Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-10-24
THOSE SPEED TRIALS
LOCOMOTIVE RACING QUITE A FAD
 AMONG RAILROAD OFFICIALS.

Yankees Won't Give Up to the Britons.
 8 Brush-Like Yachting Rivals Have
 Come Down to Letter Writing Contests.
 The public has been regaled during the last few weeks by what bids fair to be a never ending discussion as to the relative speed merits of the American and English railroads. First the Yankee declares that he is supreme, and then comes his British cousin with an abso- lute statement that the regular average on some one of the lines running from London to a Scottish city has never been equaled, let alone excelled.
 Not one of these claimants, however, has tried to argue for an average speed of more than 65 miles an hour, and they have all shown extreme modesty as compared with the boomers for project ed electric railways. If these are to be believed, the time is not now far distant when Americans will be whirled across the continent at speed of not less than 100 miles an hours which will easily and forever put to rout the English claimants for speed honors
 Only few weeks ago articles of in- corporation were filed for another elee- trie elevated railroad to run between New York and Chicago According to the prospectus, the capital is to be $200, 000 COG, and the time limit be- tween the two cities is to be so far re- duced by the new scheme that travellers will never think of patronizing the old fashioned steam roads again.
 The incretlulous public, however, is | inclined to look upon these propositions as visionary, and no one has any idea that the present methods of travel will be superseded for many years to come.
 The international letter writing con- test between Lord Dunraven and c. Oliver Iselin was a commonplace event as compared with the competitive efforts of General Passenger Agent Daniels of the New York Central and those who were interested in keeping the speed ef forts of the British railroads before the public. The Yankee again seems to have had the best of 1t too, for there has been no answer to Mfr. Daniels latest open letter.
 The date has not yet been set for the speed trial OH the Philadelphia and Reading, but it Is quite likely that this road s distance destroyer, No. 385, will be put through its paces very shortly. This locomotive, which comes from the Baldwin shops at Philadelphia, has never been tried at top speed, but i'll its regu- lar work 1t has shown so great q capacity for spinning over the rails that it's de- signer has high hopes for 1t. If it fails to show higher rate of speed than it's rivals on the New York Central, it will be because figures cannot be so adjusted as to show results Engineers and su- perintendents of motive power have an incompatible way of accomplishing these things.
 As soon as the Philadelphia and Read ing has set up q record between New York and Philadelphia it Is quite cer- tain that a set will be made against it by the Pennsylvania railroad, which is the Readings deadly rival, and from that time on there will be so much to occupy the public's attention that the British roads will be entirely forgotten for the time being.
 Just as the trainers of race horses give their charges trial gallops before starting them in great races, the Pennsyl- vania officials have already given one of their new express locomotives a prepara- tory whirl from New York to Philadel- phia It was given out with marked dis tinctness that the object of the run was simply to test the engine and fuel, and not to make or break a record.
 After the trip it was announced that the 90 miles between the two cities was covered in 9S minutes, and that many of the miles were trayersed in less than q minute each. On the next attempt the officials say they will cut this time down considerably. New York World