The Portland daily press., 1895-11-30

IL hcto dlI6dQy Ildub dotOhlShlbH ilCa
way in the uses and industries of the
world. In Japan, it has become almost
the sole illuminant, and on the Caspian
sea the Russian steamers burn nothing
else for their enignes"
AN ENGLISH CONFESSION.
Mr.. Chancellor, sin this connection,
quotes at some length from an English
newspaper to show the lack of enterprise
in Great Britain in adopting late inven-
tions. This journal, commenting on the
horselesS carriage race, said:
''Why is it that we are so slow in this
country to take up Improvements OF such
immense social Importance? Ours is the
land of machines and machinery, of
skilled inventors and colossal enterprises,
vet in many respects England lags be-
hind the whole civilized world in avail
ing herself of the discoveries of science
There is not as much use made in the
whole of London of the telephone as in
one single quarter Of Washington city,
and there are prairie towns in the west
Of the United States more magnifcen fly
lighted by electricity than the best street
of London. Electric tram cars and tram,
cables may be seen in many and many a
city abroad, while here they are still.
novelties. Years ago tourists might have
watched detached electric or petroleum
pAaeton quickly threading the thickest
crowd of carriages in the Place del Opera
at Paris; and now we have Frenchmen
again, instead of the countrymen of Watt
OF Stephenson. acting as pioneers to the
new age which will certainly effect the
deliverance of great cities from horse
traiiic and of the horses themselves from
scruel and destructive use of their
strength.
LONDON'S POOR TRAMWAY FAC
ILITIES.
1t is a circumstance which has been
frequently commented on that there are
no horseless conveyanoes other than cy-
Giles and few cable tram cars in London.
The reason is said to be that the law re-
stricts the adoption of horseless vehicles
in England to very great extent They
are all subject to conditions upon which
alone locomotives of primitive construc.
ton, steam rollers, &c., are suffered to
go through the streets. A man must go
before with p red flag, and the speed must
be und or four miles in the country or
two in the town. The restriction was
probably very well before the days of
rapid transit, and it may be very we'll yet
in its application to heavy locomotives.
1t was, no doubt, intended to guard
against accidents due to the frightening
of horses. But horses, like human beings
soon become accustomed to new and
strange sights, and ara nowadays seldom
frightened even by the railway locomo-
tive; besides it is absurd to class light
carriage with a road locomotive or steam
roller, because its motive power is steam,
gas, petrol or electricity. But since
the successful experiments recently made
in France, Londo seems to have caught
the gleam of ray of hope that horseless
cabs and omnibuses may soon be seen in
her streets. Mr.. Shaw-Lefeyre, president
of the local government board, has intro
duced into the house of commons bill
intended to permit such carriages to be
used, and they will no doubt soon be-
come common sight in the streets of
London as they are now in the streets
of Paris, Havre and other French citiog.