Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-04-14

in treaty with the municipality OF Berlin
to take over the omnibus traffic of the
city, and it is said that that body is al
most convinced of the demonstration
offered to it. 1t is further proposed to
construct network of mid-air railways
on the same system. In this case the
rails would run above the footways, be-
ing supported on one side by lamp posts
and on the other by iron pillars close to
the walls OF the houses. By q contrlv-
ance consisting of hooks projecting from
the bottom of the wagons, and so dispos-
ed as to catch the rails should a lateral
Jolt Occur, the danger of overseeing it is
provided against The working of the
new machine is said to be almost noise
less. In the case of the mid air railways
it is proposed to run at time only one
carriage, which will be in itself engine
and wagon, with separate compartments
for ladies and gentlemen. III the cone
difficulty" does not prove am impossible
obstacle the Prussians will be able to
say that for once their boosted intellectual
superiority has produced something
more valuable than improvements in
the art of slaughtering their fellow crea-
lures.
THE Pillow AND WHEELED CARRIAGE.
The origin of the pillow and wheeled
carriage was the subject of a paper lately
read by DR.. Taylor before the London
Archaeological Institute. He believed
that the first agricultural implement was
pointed stick, which at a later state OF
development was bent at the end into
the form of hoe and had the point
hardened in the fire. After the lapse of
ages larger implement of the same
shape came into use. 1t was not en-
| ployed like the hoe or '"hack" but was
drawn by men or oxen. Among our own
Indians In the traditional lore of Sweden,
in Egypt's pictured pages of remote
past, there are more or less distinct
traces of the above transition. Greek,
Egyptian, Chinese severally possessed
the germ, SO to speak, OF the modern
pillow before mans acts found their
Herodotus. The spur was next shod
with iron, the more efficiently to fulfill
the purpose of the conner or share. Vir-
gil lived at q time when the pillow had
reached a very high state of perfection.
Tt was then constructed witha wheel and
an upward projecting handle, like the
best form of ploW In use in Europe In
the eighteenth century; and, it might
well be added, like the paows still en-
ployed near Mantua and Venice at the
present day. Dr.. Taylor, unlike other
Investigators, is unwilling to concede
that the pillow was the progemtor of the
vehicle OF to-day; he assigns that honor
to the sled is is more probably just. 1t
would soon be found that the introduce
ton of rollers beneath it's sled would
facilitate it's traction. But as it was not
necessary that every part of the roller
should rest on the ground the diameter
of the middle was reduced with obvious
advantage. Slowly in this way the
wheel, solid throughout and rig1dly at
tached to the axle, came into existence.
The wheel and axle of the Scythians re-
volved together Even now some of the
picturesque carts of Italy and Portugal
have drum wheels fixed on axles which
revolve in bearings like forks open below.
From the rude Harvesting of the yoke,
attached to the horns or wethers of oxen
at first the advance to the present
method was also gradual But it is
easy to follow this and the other inn
provements in the pillow and wheeled We
hicles up to their existing condition
through the aid of recorded history.