The morning call., 1894-11-28
SHOUTED LOCOMOTIVES.
French Engines to Be Built With
PrOWs to Cut the Wind.

1t sounds almost sacriegious for any foreign
inventive genius to lay amending hands on the
locomotive, so thoroughly English has 1t been
in its inception, design and development. Yet
it would seem The French engineers are pre-
Stunning to improve Stephenson's iron horse,
ana in quite an elementary matter, too. 1t has
occurred to everybody who has thought of the
resistance which the air offers TO bodies pass
Ing through it al high velocity as curious, 10 say
he least. mat Inc designers OF the steam loco
motv paid practically no attention to this
Sophisticated it, in fact as a negligible
quantity.
Negligible it is not Every form OF resistance
increases al an enormous ratio with velocity.
In liquids and gases 1t varies with density as
well as speed. but as rule the French eng-
neers are right in asserting that to double The
velocity will increase the atmospheric resist
ance at. least siX-f0d. We have only TO think
what this means WIZ train running at, say
fifty miles an hour, meeting WIND blowing IN
the opposite direction OF The same velocity. 1t
would involve an enormously increased expen.
diture OF energy in the form OF fuel.
For ships moving III a vastly denSer medium
nature has compelled recognition OF the bard
fact. Mans earliest craft had possibly bluff
bows, like some of our Anticipated liners and
merchantmen, but some of the rudest canos
builders saw the advantage OF the principle Of
the inclined plane, anu IN the latest naval types
we see cutwaters sharp as knife. OF course
Dame Nature modelled her fish on least resist
ance lines. but she aid the same also with her
birds. from beak TO breast the mechanism Is
as economical OF power as IL IS DeaullIul III
symmetry.
Aud now the Paris, Lyons and Mediterranean
Railway Company are going TO initiate the fish
and the bind, and they have ordered forty
locomotives with snouts." Instead of pre-
sentng large surface square TO the resistance
of tha atmosphere they Will make the engna
front metal PROV, with iron planes, shelIerlng
funnel. dome aud tireboX and inclined 10 each
other and 10 tue permanent way at an angle Of
forty five degrees. In brief, the train will
plough Its way through the atmosphere. and
instead of driving huge column OF the resist
ing IN dunn in front OF IL will allow IL TO glance
of as the water does when cleft by the fnny
tribes or the air when an arrow speeds through
II. There can scarcely be doubt that this Is
move III the right direction. 1t will lead 10
considerable saving of coal and the rate OF
motion, especially against strong winds. will be
increased, because, partially at least, the train
Will be enabled 10 attain high speed without
at the same time expending it, energy In inn
parting similar velocity 20 body OF air.
so Tar as appearances 20 we see no reason
why he engine with gracefully curved or IN
clned ram or PROV should not be at least as
much thing OF beauty as the locomotive Of the
present. Perhaps even this will only be a tran
STORY stage. Nowadays the engine OF passeu-
ger trains often weighs one-haf the whole load
TO be drawn, aud the saYants are not content TO
think that a moiety of the power should be
spent upon its traction. IL seems inevitable
that electricity will some day BE- sufficiently de-
veloped TO dispense with this waste. and thus
become our general motor. Meantime "tbe
locomotives with SHOUTS" promise 10 be an i'm.
proved type.-LondOn Telegraph.