The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-06
HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR
PROMISED RATE OF TRAVEL FROM
ST. LOUIS TO CHICAGO.

DR.. wellington Adams Tells Electric
Club Members of a Wonderful Elec-
trio Railroad-The Secret OF Ais
Motors Retained.
From the NetU York Times.
The Empire State express, which flies
from New York to Buffalo, is soon to be
entirely eclipsed by an electric express
travelling at thunderbolt speed over u road
as straight as an arrows course if ths story
be not q dream which DR.. Wellington
Adams unfolded last night to the members
OF the Electric Club.
The wonderful train OF the future, &C
cording to DR.. Adams, is to be run between
St Louis and Chicago. and in comparison
with it all Of the present "thunderboltn and
lightning" vestibule expresses will fade
into the insignificance Of way trains, fit
only for third-class traffic.
| DIR. Adams is the engineer of the proposed
| road, and as a company of st. Louis CAPT.
talists has raised $6O00,000 to build the
road the dream stage of the project, at
least in their minds, appears to have been
passed.
The tremendous speed Of this new rail-
road is not Its only curious feature. The
shape and nature of its cars, the track, the
| roadbed. the mode of propulsion, all are
| equally curious to those who have been ac-
customed to steam railroads, and not the
! least curious thing about the whole scheme
is the calculation which DR.. Adams made
| to the effect that One~tenth of all the visit
ors to the worlds fair are expected to pay
| s. apiece for a round trip on tina road.
The plan of the road was suggested to
me while in Europe last year. the doctor
said, ''and my original plan was to run it
! from New Ork to Boston. After return
lag to America investigated this route and
| found it to be impracticable for high speed
| and straigt away and level track because
Of the great number of towns on the way
| and tho billy nature of the country. Be-
tween Chicago and st. Louis we found the
conditions to be perfect. We have surveyed
an air line, and absolutely straight line. be-
tween the two cities, and the distance is 24S
| miles, By the Chicago and Alton railroad
it is 2S2 miles, and by the Wabash road it is
still further. Our route lies between these
routes, and is thirty-four miles shorter than
| the Chicago and Alton.
we have already acquired over 60 per
cent of the right of way and we will soon
have the rest. The road will cost So, 900, 600,
and will be in operation when the worlds
| fair opens. For POO miles of the distance
the country is as fiat as the surface of q
| billiard table Our maximum grade will
| not exceed two feet in 100, and that will
| occur at only two points, in Madison county.
! At present there are 200 through passen>
! gers between Chicago and ST. Louis on the
railroads, and the transportation of the
through mails costs Sl05, 900 per annum.
We expect 10 transport 100000 world's
fair visitors at s. apiece for the round trip.
'WesWill have two central stations on the
| line-one at Wilmington or Fairbury, III b,
and the other at Edinburgh. At the latter
| we have bought coal mine, and at Wilm-
inGton there is a 10,000-horse power water
| fall which we will lease so that we can
furnish our power at nominal cost. We
! will divide the road into four sections. or
| equal circuits. AT first we will build two
| heavy tracks for through express trains
| They will travel at the average rate of 100
miles per hour, and will make no stops be-
| tween the two cities. We will build spurs
| out to Springfield, Decatur, Bloomington
| and other large towns.
From Spr ingfeld and Decatur through
trains will run to Chicago without stop, at
| the same rate of speed. Eventually we will
have a 4-track road, with the two outside
tracks for local srafIic. The local trains
will stop every mile, and will constitute
| practically continuous street car service
| bet ween Chicago aud st. Louis.
Our trains will run into the union sta
ton at st. Louis. over an elevated railroad,
and the Chicago terminus will be at the
fair grounds. We have secured the right
OF way for twenty-nine miles out of Chica-
go, and we are all right az the st. Louis
end. The roadbed will be sloping with
porus bottom, and there will be ditch
between the two sets of tracks, and ditch
outside Of each set. This will prevent the
settling of the tracks,
1--WE wills use the 70-pound California
continuous. overlapping rail, with stone
ballast, and all the crossings will be over
head our road.
will be used. The wire will run along
about on a level with the side of the roof Of
the car.
"The car will weigh only fifteen tons. and
will carry forty passengers. The roof will
be only ninety feet above the top of the
rails. Every car will be motor car and
passenger coach combined. The passenger
compartment will be in the middle section
of the car. The forward end of the car
will have the shape of half cone, and will
come down to a point near the ground and
between the center Of the tracks. The
motor man will stand In the front compart-
ment.
There will be pilot wheel on each side
OF the car at the trout aHd rear, aud O driv-
ing wheel six feet in diameter at the front
and rear. The shape of the front OF the car
is calculated to decrease the atmospheric
resistance, and 1t will also serve as a cow
catcher.
AT the rear OF the car will be q compart-
ment for mail and baggage. On each driv-
ing wheel will be motor weighing 6,132
pounds, and capable Of 200-horse power at a
speed of 500 revolutions OF the wheel per
minute. The armature will be mounted
rigidlY on the ankle Of the driving wheel.
Each car will be equipped with air and
electric brakes
1.-The poles for the trolley wire will be so
constructed that the wire will not sag and
thus interfere with the speed and motion of
the train when travelling at a high velocity.
There will be but single wire tor each set
Of tracks, and through this wire we can
develop an electric power OF %, 900 voltage.
The trolley wheel will be twelve inches in
diameter. The entire road will be fenced in
and will be divided into twenty Bottoms,
with transforming station at the centre Of
each section. BY our system the cars will
not wear out the rails and roadbed, and we
will need no conductors or brakemen."
DIR. Adams illustrated his lecture with
many stereopticon views Of the proposed
road, cars. motors, etc. At its conclusion
several members of the club expressed mild
regret that be had not given away the
actual secrets of his motors and the method
by which he transmitted so much power
through q single wire. DR.. Adams smiled,
but did not further elucidate.
Civil Engineer George Forbes of London
commended the scheme Of the proposed