run up hills
of one in ten or go along an angle Of thirty
five degrees. On the first day Mr.. Ander-
son saw it in Leith the streets were very
wet and adhesive. A train of wagons con-
tanning ten tons of flour, besides their own
weight, were standing ut the bottom of
slippery street with a gradient of about
one in seventeen to this train the little
engine was attached, and away it marched
as if it had no load, went up to the top of
the hill, and then down on the other side,
no break being required. After depositing
its load somewhere in Leith it ran down
to the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. at the rate of ten
miles an hour. On surveying the sands,
Mr.. Anderson says, it seemed an impossi-
bility that it could walk on such soft, sink
ing ground, but on it rushed through all,
over some quicksands, ran into the sea and
along its edge in every direction, in the
most wonderful manner. 1t then, after
returning from the seaside, removed an old
boiler from the docks to yard at some
distance. The boiler and wagon, with the
fastening chains, weighed upwards of %
TONS and the boiler on the wagon stood
some % feet high. Up to this the engine
backed then marched off with it's load
along the quay, over rising swing bridge
and along the other quays until it reached
its destination. The charm of the per-
Torrance, Mr.. Anderson remarks, was in
the way in which it was done. No shout
ing, no refractory or desultory pulling of
horses, but by the expenditure of few
pounds of Goals and water the whole was
accomplished with ease and celebrity; and
so accustomed are the people in Leith to
its performance that no notice was taken
of it, except by the country horses, for the
town horses seem to know that it is their
friend rather than enemy-PaU Mall Gazette.
GN-We would call the public attention
to the justly celebrated " Wilmington City
Soap" manufactured by Moore & Bro
1t works like magic! and no good house.
keeper who has once used it, will be with