Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-08-04

the petroleum product is conducted to a carburettor where it is transformed into gas, and whence it is conducted to the cylinder of the engine. which is then operated by means of consecutive explosions, the same as an ordinary gas engine. The cylinders of the horse less carriage engines are much shorter in proportion than the cylinders of or- dinary engines, and the cross section much greater. It is thus rendered pos sible both to increase the speed and re- duee the size of an engine proportion- ately to it's power, and a three or four horsepower machine of this sort is so small that it can be contained in what would pass for the boot of an ordinary carriage. There is some heat. of course, but this is reduced to the mini mum by the necessary device for cool ing the cylinder with a spray or jacket of water, and there is some noise caused by the explosions, but not greater than that made by horses hoofs.
 But this manufacturer is not the only one who is getting ready to put horseless carriages on the market here Automobile wagons have been made in Philadelphia, Kansas City, Boston. LockhaYen, Pa; Springfield, Mass; Portland, Me-, and Denver, Col, and it is said that within sixty days not less than dozen firms will be turning them out complete. Electric wagons have been seen in New York, Pliladel- phia, Boston and elsewhere. Possibly the most successful storage battery l., l. This vehicle is somewhat like an Eng fish brake in appearance; its motor is of four horsepower and it can be run at speeds varying from four to fourteen miles an hour. The wagon complete weighs 4,50o pounds and will carry six persons.
 The wagon made at Springfield. Mass, is propelled by a motor that weighs but 120 pounds, which is said to be much lighter than any European mo- tor. Petroleum products arc used in developing the power, and the cost is said to be but one-fourth of cent mile. A Portland inventor who intends to rut an automobile carriage upon the market has produced another mo- tor, very similar in construction to the steam engine, in which he uses the vapor of ether, produced at 98 de- grees instead of 212, which is necessary to make steam. One western firm uses hot air, and heats the air with burning petroleum or gasoline. All these vari- ous types of horseless carriages will have an opportunity for practical test ing some time during the coming au- 4l. | tails of which are yet to be announced, 1 will be held between Chicago and Mill waukee. Four prizes are offered by the projectors of this contest. The first prize of g, 900 and gold medal is open to the world. In case this first prize goes to a foreign manufacturer, the second, of $1 1,5O0, must be awarded to an American. The third prize of s1 1000 and the fourth of $500, like the first prize, are open to che world. Undoubt- edIy some electrical carriages will eom- pete in this race, but competent elee- tricians hardly expect they will make much of showing, unless in the mean time some one shall bring forward storage battery that is much superior in the matter of lightness and capacity to any produced hitherto.
 If this were to result i'll no other good thing it would still be matter for congratulation, for as everyone who has been abroad knows in nearly all parts of the United States the roads are still far behind those of most Eu- ropean countries. Under the most fa- vorable circumstances, however, it will ha A hope to equal Europe in this regard, since, while the population is much sparser here than there, the United States has a thousand miles of road to improve to every one in France or Ger many or England. While, therefore, it is undoubtedly true that the new means of locomotion will further de- crease the demand for horses, which has already fallen away below the de- mand of any previous period, there will still be use for more horses, save for cavalry purposes, relatively, here than abroad, unless the new motors can be adapted to the needs of the city trucking If this can be accomplished then it is only question of short time before horses must practically dis appear from city streets.
 Unquestionably this would result in great increase of cleanliness and eeono- my of street construction so far as cities are concerned, since it would relieve the streets of nine-tenths of the dirt and filth with which they are now lit tered, and as the pavements would no longer be subjected to the ineessant pounding of horses hoofs, they would wear much longer. But the result would be nothing less than ruin to some persons, not only because it would still further and almost immeasurably re- duce the demand for horses, but also because it would practically wipe out much of the demand for oats, hay and other provendcr. To the farmers who have hitherto depended upon these products for livelihood, the reflection | that the cities are cleaner, plcasantcr and healthier, and more economical | places in which to do business than