The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-12-03

Boston ana Liverpool.
"That is over 1900 miles an hour"
l exclaimed.
There is no doubt of it. And there
is peculiar feature about it, The
time i'll Liverpool is hours and 40
minutes faster than ours. therefore IL
traveller who leaves Boston at o o'clock
in the morning will arrive ut England
at "a minutes past 3 o'clock in the af-
ternoon. Is not that a rapid journey?
On the other hand. for example, as our
trains start from Liverpool ut noon, the
voyager can disembark III this station ut
0:34 in the forenoon-that is to say. al
most three hours before he started from
the English side"
l knew not what to think. Was |
talking with an insane person? Should
l have faith in these fabulous theories?
We'll, said 1, sit may be so.
will assume it to be true that your in
vention can attain incredible speed, but
when you come to stop, to suddenly ar
rest this rapid motion, will not every
thing be shatteredp''
By no means" responded the colo
mel, Struggling his shoulders Between
our tubes, one of which serves to go
and tho other to return, and running
in opposite currents of air, commune
cation exists upon each side. When
train approaches, we are made aware
of the fact by electric sparks, and by
means of electricity the force that pushes
the train is paralyzed Left to itself.
the train continues on its way from the
momentum already acquired, and by
means of Il valve which connects with a
current the speed becomes gradually
slower, until the train is finally check
ed by coming in contact with huge
bumper. the shock being scarcely felt.
But what good are all these explana-
tons? The only way to know the ac-
tual working is by experience
And without waiting for me to re-
spond Colonel Pierce drew out sudden
ly handle of polished copper from the
side of one of the tubes. A panel run
ming upon grooves was thrown open,
and through the aperture / saw n sue
ccssion of narrow benches upon each of
which two persons were seated side by
side.
THE pneumatic carriage" explain
ed the colonel. Let us depart Come. p"
l followed him obediently, and the
panel was Immediately closed. BY
means of an Edison lamp which hung
from the center OF the carriage ] exam
ined curiously the place in which |
found myself. Nothing could he more
simple. A long cylinder. comfortably
padded, across which were 80 armchalrs
bound together i'll pairs, arranged in
parallel rows. At each end valve
regulated the condition of the atmos-
phere, that i'll the rear permitting the
air to penetrate the cylinder, while that
in front gave egress to that which had
become impure.
Some little time passed while was
making my examination, and becom-
ing somewhat impatient 1 said:
We'll, colonel, why do we not start?"
"Start2 We started some time ago.
replied my guide.
Was it possible? Could we be en-
route? Was it really true? l listened
attentively. trying to hear some noise
which would give evidence of motion
If we had really started, if the colonel
had not deceived me in talking about
1900 miles an hour, we ought to be far
from land under the pillows of the
ocean. Above our heads the crested
waves may be beating against each
other with fury, are perhaps even at
this moment taking IFS for a monstrous
serpent of an unknown species. The
whales are striking their powerful tails
against our long iron prison house
But 1 heard nothing, only sort of
dull. scarcely perccptiblc buzzing. and
plunged i'll state of unbounded aston
ishment and not able to believe in the
reality of what was happening l be-
came silent as the time went by.
Nearly an hour passed thus, when
suddenly felt Il dampness upon my
forehead, which awokc me from the
torpor into which | was fast falling.
l carried my hand to my face. 1t was
wet. Wet. What had happened? Had
the tube burst under the immense pres
sure of the water pressure which must
be formidable since we were at such
an immense depth. Should we he
swallowed up by the ocean:
A great fear took possession of me.
Bewildered and almost desperate, en-
deavored to cry out i'll my agony.
And l found myself in my own gar
den generously sprinklcd by polling
rain, of which the largo drops had in
terupted my sleep.
! had gone to sleep upon rustic
bench while perusing an article written
by Boston reporter, setting forth the
fantastic projects of Colonel Pierce,
who fear will never meet with the
realization of his absurd hopes. Jules
Verne.