The Portland daily press., 1891-01-12
RAILROAD FOR ARoosTook.
e. MOODY Eoynton's AdvIce-What
Democrats Think OF the Speaker.
Especial to the Press.l

WASHINGTON, January 10.-Portland peo
ple will remember the novel bicycle locomo.
tive which the Portland Company built few
years ago for E. Moody Boynton. the inven-
tor. The locomotive had but one wheel and
ran upon single rail. being steadied in its
upright position by guiding rail which was
held In place above the locomotive by a
framework. The locomotive was two stor-
les in height and made to haul two story cars.
AT the time the machine was on exhibition
| in the ward of the Portland Company many
| speculatiops and prOphesies were INDUCED
| In by mechanics and many who were not me-
chanics. This week Mr.. Boynton has been
in Washington, and In response to the in
quiries of the PRESS correspondent gave a
very fiattering report Of the progress Of his
new system Of railroading. As Is we'll
known he has hid about two miles of road
in operation re's New York city at Brighton
built by the Portland Company have been
running all summer. The road has been run
as regular system OF transportation, and
connecting roads have sold through tickets
on 1t. Mr.. BOynton says the seasons work
has been very fiattering. About sixty thou
sand passengers have been carried; and the
trains have attained the tremendous speed
of ninety miles an hour as a part Of their
regular work. The coal consumption is
something marvellous for its small size. For
about as far daily as from Boston to New
York. In all that month all the trains used
but fourteen tons OF coal. The success OF
this little piece of road has been such as to
warrant the building of longer lines; and
Mr.. -Boynton says that one hundred miles of
road are already under construction from
LAKE Charles to Alexandria and will be CON-
pleted in June. In addition to this contracts
have just been signed for the construction of
forty miles in very populous and busy por-
tiOn of Washington State. The Louisiana
road will be quite novelty, as it will not
only be bicycle railroad but double track
standard gauge as WELL The road is built
at standard gauge and fitted for
work and overhead guiding rails are put up
so that bicycle trains can come aud 60 on
each rail. Thus the standard eange bt comes
s ee mads son
ern pine, extending 16 feet above the track.
The bicycle trains are to be used to carry
passengers and the mails, and are TO make
the distance of 100 miles between Lake
Charles and Alexandria in one hour. The
regular ordinary trains, which Will haul
freight probably, are to be run upon switch
es while the bicycle trains pass on the main
track. The cars are to be two stories in
height, but quite narrow. They are to
weigh about at the rate of 100 pounds to each
passenger, which makesla much lighter car
than the ordinary cars, some of which
weigh several thousand pounds to passen-
ger.
Mr.. Boynton suggests that the people Of
Aroostook had better examine his system
before they decide what road they will build
into their country. He thinks he could
furnish them with system that would be
better and cheaper than the old established
system.
A prominent Maine Democrat who has
been In Washington for few days confessed
the other day that he had had his eyes open
ed. He had read the Democratic papers as
siduously for the past year, and had really
come to believe that Speaker Reed had trod-
den the poor Democrats under foot and made
their lives burdens to them. This Maine
Democrat Is by no means an obscure man,
and he associated on terms, of Intimacy with
the members OF his party in the House.
What was his surprise to find that nearly all
the Democratic members had high personal
regard for the Speaker, whom they have so
often denounced as cZar and tyrant.
And l found, faid the. old Maine Demo
crat, THAT those who did not like him ad-
mired his courage and ability" The old
Maine Democrat has found out that the bat
ties of the House of Representatives do not
necessarily imply personal sentiments. and
that the charges OF partisanshlp and tyranny
trumped up against a speaker for campaign
and partisan purposes de not stand the in
spection when looked at from near point of
view.
1t is queer by the way that no Democrat
-has noticed the evidences of the terrible
suppression of debate" by Speaker Reed
last session. In the first session OF Mr.. Car
isles Congress, when debate, filibustering
and many other performances were free,
just 10 volumes of the Congressional Record
were required to contain the debates of Con-
gress. For the first session of Mr.. Reeds
Congress, which adjourned 10 days earlier
than did Mr.. Carlisle's, IL volumes Of the
Record are required to hold the debates. 1t
is undoubtedly the truth that there never
was Congress when debate was so full in
the House as during the first session of this
Congress. The trouble with the Democrats
was that they had to debate the measures
which the majority wanted to consider in
stead of measures which they themselves
would have preferred to debate. They de-
claimed against tyranny because they could
not do as they wanted to.
Elias Thomas, Esq, has been among the
Portland visitors at the Canifal