The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-12-13
FUTURE TRANSIT

BE careful. > said my guide; there
il only one more STEP"
Descending safely the step thus liz
dictated, | found myself in a vast hall
illuminated by the binding radiance of
electric lights, our footsteps alone sound
ing in the silence.
Where was |? Why did | come
there? Who was my mysterious guide!'
There was M response TO these inter
Iogations.
A long journey in the night, doors Of
iron opened and closed noisily, the
descent of staircases deeply sunk in the
earth-that was all | could succeed in
Observation-Disclosures | had no leisure
to think.
lyon are undoubtedly asking who
/ am and where You are?" said my
guide. Il am Colonel Pierce, at your
service, and we are in America in the
city of Boston. in Il station
"A station!" said /.
Yes. the terminus of the Boston and
Liverpool Pneumatic Tube company"
and with a gesture of explanation Colo
mel Pierce pointed to two long iron cyl
inders about two meters III diameter
which were not far from us.
| gazed upon these two cylinders, set
in a mass of masonry, having enormous
metallic obturators, from whence sew
eral iron tunnels extended, passing
through the ceiling. And all at once
/ understood.
remembered to have read a short
time previously, in ain American news
paper, an article recounting an extraor-
binary scheme for uniting Europe and
the new world by two gigantic tubes
under the ocean. An invention had
been made. and the inventor wa the
very Colonel Pierce who was my pres
emit guide. | again read, in thought. the
article in the newspaper.
The reporter went into all the de
tails of the enterprise. He wrote
that it was constructed Of iron. of q
length of a. 900. 600 meters, weigh.
ing 10, 600, 00O tons: that 200 vessel:
Of 1000 tons each were necessary tC
transport the material, each vessel max.
ing 80 voyages. He showed that this
scientific armada carried the steel Il
two vessels ut each end of the route, on
board Of which the ends of the tubes
were held. He explained that the tubes
themselves were extended under thu
waves without intermission in sectlon
of three meters screwed together ant
powerfully bound by a triple band o
steel plate covered with n coat OF rosin
La regard to the matter of its work
ing: The tubes, which resemble two II
gantic pea shooters. carried in their in
teriors a series of passenger cars which
were impelled by powerful currents O
air in the same manner as the presen
pneumatic process.
A comparison with the steam raj
road system concluded the description
and the author enthusiastically enum
Grated the advantages of the new an
audacious system. In the tubes Their
are no disagreeable noises TO cause nery
Gus trepidatioh, thanks to the intern;
surface. which is Of polished steel. III
temperature is even, the currents {
air being modified according to the SCI
Sons. and the rates for passengers {
merchandise being extremely moderat
by reason of the economic c~onstructio
and the comparatively small runnin
expenses required for working the il
vention.
And the writer went on to state, TO
getting that. despite the |, 666 kilom
tiers which the rotation of the ear
makes each hour, bodies situated at II
equator are still subject to the laws
gravity, forgetting that it would
necessary to be released from the ope
alton Of these laws to have a speed
times greater-he went SO far as to a
sert that trains in consequence of I
rapidity of their movement and t
cuTying of the earth would be subje
TO SO small an amount of friction th
they could be used indefinitely, perha
10 all eternity.
All that came to my mind then a
there. Thus this Utopia had beco1
reality, and those two cylinders of il
that were near me extended beyond 1
Atlantic and welded together, as
were, the two continents! Desp
what ! saw | was not able to conyir
myself. There were the tubes tru
but that passengers could be taken
that route ! could not bring myself
believe.
A WAS 1t possible that a complete c
rent of air could be established of Il
iength?' formulated this quest
aloud.
Very easily, answered Colo
Pierce. "A large number Of blaI
similar to those emanating from a hi
furnace, are sufficient for the pqrpt
The air is forced back with a power
most without limit, causing a frigh,
whirlwina- which has a rapidity
more than Il, 500 kilometers an he
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