The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-02-23
FARM AND GARDEN.
MOTOR CARRIAGES.

MOTOR CARRIAGES.
rhsar fafrodassisa Depssds Upoa the H.
psoveSneat ~ Oar 1to~ds.
The United States In some of lie
despite its great population,
its large cities, wealth and inventive
powers. appears susceptible of further
advances. OF late agitation In dtrec-
tions affecting what may be termed Its
internal economies has been manifest, |
and good roads for the country dis
tricts. electric traction lines for coun-
try and city alike. and improved pave
ments for cities have been discussed |
on all sides by private citizens and by |
legislators. Ten years ago the steam
railroad, the growth of little more
than a generation, was pointed to with
interest rs q cause which had revolu-
tionized tho world. For in modern
and Of passengers is the most imPor-
tant business OF humanity. The idea
Of the steam railroad was the creation
Of large units of transportation. Great
trains Of cars bearing several hundred
passengers became the railway mani
ayers ideal.
The steam railroad seems to have
reached pretty nearly its limit ana
now q most formidable competitor for
local traffic has come upon the scene
In the electric road. The Ave and six
car steam train is supplanted by
frequent intervals
These matters the capitalists have
in charge. But the improvement Of
roads and streets affects the munich
palities. the county and state authori-
ties. and very directly the individual
For on roads and streets the horse
drawn vehicle and the bicycle travel,
and the latter, once a toy and now an
| everyday vehicle, is a principal cause
OF the new agitation. With good
roads all over the face of the country
and with proper city pavements new
field Of work for the inventor at once
! is open. The horse il being more and
more relegated to the background.
| The bicycle surpasses him in its
| powers OF transporting humanity. 1t
| illustrates the immense reduction OF
friction on journals by the use of ball
bearings After ball bearings had
| settled this part of the problem the
rolling friction difficulty was solved
by the pneumatic tire. and the bicycle.
| in great measure a perfected type OF
machine, is going into universal use.
In France recently there has oc.
CURED competition between road
vehicles driven by power. From the
early days of this cen fury repeated CT
forts have been made to produce a
road engine. To the existence Of this
| machine good road surface is essen.
tial. France is peculiarly adapted to
| its introduction on account of her
| good roads. There the bicycle is in
| universal use, and the power-driveu
road wagon may become part of the
machinery of transportation.
In the United States. with cobble'
stone pavements. and with sandy and
muddy roads disgracing city and coun'
try alike, much has to be done before
the work of producing successful
traction engine or carriage can be &C
| ie1 Tl,,t nr0dncfinn
the bicycle has done much to facilitate
progress, and has solved SO many OF
the mechanical problems of the perfect
road vehicle, that it seems pity that
the power problem cannot also be
solved. The motor is now what is
wanted. It must be light. The bicycle
of twenty-five pounds weight carries a
, two hundred pound rider. The motor
!, carriage OF the future must be light.
With good roads all through the
} country traversed on bicycles by every
one, and with power-driven vehicles
for freight, in place of horse and wag
: on, the life in the country districts
: would be revolutionized. Daily deliv
cry OF the mail and of light express
matter would become practicable. ane
) the progress of the individual woult
; be favored. But until good roads conn
this cannot be. The trolley road as al
- approach to the desired cheap Traction
has proved welcome to the countr,
and suburban jewellers. The adven
of practical pover-driven vehicl
: coupled with good roads would prov
: just as welcome and more in con
sonance with the vested rights of tn
l. community in such roads as they pos
. sess; rights in which are now SUI
= rendered to the electric road companie
with far too great rea1iness--Scien
ti6c American.
z | Ereaf, Water fol Cows.
p Cows in milk will consume nearl.
u fifty per cent. more water than tn
/, same COWS when not giving milk. Th