The herald., 1893-12-17
FUTURE TRANSIT.

1b Only ono more Step.
Descending safely the step thus in
dicated, found myself in vast hall
illuminated by the binding radiance of
electric lights, our footsteps alone sound
ing in the silence.
Where was II Why did I come
there? 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 ofsstaircases deeply sunk in the
earth--tfxtswas all 1 could succeed in
remembering-indee had no leisure
to think.
"You are undoubtedly asking who
am and where you aref' said my
guide. IT am Colonel Pierce, at your
service, and we are in America in the
city of Boston, in station"
"a station7" said I.
'Yes, the terminus Of the Boston and
Liverpool Pneumatic Tube company,
and with gesture of explanation Colo
mel Pierce pointed to two long iron cyl
inders about two meters In diameter
which were not far from MS.
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.
1 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. again read, in thought, the
article in the newspaper.
The reporter want into all the de-
tails of tho enterprise. gHs wrote
that it was constructed Of iron, of a
length Of 5,saD,aoo imstarp, weigh
ing $4,000, coo tons; that '3u1svesscis
Of 1900 tons each ware ,nscssssry to
transport the material. each venesA max,
ing 88 voyages. He.showed that this
scientific armada casrisd tn steel to
two vesselsl at,each end a sAssxoyts, on
board Of Which the ends Of The tubes
were held. Heexplained that the tubes
themselves were extended under The
waves without intermisBion in sections
of three mebsrs sc1swed togsthsr and
powerfully bound by triple band Of
steel plate covered with coat of rosin.
In regard to the mattor 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 to 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 or
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 1, 666 kilome-
ters which the rotation Of the earth
makes each hour, bodies situated at the
equator are still subject to the laws of
gravity, forgetting that it would be
necessary to be released from the opcr-
alton of these laws to have speed II
times greater--he went so far as to as
sert that trains in consequence of the
rapidity of their movement and the
curving of the earth would be subject
to SO small an amount of friction that
they could be used indefinitely, perhaps
to all eternity.
All thst came to my-mind then and
there. Thus this Utopia had become
reality, and those two cylinders Of iron
that were near me extended beyond the
Atlantic and welded together, as it
were, the two continents! Despite
what saw was not able to convince
myself. There were the tubes truly,
but that passengers could be taken by
that route could not bring myself tc
believe.
WAS it possible that complete cui
rent of air could be established of that
length?'' ] formulated this question
aloud.
Very. easily answered Colonel
Pierce. "a large number of blasts,
similar to those elnanating from huge
furnace, are sufficient for the purpose.
The air is forced back with power al
most without limit, causing frightful
whirlwind, which has rapidity Of
more than 1900 lxilometers an hour,
nearly that OF ball discharged from d
cannon. The speed attained is SO rapid
gthat our-cars, filed with passengegs,
occupy btit 3 hours and IA minutes ia
{ accomplishing the 3, 900 miles between
Boston and Liverpool. y
"Thatds over 1900 miles an hour
exclaimed.
There is no doubt of it. And there
y peculiar feature about it. :. The