The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-02-08
TO EUROPE IN THREE HOURS.
RATE OF SPEED AT WHICH ONE
WILL SOON TRAVEL
The Great Head of a Texas Board of Trade
Man Evolves Gigantic scheme and
Solves the Problem of Rapid Transit by
Means of Rubber Tubes and Electricity.
For, Worth Gazette. :

CuhmDcI vi cOmmercS an apt llusIRiOn
of the adage, The right man in the right
place" To Gen. f. NJ. Clarke, the secre
tary OF the chamber, much is due for the
success in placing business houses here
during the last couple of years. The gen
eral is of restless disposition, and when
not engaged in presenting the attractions
of the Panther City to some eastern job
Der is apt to be engrossed in the study OF
the sciences. He is an accomplished sohol-
ar and well posted in all the latest ad-
vances in electrical appliances. A report
er dropped into the generals office the
other night and found him seated at his
table before a lot of mechanical draw
ings.
1T can be DONE" said the General.
"W What can be done2" asked the re-
porter
Gross the Atlantic ocean in three
hours"
1t was the remark Of cool business
man. To say the least the announcement
was somewhat staggering. A careful ex-
animation OF the Generals invention,
however, Is extremely convincing, anu
all skepticism vanished with the sxplana-
ton OF the wonderful device. As de-
scribed by the General. his invention is as
follows:
Some years ago | accidentlv made the
discovery that the India rubber OF COM
merce could be made to assume a new
and distinct property. BY incorporating
in the rubber at the time oil
its manufacture certain very
plentiful and cheap ingredients the rubber
will retain all its natural Elasticity and
flexibility so long as it Is kept in the
air, but when it Is exposed TO the action
of the sea water it gradually changes in
its character. and in from thirty to forty
days becomes hard as adamsut. Now, we
propose TO construct a long tube OF this
prepared rubber-long enough to reach
across the ocean. The first tube will have
an internal diameter of twelve inches,
with walls four inches thick, and in the
walls will he woven number OF copper
wires. This will form a flexible tube
that will be easy OF handling, and
can be coiled away in the hold of the
vessels to be engaged IN laying 1t, or. per-
haps, some special form of large barge
may be built for the purpose of LAYING
Eminent engineers have assured me that
there will be no difficulty in laying the
tube. The first end will De laid below the
surface, so that the water can run into
the tube and fill it as the process of LAYING
goes on; thus by the water on the inside
of the tube, the hardening process Will be
fastened. After the tube is laid it will be
allowed to remain full OF water for ninety
days before the water is taken out"
But" asked the reporter. "how are
you going to get the wafer out? No
pump could be made that could lift col
umn of water three or four miles verti-
calIy, and the lower end of your tube
lying on the bottom OF the surface. You
can not force the water out, as that would
require so enormous a pressure that no
pump could be operated to create it.
That is where the wires in the tube
walls come in said the General. These
wires are broken at the center of the tube.
and at that place the broken ends ap-
proach the inner surface of the tube. The
electric current has a powerful dsinte-
grating effect upon water, and this effect
is accelerated if the water be calculated.
or saline, like the water of the sea. After
the tube has been subjected to the action
OF the bromic and iodidic salts of the sea
water. which act upon the peculiar ma
terial incorporated with the rubber, for
ninety DAYS, and the tube has hardened,
the ends of the copper wires that are at the
American end of the tube are con-
nected with the positive poles OF power
full DYNAMO and the ends of the wires at
the English end OF the tube with the
negative poles of another large DYNAMO
Electrolysis-the decomposition of water
by Carbohydrates place, the water is
decomposed into lite component gases,
hydrogen and oxygen. One of these Rases
will pass through the American end of
tha fuh a and tha ntbaF af the nfh ar
end, leaving only the fine CRYSTALS of the
sea salts in the tube This process is very
rapid, if the dynamo be powerful one,
and will be accomplished in about ten or
twelve hours. There will be two air
pumps, one At each end of the tube; one
OF the pumps will force the air in and the
other will exhaust, creating a current of
air that will lass through the tube at a
speed If 100 miles per hour. 1t is the in
tention to use the first tube made for the
transmission OF mail matter. Ii can be
used to transmit grain OF all kinds. and
also petroleum When il is used for oil
DO air pump will be required. The re-
ceiving end OF the tube, or the American
side of the ocean, will be built IN few
feet higher from a level than is the end
on the English side, then at last as the
oil ia poured into the American end cor
English end. When the last portion of
oil to be transmitted has been poured into
the tube, a cylindrical dick will be placed
in the tube, the air pump started and.
forced along by the powerful air pressure,
the disk will carry before it the oil.
The tube for passenger service will be
twelve times greater than the one ust
described, so that it will have an internal
diameter of twelve feet. 1t will also be
slightly different in shape, being made OF
an elliptical form instead OF being per
fectlv cylindrical The shape will be for
the purpose OF preventing rotation of the
carriages or care, which viii be about sixty
ieet In length. No Inconvenience what
ever will be experienced by passengers
The air will be abundant aud pure; light
will be supplied by storage batteries car
ried by the cars, and in case of any de-
rangement occurring to the air pumps
which furnish the motor current of air,
attachment of the wires carried in
the walls OF the tube TO a reserve dynamo
on shore will at once establish an electric
current in them, which can be used to
operate the motor-dynamo which will be
carried by each car for emergencies. Tele-
phonic connection will be maintained at
all times With every car and both ends of
the tube"
"Well." said the reporter, You have
not told me what are the materials that
you put into the rubber to make it harden
when under the water"
THAT information IL the property of the
stockholders of the com pany that will