The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-10-31
AMERICA VS. ENGLAND ON TIE
PARALLEL RAILS.


Only a limited number of lead
ing railroad men are in the secret,
and they are guarding it jealousy.
The only information that has
leaked out thus far is that the day
for the great locomotive race be-
tween the English Queen-Empress
and the American 999, the tremen-
dous machines now on exhibition
in the transportation department
of the Worlds Columbian exposi-
ton, has been agreed upon. By
reason of the extraordinary secrecy
maintained by the parties
to the proposed event, which
will be watched with UMPIRE
cedented interest by railroad men
throughout the civilized world, it
is impossible to learn the exact
day on which the flight of the iron
horses will be made. The nearest
approach to exactness is contained
in the information that it will take
place "early in November" says
the Chicago Record.
The two locomotives represent
two distinct schools of mechanics,
so far as locomotive building is
concerned. The makers of each
declare that their particular engine
is the best, and the corporations
owning them are patriotic enough
to back their machines to the ex-
tent, it is said, of $4,000 a side.
The Queen-Empress is the lead
ing feature in the exhibit made by
the London and Northwestern Rail-
way Company of England. The
locomotive standing at the head of
a magnificent train of cars, known
as the Empire State Express, is
500, owned by the New York Cen
trail and Hudson River Railroad
Company. Both engines have at
tracted unusual attention, the
space allotted to them being
thronged with fair visitors at all
hours of the day.
During the last day or two
Charles Hogan, travelling engineer
of the New York Central, has been
in the city and has had several
with the Englishmen.
Mr.. Hogan babe the company's en-
ployees good-by this morning, after
Chicago Day, and it is said on ex-
cellent authority that he left with
contract in his pocket signed by
the two owners of the locomotives.
The terms of this contract are I'M
known save that a large sum of
money, presumably $4,000, is
on the result of the race
and that it will be donated to char
ity work, no matter which side is
winner.
The flight of these two magnifi-
cent specimens of the locomotive
builders art will doubtless be made
over the tracks of the New York
Central between Buffalo and Alba
ny. Between these points four
parallel bands of steel stretch, and
he grades are infrequent and
slight. The distance is 297 miles,
md the roadbed is declared by the |
American company to be of a char
,cter best fitted for an important |
rial of speed. Whether the race
will be single dash over the dis
;ance or whether the route will be |
doubled, trebled or quadrupled is
still unknown save to the men ar
angling the race.
The Yankee locomotive, it's own
RS say, can make one hundred |
niles an hour all day long and go
nto the roundhouse cool and capa-
lie of going out again within five
minutes and repeating the perform
lnce. Mr.. Sawyer, who is in charge
# the New York CentraPs exhibit
It the Fair, says that 500 is the
astest locomotive in the world, and
o far superior to the British sam
lie that if the latter really wants
o go fast it will have to be dashed
0 the American machine. The
Sritishers pooh pooh this and call
he Americans braggarts and other
ames not calculated to create and
reserve the best of reciprocal feel
ng.
The American locomotive has
cen described so often that ano-
her description would be unap-
reciated. Suffice it to say that
le drive wheels on the great ma
hine which towers more than
venty feet in the air are eighty
x inches in diameter, and the
hole, with loaded tender, weighs
ghty tons. It has made several
,sts of speed while attached to the
Empire express" with Engineer
-ogan's hand at the lever. The
est records thus far posted are:
ne mile in 0:35, or at the rate of
y S-13 miles per hour, and a mile
0: 32, or at the rate of 112 miles :
l hour. }
The Queen-Empress is full sis I
= of the famous "Greater Britain" E
hich has a record of eighty miles Y
l hour. The great locomotive has
70 high pressure cylinders, Is
ches in diameter and 24-ineh
rok, and one low pressure cylin-
y, 30 inches in diameter and "a 1
oh SfroIya ILL., $1,000 ,oaoaL,o