, 1874-01-25

the rails for city use; but none OF these hare yet
proved acceptable, except the horsepower. and
the danny with steam-power in exceptional
caees aud to q limited extent.
Tho street railway, proper IS it is. Is d very
crude contriyance introduced ITO the city with
yary little manifestation OF mechanical inven-
tion. from, the sheer necessity to have something
Of the kind TO meet the demands of the public.
It ia only the steam railway with cars with the
lange-vheel and fixed axles appliances neces-
sary for keeping on the track), introduced
into tho street without the steam. and
where no absolute necessity exists for keeping
upon the ra;ls. There is here evidently sphere
for inventive genius to apply itself to the I'M
proyenent OF the means Of transit in the city
as it pertains to both track and motive power.
The horao is getting worn out, if not played out.
as a motive power, md he has some claims upon
humanity to be enlancipated from the excessive
labor to which he is condemned in this work for
the public. And steam, with its puff and snort,
smoke, fire, and Jog, is not the fit agent to sup
nlant tho horse IN crowded thoroughfares.
We welcome, therefore, any advance toward
improvement either in the ways or IN the pro-
naI|ine Lower Of stroet-locomotion. II it be
practicable. tho public will welcome it; and there
will be none to oppose it, except such features
of the improvement as will initiate against the
monopoly Of the street railways THE IR1nUNE
recently noticed the reported invention OF AIR.
E. G. BIatherwick OF plan for En- elevated street
railway. As Chicago invention it deserves
= special local confederation. II offered
as a useful suggestion, it really points
to something practicable in the way OF
imnroyement in this direction. The s'ele
yated" feature OF it has no originality,
The suspension OF the cars below the bearing
plate is not original and has often been suggest
ed for street use, and has been actually and sue
cessfully tried in the transportation OF coal IN
the mines of Wales. These arc commeodable
features for city use, as We got nd OF the
nuisance Of tho raised rnilB adopted for hange-
wheels in the middle Of the street. Tho
originality Of Mr. Blatherwick's plan consists in
the inclined plano of the track. md in the me-
CQaQlcA4 Qef1E6 lux AAAAAAk 01A NtoA*SAAAt, ~A~S
car suspended from this inclined plane. It in
yo1yea the double invention of track or way
ard motive power; for 1t ia proposed that
this inclino Of the track (dcscending On a scale
OF twenty-five feet to the milej, will DO the Ap-
plication Of the power OF gravitation to propel
the car. And the process suppoaes that the car
il ALWAYS to bo running down hill. That is an
unheard-of problem in mechanics. But the con-
tinuous eravitation is provided for by the pro-
vision Of some stationary power at certain stages
sav mile apart, that shall lfs the car to the
HIGHEST elevation OF the incline, to send tho
rollinc-eear On it's downward and forward course,
while the car is kept suspended sufficiently near
to the earth to admit Of free entrance. by mo-
chanlcal attachment to the suspend'ng tackle,
that takes up tho car rs the iuclinng progress of
it's wheels approaches the surface. Now these
are all unquestionable mechanical p1actl-
| cabilities.-the incline, the stationary power,
the SUSPENDED car, and the adjustable
suspension; but the curious person will inquire
for the Dractica1ility OF the whole arrangement
Is it supposed that the car, with all it's running
| Accomplishments and weight of passengers, Will
aver CONE down this slight incline faster than q
snails pace, if it even moves ut an from any
ascent that is possible to be made, lncumbored
ma IT will bo with necessary friction, the arrest Of
its velocity by tho oft-repeated stops necessary
to take on and put off passengers at every block! !!
| Rnt. nevertheless, the ''inyention" may sug-
/ 10 MD ffa mr. tn
be stored up and held in reserve for its special
nae at the several stages and stations for the
stationary power, such as the winding up OF
spripg-c1ook machinery, BY which the car
NAV bo made to trnverss its appointed
distance. But more particularly is it
sugcestivo Of the practicability OF an
e1evated sincle-rai track on which might bo sus-
| pended light and elegant car propelled by some
mower not 80 remote, and which would move
uoiselessly and gracefully along the edge OF the
sidewalk without the rumble, jostlinE, and con-
cnss;ons OF the car upon the rail and street
paving.
But notwithstanding Ill these eccentric At
| tompts at Improvement in the means OF Etreet
the f8Cf Ll8t Gal k1A oAA1
common roadway is the natural and proper ave
oue for their traffic, and but small portion o1
facilities Of the common way has get beer
worked up. ANY thronged thoroughfare in any
great city is capable Of doing double the work il
now does for the accommodation Of the people il
| tbe most we're made that could be made Of it,
rom. This can be done by the improvement
OF the vehicles, syatematizing the kinds oft1afac
adopting regulations for driving, and intro
ducing q style Of pavement appropriate fo'
tho treadway Of the horse, and the proper mate
rial for the wheel-way Of the carriage, thu
bringing the moving throng into line and order
and, at the same time. greatly lessening the "ea
uoop the paving. These are needed reforms ap
parent to any oae who reflects upon the subject
And it would seem better to have public Atten
| ton turned to the problem Of doing mora w1se