The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1892-01-09
$50 MILES AN HOUR.
The PorteIectric Com pany's Idea of Send
ing Fast Mail Matter.

ing Fast Mail Matter.
The Porteectric company, which has re-
Gently been incorporated under the laws of
Virginia, proposes TO transmit mail mat
ter between New York and Philadelphia
in forty minutes when it gets into opera
tion. The incorporators are mainly prom
inent New York men. The nominal capi.
tai of the company is s. 900, 900, and the
promoters are sanguine that their system
will make sufficiently favorable showing
to warrant the investment of abundant
capital to build and equip the lines.
The company has for some time been
operating an experimental line at Dor
chester, Mass, and Prof. A. T.. Dolbear
estimates from the results attained that a
speed OF $50 miles an hour will be possible
when regular line is built. The Dor
chester experiments have been made on
an endless oval track 2,7S4 feet long, and
despite the sharp curves and other disad-
vantages a speed equal to thirty-three
miles an hour was made with a loaded car.
Other expert electricians who have exam
ined the plant predict that it will achieve
the success predicted for it.
The track is elevated and consists of al
upper and lower rail, each formed If bar
steel. The car is merely hollow projectle
of srougEt iron, pointed at each end.
This car is IL feet long and 10 inches
in diameter, but the cylinder in which the
letters are placed are only eight feet long.
1t weighs 500 pounds and has a capacity
for IL, 900 letters, weighing IT'S pounds.
There are two wheels above and two be-
meath the cylinder. The power to propel
the car is provided by series of hollow
helices of insulated copper wire, which en-.
circles The track at intervals of six feet
The current Is transmitted TO the helices
from central dynamo station, and from
the helces through the wheels and run
hing gear of the car, The intention is TO
load mail and other light matter requiring
quick traslt into the cylinder car and start
on Its journey. On arriving at its desti-
nation the speed is sIackened automutical.
ly by the normal action of opposite cur
rents through the terminal helice. The
company does not to expect to carry pass-
engers or freight.
1t is claimed that letters can be tran
mltted between the main post Office and
Harlem by this system III about five min
utes whereas 1T now requires about an
hour. The lnc)rpOratOrs say that IA praCti
cal line of several miles length will be
built in IL short time to give better idea
OF the possibilities of the system than are
afforded 10y the experimental line at Dor
! cheSter.-N. Y. Recorder.
Early Lambs.
The early lambs begin to come from
January to March, but the ewes require
some extra attention at this season il the
lambs are to be strong and vigorous. So
important Is the proportion Of nourish-
ment afforded by the eve after the lamb
is dropped that careful farmers will take
the lamb from its dAm and give it to an
other eve to own if the dam does not
provide suthclency, opportunities he.
ing usually afforded for so doing when
some of the ewes have lost their own
,, lamb. The ewes that are in poor Condi.
ton, or enfeebled, will produce weak
lambs. 1t is the strong and vigorous
lambs that begins to grow from the start
and gains daily until it reaches the mar
ket, and a few days difference in growth
has much to do with the price Of an early
lamb. The work should begin now by
keeping the ewes in good condition (pot
too fat), and keeping the lambs we'll sup
piled with plenty of punishment.
{ Lambs, if fed as soon rs they will eat,
make greater gains in weight than would
be supposed, and even when raised in
large numbers. At the Ontario aericLl-
tural college 500 grade lambs were pur-
chased, pastured on rape, and then con-
ined in sheds and yards, l6 lambs being
in compartment, 80 being the whole
number used tor experiment The aver
age weight Of the lambs ut the beginning
was about IS pounds, and they were fed
on oats, screenings, bran, peas, hay and
FrL,,, g.
to April, and averaged l39 pounds. They
were sold for sll.79 per head. and were
sent to England, the cost of shipping them
being s3 IS each The experiment does
not show Il very large gain, but the weight
of the lambs was good, considering the
fact that they were purchased on the mar.
ket, while the prices obtained were excel
lent, and should encourage farmers to pro-
duce choice lambs tor market. we'll
| bred grade lamb can be made to easily
are known in which Oxford lambs gained
80 pounds in three months.
Ground oats placed in pen where the
lambs can feed in a trough which the
| sheep cannot reach, with a liberal supply
of milk from the ewes, will grow rapidly
and If they gain as they should they will
reach the market a month soonsr than il
| they dependtd on the ewes alone, and a>
| this gain in time is an imp rtant point K
keep in view for the high prices every in
ducement should be made to keep the
lambs feeding and growing, but the gain
will not be rap d unless the lambs are wei
bred, nor Hltl grades equal the pure
| breeds The he West gains made
have been with Oxfords and Shrop.
shires The main point to observe with
the eve is that of providing plenty
of milk for her lamb. philadelphia Rec
| ord