The sun., 1870-02-19
ROLLING OYER THE World.


The Latest Great Invention Of the AEGEAN
Entirely New Method OF Err,abt Trans
portation-A Freight Car q Thing of the
Psst-From New York to ~. Louis In Five
Hours-Metaiiic spheres Hurled Through
Vacuum by Compresscd Alr-Complete
Details OF the Novel Plan.
An invention has been mode that is now 10 be
brought before the attention Of the country, which
promises results OF the highest importance to its In
dus,rial and commercial Interests Ifit produces in
practice What the th sory indicates, It will lead TO
vast development Of our whole Industrial system
agriculture, munuiac ures, and commerce.
The invention consists In the employment OF .
new pripciTle OF locomoton, which will furnish the
basis Of new method Of transportation. By II, the
products OF the eourtry-ts grsins, fruits, meats,
coal, ores, highwincs, aud merchandise generally.
together with the mails-win be transported to and
from all parts of It In few hours instead OF days
and at cost so trhng not to impose any sensible
burden on pro lucuon. II will bs at once admitted
that II such results can he attained, the commerce
and industry OF the country will be plaeei in posses
sion OF facilities which will enlarge immensely their
Geld OF operations, and open new TO the pros.
perity OF the nation.
METHODS or TRANSPORTATION HERETOFORE rsrD.
Before explaining the new method, let US glance
briefly at those that have heretofore been used. 1t
It's principles and process
Bot two distinct methods have been used by mon.
kind mp to the presen, tine In the earlier stage, OF
society," animals were tanned and brought under sub
jecton and used carriers agents o. transports.
uon-the loads TO be carried belng simply packed
upon their backs.
The FIRST invention of man to eTsct transportation
BY mechanical means was the wheel-that is, disk
held upright by cross-blr called the axletree.
Rude carts with two wheels were first constructed
and these simple vehicles were drawn by the ami
mails already tame 4, the rough surface OF the
ground, which was the primitive road.bed OF man
Next, wagons with four wheels were devised, aud
roads were made BY grading the uneven surfaces
then springs were added TO diminish the jolt-an
invention unknown TO the Greeks and Romans and.
lastly, relays OF horses aud Macadam roads In.
troduced marking the higher development atts!ns.
BILE under the system that employs horse power sni
the earth as road.bed. Al length the railroad was
Invented suTplantin II ese imperfect agtn-
cies. 1t is the substitution OF an iroa road.bed,
smooth and level IN the place Of the old roadbed VI
earth, always more or less uneven and rough; and
OF the locomotive In the place Of the horse. The
railroad is the full and nnal development Of the sys
TEN that employs the whee-and-axle principle; II
renders It the most effcient practicable, and com
p,tes the series Of improvements possible In this
direction. Thus, the two means OF transportation
that have been employed In the past are animals and
wheeled vehicles.
THE NEW PRINCIPLE AND ITS METHOD.
The inyention that has been made introduces 4
new principle and with It new method OF trans
portaon, entirely different from the hcret ofore
employed. We will now proceed 10 explain IN wha
the invention consists, and the instrument or sgen
| II uses In place Of the wheeled vehicle.
| The instrument OF locomotion which the Invention
employs Is the sphere which II substitutes for the
| wheel The sphere, or rlobe, Is the simplest and
most complete form OF q vehicle OF motion. Il rolls
without friction, moved with the least power, snd
is capable OF the highest rate OF speed possible to
any form OF material body. Nature employs tn,
sphere wherever she requires high veloetics, as eI
| emplhed in the great planetary bodies. Following
nature In her teachings. the invention employs the
sphere or globe as Its vehicle OF motion. To adap
1t to the purpose OF transportation. Is made hol
| low, and the load TO be carried Is placed inside
Thus, hollow spheres or globes carrying their load
inside, are the vehicles used under the new system
| They may be Of any size, from two to ten feet IN
| diameter. They would be best made Of some one o.
the metals. quite thin and turned in lathe perfect
| for loading aud unloading. which would screw II
and form part OF the surface.
rHE NEW ROAD BED OR TRACK.
The new vehicle requires an equally perfect road
tube and lts sucecssful employment Such tube
have been constructed in London, and are in opera
cars drawn By piston fitting the tube The trac
lion power Is obtained by eIhaus,ing the air 4
'front.' The tubes which the invention employs viii
be trhe larger than the spheres or globes, so that
they can roll freely without touching the sides. o.
the bottom metallic pl te or rail- viii be laid sigh
concavr to adaUt 1t to the cOnyexty Of the sphere
Til, plate or rail viii be It's road-bed The propertie
Which the pneumatic tube possesses NJ II admirably
for the new vehicle Of motion. II Will furnish tn
sphere track that IT, hrst, smooth, even and solid
second. perfectly clean free from dirt and dust, anC
| projected against the perturbinE action OF tn
wind, rain, or snow; third, a passaseway in whici
the spheres moving with the current OF air, will
be impeded in their motion by the resistance Of h
| atmosphere. From these explanations II will b
seen that the invention consists la employing hollow
spheres or globes with the load to be transported
| Inside, operating In pneumatic tubes.
We wll not enter Into details Of construction AM
management. sufrce II to say that lines Of tube
can be easily and rapidly constructed through al
parts OF the country, even In the Rocky Mountains
where 10 railroad can go. Tue tubes may b.
placed undor or over ground, but better over rase'
some fifteen feet In the air, and supported frame
work or piers. They would be best made OF wood
OF narrow pank, ,ongued and groyed, the JOINT
could be built for about 40 go peT mile The rah,
way not incladsd.
To form idea OF the system In praetica; opera
uon, we have but 10 imagine tube six or eight fee
IN diameter, trayersing the country from New Yorl
70 fhiladelphia, supported on framework or piers
the sphere. plsc.d In the mouth at one end. with tn
Air exhausted al the other by air pump, wor Ike,
by steam AZ soon as air enough Ia drawn out OF tn
tuoc 70 Destroy Its equilibrium, current sets In
Mhich, striking the sphtre-and with force proper
unna 10 It's diameter-eArres II rolling rapidly to Il
destination. The spheres will 80 to say, hy on Their
smooth and even track, on which particle OF dirt
or aust exists 10 impede their motion, and no re
sstence OF the atmosphere Is 10 be overcome Tn
pressure on sphere SIX feet In diameter. under
complete exhaustion, IL about 81, 90 pounds Now
when the spheres are once IN motion, less than on,
hundred pounds viii propel them with all the velo
city required. When we consider this fact, we cal
conceive the ease with which a current stronI
enough TO drive them, can be established. In the
pneumatic tubes OF London, ten tons are carried OF
the little cars within thcm forty miles an hour with
pressure OF siI ounces TO the square inch. Qna com
| plete exhaustion, tho pressure is fifteen pounds.
IL this pressure OF sir ounces IL SUFFICIENT to over
come the friction Of car wheels, and OF M air-tgh
hitting piston that drSgs the cars 10 easy 10 under
| stand that very trining pressure will sunice Il
| propel tho spheres (Which are rolled, not slld) ol
| their clean and smooth track.