The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-05-17
A THOUSAND MILES AN HOUR.

1
rapid transit in It's various projected ant
accomplished forms, London's under
ground road, New York's mid.air tram
ways, the electric roads Of Paris and
Berlin, the proposed air.ship route across
the continent were discussed, and Their
the talk became more ianciful. What
men might achieve in the way OF rapid
locomotion as new discoveries were made
in electricity, aerostatlcs, mechanical
combinations, and kindred branches O.
Investigation was pictured with such
powers OF imaginations as each speaker
possessed.
"Well, gentlemen" said thin.iaced
mlddle.aged man, whose features and &C
cent pronounced him Yankee with all
the thrift inqulsltiyeness and daring o.
the tribe, "you may talk all you want Ia
about rapid transit, and imagine all you
can as possible or probable, but ! have
had an actual experience which Is q
greater wonder than all your fiction. !
have travelled at the rate OF 1000 miles
an hour,
"You weren't at the centennial ball,
were your" sarcastiCally remarked one
OF the party, while another told the fast
traveller that fish stories were barred,
Everything that an admitted fabrlca.
ton goes" said he, "but facts OF that
nature are suspicious" said man who
owns n block OF stock In the Lake street
elevated road.
"I'm going to tell you the story, and
you can lay 1t on the table or not, as
you choose" persisted the thin'iaccd
man, and he gave the following account
Of bis experience;
"some years ago was In business in
Columbus, Ohio, aud, being about as
well.to.do rs most OF them, 1 was con.
sidered one OF the solid men OF the
place. had the reputation-desery
too-of being always ready to invest
money where there was a fair show OF a
successful enterprise, and, as conse.
auence, was oVerrun With cranks who
had all sorts OF schemes they wished to
interest me In, and, incidentally, my
money. wasn't little bit OF a sucker,
though, and ! seldom got fooled to any
extent.
zone day man called to see me 10
INTRODUCE, he said, the most wonderful
discovery OF this or any other time. He
was German, Of such IN appearance
that ! could only guess at his age. Il
might DO 90 or 90, you couldn't tell
which. lie was a graduate, he said, oil
Geottipgcn University, and had made
magnetism and electricity his life study.
He claimed to have discovered the prln,
cipal OF the telephone years before Gray
or Bell thought Of II, but he had not seen
its commercial value, and would not
have bothered with II, II he had. He
was full Of only one idea-rapid travel.
inRv-anl no had, he said, almost per.
iected machine with which he could
OUTRAGE the sun. He wanted money
much-to complete the work, aud fol
this assistance he would give share 10
the profits OF his invention. He had in
herited a fortune and had spent II all In
experiments, and his last combination o.
principles he WIS certain would be
success.
"The fellow impressed me tavorably Us
10 himself, but l thought his scheme
hair.pSained. Heseemed honest, though
He didn't propose 10 sell me block o.
stock in q new company or 10 sell me {
patent capitalized Oh 3 fabulous basis
| He wanted only Q few hundred dollar
to pay for some parts OF bis Invention
which an memorable maChinest would
deliver only when he saw the cash,
agreed to aid him on condition that he
should explain 10 mo tho method BY
which he proposed to travel 80 fast. "A
thousand 'mileu M hour, said /, why
| that Is as fast as the earth FeYolves; YOU
will leave II behind you.'
I'Ah,' said he, you have got the ldet
Just reversed I let tho earth leave mt
behind"
6I asked him to explain and he open
ed.a big roll OF Colored drawings which
he carried and started In on his eXplana
ton. Icould not attempt to explain al
he did, but the principle Is this:
1.-THE axes oil the magnetic and OF thl
material would cross at right angles
Magnetic attraction and what is known
as the attraction oil gravitation are bu
opposite poles Of tho same force, bR
each pole gathers 10 itself different form
OF cognate forces. The motion Of grayi
tatlon 10 from west 10 east; that Of Thu
magnetic universe from south 10 north
An illustration OF the two is The mag
netic needle. While an ordinary pieGI
Of metal the attraction Of gratithtlot
holds II Onthralled. Condition 1t so tina
tho magnetic force may seize IL and tht
attraction Of gravitation Is defed ant
tho needle always points toward tn
magnetic pole. The machine my inven
tor had constructed vas the needle Of
compass on large scale.
80 dellCately adjusted was the rela
liyity Of the many magnetic Of which !
was composed that he claimed that b,
elevatinR II into tho air by means Of
balloon and completing The magnetic eli
cult he could remain Stationary Will
the earth revolyed under him. Tile 70
Volution Of the earth On itg axis does 90
vary tho position Of tho magnetic poIe
he explained. we will mot 70 with Til
earth on its journey through space, bu
Ve will let IL pass Us on Us revolution
around Ile magnetic pole, 10 which
will remain ElB b The needle 70 th
> star,
at was worth The money as a curiol
ity, / thought, and l made the condltloi
OF giving II 70 him that the fifst trial {
the machine was 10 be made from %
umbuB and Will no % Q passengei
What / did looks iool.hardy from Obi
distance oitiinC, but / then felt not th
sllghtesE fear,
with tho greatest 10y told me tho mi
: chine was finished and would arrive |
q day or 10 BY freight. A number I
! boxes were hauled up 70 my place on
: day and the inventor asked peftnlsslo
10 nut II together on the Aat roof Of III
store. This | gayp him, and he went
3 work aud had the boxes carried u
there. After a day o. 90 he told me
come up and 500 the invention.
looked Tor oil the world like q typ
writing machine without tho key.boatt
, The round top, no told me, was made!
! sixteen horseshoe magnets, arranged
/. a particular way, and the hundreds
! small pieces Of metal connected oth'