The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-23
NOT FAR FROM FLYING.
Trains Going One Hundred Niles an
Hour
TORUN BETWEEN ST. LOUIS 4 CHICAGO
a. Electric Railway to Bs Absolutely
straight Between These Two cities.
Description OF the Novel Enterpriss.

,,s,,nurr H.. for the Chicago and ST.
,.,ts Electric Line. which is to make a
...o5 OF 100 miles per hour. little did or
..ts she know the true significance OF
80 wonderful change in railway trans
..-.stion she was inaugurating.
NY Wellington Adams, the protector OF
49,. CHICAGO and ST. Louis electric rail-
NV is a practicing physician. as well
a.. author Of standard work on
...t. therapeutics. In the great Bell
.r.re slt be was electrical expert
... Government He claims 10 be
s..I inventor and patentee for
..-e mechanism now in use in
....r.I car in the United States.
' . rrasecuting his claims in the
.. 'rHrrEements. etc.
..t fat We live in an age OF
dove. pmcnts. electrical and
r. novel claims and aston
...t.nerfs put forth I'm the pros
t..... ly the Chicago and St
r..rf. Railroad Company would
.~ .. beyond the bounds Of human
t.Irr That there is every posi-
$500. NJ revolution in the mode and
,'....i ~ railway transportation is. and
,.e n... for some time. patent to close
[r..r...s interested in such matters
r...t iu Some way or other electricity is
?, t,ev most if not an all-important
r.rt SIS also as patent.
As fo Che special or peculiar method or
r.n there is more Of doubt than of GER
fnts However. Macaulay has said that
nothing is impossible that does not in
v.t. "a contradiction. Until a thing is
clearly proven impossible it cannot
confidently be said 20 be an impossibility
IT, Adams plan is now 10 have the op-
r.r1uity Of being tried in the balance
az rracticabiiity for the road is now
- building in earnest.
The road is TO be an absolutely straight
Dr.. between East ST. Louis and Chicago.
il win have no railroad or country road
CROSSINGS at grade or on a level with it's
uau lnc. The country roads are to be
thrown mp over the tracks Of the electric
system hy means Of wooden bridges.
There viii ba 24S Of these wooden bridges.
The tracks viii be thrown up over the
tla.N sings OF other railroads by
bridges more elaborate than those thrown
up over the country roads, the former
costing some 1910 each AID the latter
10000 each. The cost Of these latter-of
which there viii be seVenteen-will be
saved in the prevention Of accidents.
These plans give the company roadway
completely closed I'm and free from all OBJ
etruciions between Chicago and st. Louis.
There viii be no frogs OF switches to
break the main line and no draw-bridges.
At first two heavyweight through tracks
will be constructed exclusively for through
passenger traffic. mail, express. The local
business win for a while be done during
certain hours. Ultimately, however, two
more tracks viii be constructed, Of light
weight, being outside tracks. for strictly
local traffic and high-class freight.
The road viii be divided up into twenty
five sections of ten miles each. The cars
viii run one section apart, and no cur
rent will flow into the intermediate sec
ton, so that it will be absolutely impos-
Rible for cars to come within ten miles
Of each other. This viii constitute
complete block system. making collisions
absolutely impossible. The road will be
illuminated by incandescent electric
lamps for one mile ahead and for one
mile behind every car while running at
nleht. The through cars will not stop
between the terminal cities.
Spurs or branches will be run connect
ing the large cities along the line Of the
main road, and from these cities through
cars will be run to and from ST. Louis
and Chicago The standard schedule time
Of through cars will be 100 miles an hour.
lt viii be unnecessary TO travel at night,
the trip being made between Chicago and
Z.
or three hours. At night the
tracks viii be reserved for high
class freight, express and mail matter.
The necessity Of running heavy Pullman
cars VIII not exist. proving a great saw
Ing alike to the company and the travel
Ing public.
The electric coach or car that will be
run IS long, low. compact, light, but
strong with two pairs of driving wheels,
stftff III 1f
tric motors The whole weight of the
car, with passengers and two electric
motors comes upon these two pairs or
driving wheels, making all available Tor
adhesion between the rails and the
wheels.
The top Of the car stands only nine feet
from the rail, making il three feet lower
than the ordinary street-car This brings
the centre Of gravity very low and near
20 the track. making it Impossible TO
jump the track. The car has wedge
shaped nose I'm front for cutting the air,
thus decreasing the atmospheric resist
Ruce, besides helping the car TO keep the
track. The motorman stands Just back
Of this wedgc-shaped nose or front.
Between his place and the rear wheels is
the passenger compartment To the rear
Of this is the compartment for mail and
high-class express.
amcter, capable Of 500 revolutions a
minute, giving the car a speed of 100
miles AN hour. With this large driving
wheel the axle does not reVOlVe at a
higher speed than the aXles under an or
binary passenger coach travelling fifty
miles an hour hence the friction will be
no greater The aNlcs will turn on roller
bearings. requiring no oil.
The Wcieht Of the entire car, with
Nj M
These electric coaches viii be Illuminated
and heated by electricity. and contain
every modern Improvement necessary to
the comfort of the passengers. There
Will be conductors and 10 brakemen,
no coal stokers or hremen. II will be
POSSIBLE 10 stop q car within half a min
ute by the motors themselves. in conjunc-
ton with auxiliary electric and air
brakes.
The road viii be operated by what is
known as the muitl-phased alternating
currents OF electricity. Under this sys-
tenn motors require no commutators or
brushes. and may be 50 constructed as to
b. water and firc-procf. The overhead
electric construction viii be used. with
central o0les and cross arms, a trolley
Wire running along the side Of the car.
Dr. AdarDs claims that nothing Is at
tempted in his system e2 cept what has
ar eady been actually accomplished. at
TIE Frankfort Exposition the possibility
O. transmitting electric power long dis
unces with economy was demonstrated,
~ horsepower being there transmitted
electrically over a distance Of l0S miles,
with an efficiency Of seyenty-hve per
ecnt.
The physical possibility OF running a