The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1870-11-03
Road Steamers.

The probability of using steam on common
roads appears at last to have been thoroughly
tested i'll Scotland, where the success of Mr..
Il. Nv Thomson's road steamers, after various
trials, has Carl led tor them the endorsement
Of the most sceptical. A six horse, road
steamer has been running for several months
from Aberdeen, distance of four miles over
q wretched road. to the kittock -four mills
Ia many parts of the road the grade is one
in eight, ever which the steam engine draws
ten tons with great case, at the rate of three
miles and half an hour. The engine per-
forms four trips daily, during which its entire
consumption of coal is but aaquarter of ton
Besides this, name interesting trials have
been made with this engine the most extraor-
binary OF which was with four huge wagons
loaded with pig metal The wa CONS and iron
weighed, together, thirty-four tons.a Yet the
engine drew these, without effort, suauarter of
mile, up an incline varying from one in
eighteen to one in twenty four Here is a
result which is simply extraordinary Given
an engine which cost 5000, or say So, 900
which. consumes seven tons of coal month,
say at cost of $45, and which does the work
OF fifty horses, what is the saving cost ? Fifty
horses at $l70 would cost 49, $50, and at $40
per month would require $500 per monthsfor
feed In other words, the outlay. is nearly
three times as great, and the cost of support
more than ten times much as that Of the
| road steamer. A man and boy attend to the
road CINE. Ten men would be required for
the horses. The advantages in favor of the
steam engine are so very great that its qintrc-
ductlon into common USE must be rapid. In
engines OF twenty five tons horse power, cost
ing $1,000 and drawing three times as heavy
| loads, the saving is much greater in proper
| ton. :..,.,,a III ..s ..+ L
These road steamers arc also fitted with In
dla rubber tires, the durability of which sur
passes all expectation After several months
Use, no wear whatever is perceptible on their
surface. Omnibus road steamers, With india
| rubber tires, travel easily eight miles an hour
over common roads Other steamers have
been also tested on grass lands, with plows
| attached, aud have been found to work admir-
ably. tgiA W. .T .4 ,a4 oo cd sr
| The invention of Mr.. Tomson promises to
| effect revolution in ordinary road ocomo-
| ton and traffic. One of these road steamers
has already been tested in Paris dragging
heavy French omnibus with fifty passengers,
and leave has been granted by the govern
ment to ply over two routes several miles in
length, including some busy parts of the.
French Capital. An engine has been des-
patched to India for the transportation Of
troops, stores and general merchandise, it be-
ing ascertained that these engines can run
five or six miles an hour at far less cost than
the bullock teams now in use, which cannot
keep up third of that speed. Road steam
ers have also been shipped to Labuan, one
of the islands ia the Indian Archipelago, for
the purpose Of transporting coal from the
mines on that island to the port on the sea
shore to meet the great demand being created
for steamers by the opening of the Suez Ca
nal. e, The distance from the mines to the
shore is nine miles. These steamers arc, in
fact, exciting great interest throughout the
world. The ease with which they travel
over grass lands has attracted the attention E
artillery officers, some of whom think thew
could be advantageously used in campaigning.
To owners Of large farms they are particular.
ly useful, and in the prairie lands of tho
West they will, no doubt, before :rea. wa; ill.,
be most proftably employed, 1t7I