The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-10-20
Sail Car.

| his letter from Bunker Hill, kaS., has
the following to say: have just had g
novel and exciting experience-a ride in
sail car across the plains of Kansas
the particulars of which, fancy, will
be interesting to your readers. 1t oc-
Cured in this wise:
/ stepped out of the train at Ellis (the
end of the third division, Kansas Pacific
railroad), at 2:15 this morning. In the
| dim starlight l beheld the confused
J forIas of detached houses and locomo-
| tives, but not a living, stirring human
creature. So, throwing myself down
upon the grass, / laid my satchel beneath
my head, pulling my waterproof over
me, and soon fell into a refreshing sleep.
In such a balmy, delicious night, the
plains of Kansas are the best resting
place in the world. I'did not awake till
the sun was several degrees above the
horizon.
Ellis was the first approach to the
idea of town that l had seen since
leaving Denver. The names you see on
the maps are mere station-houses of the
meanest character, where the man who
mends that section of the railroad lives
with his wife and children, the assistant
laborers being bestowed in "dug-Outs"
around him. Ellis is a quadrangle of
about ], 900 feet each way, two sides be-
ing formed by the railway and its ma
chine shops, the other sides beirg
genuine street, with shops, hotel, restau
rant, billiard saloon and so on, and what
l take to be equality row." from the
pretentiOus style of two of the houses
thereon.
After breakfast l set forth again on
my tramp, my steps being directed toward
the next station. Fort HAYS.
| heard a rattling on the rails behind
me, and turning, l beheld-what Did
my eyes deceive me? Was it actually
an ice-boat on wheels? While l was
thus speculatlng the thing flashed past
me like lightning. However, the two
men on board beckoned to me to join
them, and running up, 1 soon found
myself on the deck of a sailing car.
This one is the only vechicle of the kind
in the world, and am the first newspa-
per correspondent that has sailed upon
it. That is even better than ballooning.
This sail car is six feet long, the width
being that of the ordinary hand car on
broad gauge road. The mast is about
sixteen feet high, and is rugged with a
triangular sail of dark, snuff colored
cotton, containing nine square yards.
The sail is rugged latteen-wise, the lower
spar being about ten feet long. A red
signal flag is fixed at the top of the mast.
The wheels are those in ordinary use on
railways. On each side of the deck is
fixed a bench two feet high, lor crew
and passengers. The whole machine
probably weighs about 1000 pounds.
The two men on board 1 shall call re-
spectively the captain and the pilot.
7 l.,
had charge of all the tanks in this
division of the Kansas Pacific railroad.
This machine he had devised about four
years ago to run up and down the road
and inspect the water supply of his
division. He said it could be run almost
every day. There is constantly a gentle
gale blowing over this beautiful plateau,
which is always at service to impel the
machine. The pilot, it must be con-
fessed, was an ill-conditioned fellow, whose
chief answer was a snarl. Noticing a
pair of crutches on the deck, regarded
him more attentively, and found that
he had lost his left leg, from about the
middle of the thigh. l asked him how
this misfortune occurred, but he
mumbled evasively. I suppose it was
some railroad accident, and the company
had pensioned him off in this very easy
and agreeable berth.
The speed of the sail car depends of
course upon the nature of the ground.
Where you are passing behind the swell
ling of the prairie or any obstruction
(there are very few trees in Kansas the
speed slackens considerably; but out on
the open plain, or along the top of an
embankment, the velocity becomes ter
rife. Then to swoop round curve or
dash across a bridge makes one shudder,
OF grind ones teeth. The average rate,
the captain said, is about fifteen miles
an hour. In passing over embanknents
it is generally necessary to put on the
brake. 1t is impossible to imagine any
method of locomotion more easy or de
lightful. The machine Skins along over
the smooth rails like huge bird. was
reminded of Millions allusion to the
Swift Chineses flying in their
"caney carriages" over the plains of
the Tartary-but 1 forget the precise
quotation.