Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-05-02

IT is = GREAT THING ron sxpLoR-
ING African wlLDs,

IT win pe s1aae 70 Travel over Land and
Through Water Forests, ssesIes ard
meaniains VIII oner NJ Distinctions.
Details 81 MIR. Lcmer5'- Plan
Plans WORTHY Of the authorship OF Jnies
Verne have been undergoing process Of
slow evolution ID the brain Of G. VI Lem
cry, OF East Oakland. for nearly four years.
He has computed working drawings
Of queerly contrised land ship. with
which he pfoposes TO room throagh the
undiscovered god regions and the unex
plored plains and depths Of Africa. dscovt
eTing long lost deposits Of riches, the source
Of Soiomon's gilded gIorfes, gathering tons
OF precious ivory. revealing the unknown
in books OF travel and adventure, and gen
orally winning wealth and fame II success
shall reward his hopes
His land ship is a big car 81 alumni
mum, strong end light, which Is to climb
mountains. jolt over logs. travel through
forests and over plains. and like a dack
plunge from the banks Of rivers and lakes
!: right into the water and speed uninter
rupted to opposite shores This contriy
ance would be at once the home, fort, shel
ter. means of transportation and travelling
storehousc Of the exploring party
| 1t is not the first attempt TO combine
steam road engine and steamboat. yet the
application appears TO be an original one
with Mr.. I4emery.
Mr. Iemery seems to be neither an en-.
I thusiast nor an adventurer. He has no
particular ambition TO he great explorer.
and the whole thing is to him business
proposition He is a quiet hammered man.
/ thirty lone years old, and is machinest
and engineer by trade. He has been on
the Pacific coast fifteen years, and during
four years Of that time was 10 business at
Reno New. He has spent a good deal Of
time prospecting for gold, and as a pros
pector be spent good deal of time expIor
ing the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico
About four years ago be became i'm
pressed with the idea that the Dark CONT
nent was the one remaining new country
where peor man could get rich easily. and
the idea has chung TO him ever since He
believed that there was plenty OF gold In
: African mountains forgotten or yet undis
covered, and he believes so yet
He wanted to go there to prospect for
! mines, and in planning how he could travel
long distances through an almost unknown
country the idea of steam engine to travel
i on land early occurred to him
1 As strength and Iightness are requisites
Mr. Lemery proposed to build the land
ship almost entirely of aluminium. which
! weighs l6s pounds to the cubic foot, whils
steel weighs about sI5 pounds to the eubi,
: foot. The cylinders of the engines woult
j be of steel and much of the fittings ane
furniture inside OF wood. The body Of th'
= land ship as planned IS 30 feet long. ID Zee
( wide and feet high
II 1t is to be made of aluminium plates one
I. fourth OF an inch thick for the lower hal
at,d = Of s5ak fer u
upper half Of the sides and the roof II
the rear end is a large space for wood
which can be cut and loaded anywhere
+ and the hoiler stands abafl the center.
At the forward end are two twenty-f ou
i horse power cylinders working shat
4 which bears wheel outside the car a
i each end By an endless chain the motto
/, Of this wheel is transmitted to a larger GU
> between the two main wheels, fourtee
!, feet in diameter, which are driven b
q means of chains passing over the drivin
: wheel between them The main vince;
. are built like a bicycle wheel, the spoke
being aluminium rods one-fourth Of a
inch in diameter. The tires OF tine mai
: wheels are eighteen inches ia diameter
q The large wheels have no axles connectin
n with the car.
n The car rests on a shaft which passt
through the driving wheels, and the mai
Il wheels are connected by astrong aluminium
- bar which supports the car and can reveiy
4 on the main shaft The wheels could thu
a go over logs without elevating the G.
a much, and the end of the bars bearing tn
; front main wheels can 5e hooked u
y readily, making three wheeled car, easy
= turn around The front end of the car res
"a on a single wheel which turns readily
= any direction
i At the front end is a drum, on which 81
Ia feet of cable, to pull the ear If necessary,
IN to pull distractions out Of the way, can
: wound by a small engine for the purpos
in The bottom Of the car : a water tan
while another water compartment su
a, rounds the outside of the car,
~ TIE interior j. to provide living aceou
a modations for twenty men As steam
40 the body of the car or land ship reser
n bles on its bottom a fatbOat or a SEQ
al schooner A lever connects a propelh
shaft with the machinery. and as the lar
ship climbs down into tue water and b
gins to float, the propeller sends il onwal
over the CLASSY surface OF some crySt
RI lake, rippled only by the awful hlppopc
Nv ami II Ehe water trip he long the Ian
al wheels can be taken off and laid on q
o. roof
to When wood is To be cut the propeller
80 sllplcl OH It's SHftAt anu 4 itAAtc NtIt4 -
IA chews up fuel in no time The engine
~ works the land ship froai his pilot hou
III in front. The whole car Is planned
10 weight fifteen or twenty tons
III You See" said Mr. Lemery. as he z
Ia planned his drawings, ''egery part will
r made so that it can be taken OF We
an readily | would expect TO make fro
ol three to twenty miles day with it, accor
ing to tie troubles met n clearing ava
IN They would be great in 4 forest. bat
Is would avoid forests
iit Attached 70 this land ship would ha
nj another car just like this except that
on would have no machinery, and in II | wou
Isl take a shree years supply of provisio
us aud ammunition. The expense ct an arr
'ey of porters would be avoided The c
"a would be proof against the arrows
~ hostile natives. and in it we could de
-ue thousands.
Ell We'll, / haven't been able 70 iigu
&C closely on the cost OF the ship yet, ba
'ou suppose one would cost about s2n,OO0-
M would like to get financial backing enou
lily to build two of them and two supply Ct
u" in New York, and | ought TO have $500
on | would calculate ON being gone five or
'se years / would 20 maialy to prospect
W. gold That country is full of it, No
sh' don't know just where | would 60 to 10
ne for it. | would go to most any OF
Ter mountaius-peChaps the Mountains OF
Moon. No. / do not know whether Il
have been prospected or net b1s DO