The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-07-11
Freight by Telegraph.

The familiar pleasantly about send
ing persons from place to place by tele-
graph Is, in the light of modern inven-
ton, far from joke. How speedily
the fact may be realised can not be
said, but just now q worthy English
scientist has come as near an answer
to the question as to have q scheme
perfected for transporting freight by
wire. No one SO much as whimpers q
doubt of the entire practicability of
Professor Fleming Jenkins project of
telpherage. The experiments have been
wholly satisfactory, and the invention
now but awaits practical use. and
lines will be at once constructed to
give 1t this final test.
Telpherage is in truth physical teleg-
raphy, by means of which, instead Of
mystic sounds Ineligible only to
special education, an operator may dis
patch from one station to another mat
ter to the amount of one ton weight,
with no intermediate handling or ser
vice. The means to the accomplish
ment of this end are interesting. Strong
posts, erected at distances OF seventy
feet apart, provided with cross-heads,
will support steel rods about three
quarters of an inch In diameter, one
set of rods serving as the up-line, and
the parallel set as the down-line of the
telpher road; the height of the posts
will be determined by the character Of
the locality traversed. The end of q
rod on one line Is connected by con-
Quoting wire to the end of the next rod
on the other line, the extreme rods
at one end of the line being thus con-
nected to the terminals of the dynamo
electric machine which generates the
current. BY this means consecutive
spans are alternately in different cleo
trical state, and the connecting wire
makes the circuit complete. On the
rods wheels are run from which depend
the trains, consisting of an electric
locomotive and five or six buckets or
carriages. The buckets are connected
with each other by stiff rods, which
maintain the equal distance of each
during the transit of the train up and
down grade or against winds, separat-
ing the buckets from ten to fifteen feet,
thus covering the length of one whole
span of rods. Therefore when part of
train is running down an incline, be-
cause of the bending of the suspended
rod. the other part is going up, one
aiding the other by decreasing the
traction.
Although each train will be able to
carry only about one ton burden, as
trains can be repeatedly run at q dis
lance apart of one-fifth of mile, as
much service can be effected as is usual
with an ordinary railway track. A
great advantage is gained in dispens-
ing with all attendants, the trains
being operated wholly from the sta
tions where are placed the dynamo
machines driven by steam or water
power. 1t is found that acute curves
can be described, a radius of six feet
having been practicable, and gradient
of one foot in ten can with ease be
overcome. A principal objection to
the scheme that will prevent its COM
peting with railway traffic is, in addi-
ton to the distribution of bulk, the
inability of the telpher train to attain
q high rate of speed. No greater SER
vice than five miles an hour is at pres
ent calculated upon, but as the system
is only designed to dispense with team
ing traffic it will not be found that the
rate of travel presents an objection to
its adoption.
According to Professor Jenkins esti-
mate, five miles of telpher road, includ-
ing everything connected with its oper-
alton, can be put in readiness for oper-
alton at cost of $40, 900. and that the
expense of conducting 1t will be about
2 per cent per ton per mile. This more
than favorably compares with road
traffic. A road of five miles costs about
$25, 900 for construction, while the cost
of carriage is about 1 shilling per ton
per mile. If the telpher system is
found to be practical it can be made of
great value and profit to mining and
other districts where the condition of
country makes railway construction
impossible or unprofitably expensive.
The system will never be popular to
intramural operation, owing to the
positive objection to telegraph wires
overhead, which would be greatly in
tensified by the telpher lines. But
there can be no question that the in
vention will prove of very great benefit
to many important interests IL the in
ventor Is happily fortunate in his en-
deavors, and with the greater perfec-
ton of the mechanical operation, in
higher applied power, great gain may
be made in the rate of time in transfer.
The scheme is ut any rate interesting,
and its development will be curious1y
watched.-InterO Ocean,