The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-11-02
NEWS AND GOSSIP.
A GREAT GRAVITY TUNNEL.


"a double-ended submarine to-
boggan slide for cars on wheels
with cable attachment, is the la
test idea for crossing the East Riv'
err" is the way a New York paper
alludes to a recent invention of
Major R. S. Henning, that is Great
ing great stir in New York and
Brooklyn just now. Some time ago
an account was published of Major
Henning's bold and startling prop
osition to transportpassengers from
the City Hall in New York to the
City Hall in Brooklyn in one min
ute's time. The invention is based
upon very old and well-established
principle, namely, that a car will
run down a hill, and that the mo-
mentum thus acquired will carry
the car up a corresponding slope
commencing at the declivity, for a
distance corresponding with the
speed it has acquired. In this, is
in brief, involved the principle upon
which the inventor proposes to con-
struct a submarine railway con-
Meeting the two cities, and by which
the proposed wonderful annihila-
ton of space is to be accomplished.
The proposed submarine road will
consist Of deep concave tunnel
with an enormously strong double
track in the center, and rails ten
inches high. The wheels of the cars
are to be provided with eight-inch
tlanges, and the guard rails will reach
nearly up to the axles. The force
which sends the cars up the second
declivity is supplemented by ca
BILE system which draws them to the
top. An engineer of worldwide
reputation has said that nothing
could be more simple and practical
BILE, and the chances of an accident
would be reduced to a mere min
imum." A stock company has been
organized under the Henning GRAY
ity Tunnel Patent, and the first ap-
plication of the system is to be
made between a point on Grand
street, New York, under the East
river to some point in Brooklyn.
The projectors expect to have the
system in practical operation by
1892. The width of the river at
Grand street is 1000 feet, and it is
claimed that the actual time which
will be consumed in crossing from
station to station will be only SO
seconds. Speed, however, is not
the only merit claimed for this
wonderful invention, and its endor-
sers urge for it as one of its recon-
mendations that the risk of travel
will be much less than by any other
mode of travel.
FARM FLOODED WITH PETROLEUM.
4 serious break occurred in the
new joint which had been put in
the main oil line running from
Bradford, Pa, to Jersey City last
Monday morning, and was only
stopped Wednesday after a large
quantity of oil had been distributed
over the large model farm of Benz.
+. Dunning, completely saturating
the valuable land with petroleum.
The oil passed close to his barns,
and there was danger of their being
flooded. When word was sent to the
officers of the company, their men
were ordered not to let the oil run
in the creeks but to collect it in
pools until the level of the break
was reached. This was done, and
the oil was burned Wednesday
morning, a favorable southern
breeze having sprung up. Large
quantities of the oil were carried
off by some of the farmers in the
vicinity for their private use, before
the pools were fired.
A NEW EXPLOSIVE.
4 new explosive recently patented
by young Swede named Ericsson,
was tested in New York last week.
The new compound is called extra
lite, and it is claimed to be of great
power, but also to be absolutely
harmless when not confined in air.
tight and rigid receptacle. Extra
lite is an innocent looking, granu-
lated substance, about the color and
general appearance of coarse corn
meal. made Of a compound Of am
Enoniacal salt, hydro-carbon and
chIorate of potash. The first ex-
pertinent was to demonstrate its
safety while burning in the open
air, Ericsson built a fire, broke open
four packages of extralite and scat
Tered it on the flames. There was
no explosion, the extralite burning
rapidly, with Kissing sound and
yellow flame. Next a percussion
cap and fuse were attached to one
ofthe cartridges and the fuse lighted.
Inc cap went OF, but the cartridge
remained intact. Then the invent
or poured some of the explosive on
rock and pounded it violently
with a stone. Then borings in the
solid rock were loaded with the ex-
trallte. One hole was Is inches
deep and 8 ounces of extralite were
rammed into it. Two other holes