Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-12-28
FUTURE TRANSIT.


"Be careful" said my guide; there
is only one more STEP"
Descending safely the step thus in
dicated, found myself in vast hall
illuminated by the binding radla.ve 8
electric lights, our footsteps alone sound
ing in the silence.
Where was l? Why did I come
there2 Who was my mysterious guide?"
There was no response to these inter-
rogations.
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
remembering-indeed had no leisure
to think. ...
You 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 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 in diameter
which were not far from us.
1 gazed upon these two cylinders, set
in mass of masonry, having enormous
metallic obturators, from whence sew
eral iron tunnels extended, passing
through the ceiling. And all at once
l understood. IT,
I remembered to have read short
time previously, in an American news
paper, an article recounting an extraor-
dinary scheme for uniting Europe and
the new world by two gigantic tubes
under the ocean. An invention had
been made, and the inventor was the
very Colonel Pierce who was my pres
ent guide. l 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 a
length of 5000, 200 meters, weigh
ing $4,000, 900 tons; that 200 vessels
of 1000 tons each were necessary to
transport the material, each vessel max
ing 33 voyages. He showed that this
scientific armada carried the steel to
two vessels at each end of the route, on
board of which the ends of the tubes
were held. He explained that the tubes
fhnfo, calx-oc ovfandn1 I1ndor tho
waves without intermission in sections
of three meters screwed together and
powerfully bound by triple band of
steel plate covered with coat of rosin.
In regard to the matter of its work
ing: The tubes, which resemble two gi-
gantic pea shooters, carried in their in
teriors series of passenger cars which
were impelled by powerful currents of
air in the same manner as the present
pneumatic process.
A comparison with the steam rail
road system concluded the description,
and the author enthusiastically enum-
Grated the advantages of the new and
audacious system. In the tubes there
are no disagreeable noises 10 cause nerv'
Gus trepidation, thanks to the internal
surface, which is of polished steel. The
temperature is even, the currents OF
air being modified according to the sea-
sons, and the rates for passengers OF
merchandise being extremely moderate
by reason of the economic construction
and the comparatively small running
expenses required for working the in.
vention.
And the writer went on to state, for
getting that, despite the 1865 kilome.
ters which the rotation of the eartl
makes each hour, bodies situated at the
equator are still subject to the laws o1
gravity, forgetting that it would bt
necessary to be released from the oper
alton of these laws to have a speed II
times greater-he went SO far as to as
sert that trains in consequence of thu
rapidity of their movement and tht
curving of the earth would be subjec
to 80 small an amount OF friction tina
they could be used indefinitely, perhaps
to all eternity.
All that came to my mind then ant
there. Thus this Utopia had becom'
reality. and those two cylinders of iro,
that were near me extended beyond tn,
Atlantic and welded together, as i
were, the two continentsl Despit
what saw was not able to convinc'
myself. There were the tubes truly
but that passengers could be taken b!
that route could not bring myself T.
believe.
"Was it possible that complete cur
rent Of air could be established Of tina
length?" I formulated this questio,
aloud.
VERY easily" answered Colone
Pierce. "A large number Of blasts
similar to those emanating from hug
furnace, are sufficient for the purpose
The air is forced back with power al
most without limit causing a.fEightfu