The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-01-17
FARM AND GARDEN.
MOTOR CARRIAGES.
Their Introduction Depends Upon the I'm
provement of Our Roads.

Their Introduction Depends Upon the Inn
provement of Our Roads.
The United States in some of its
aspects, despite its great population,
it's large cities, wealth and inventive
powers, appears susceptible of further
advances. Of late agitation in direc-
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 generation, was pointed to with
interest as cause which had revolu-
tionized the world. For in modern
times the transportation of freight
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 man
ayers ideal.
The steam railroad seems to have
reached pretty nearly its limit, and
now most formidable competitor for
local traffic has come upon the scene
in the electric road. The five and SIX
car steam train is supplanted by
number of single trolley cars run at
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, ard very directly the individual
For on roads and streets the horse
drawn vehicle and the bicycle travel,
and the latter, once 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 payements a new
field of work for the inventor at once
is open. The horse is being more and
more relegated to the background.
The bicycle surpasses him in it's
powers of transporting humanity. 1t
illustrates the immense reduction of
friction on journals by the use of ball
bearings. After ball bearings had
SSOOlCb blio pdl VI Tic plOD1Cuu Inc
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 90.
CURED competition between road
vehicles driven by power. From the
early days of this century repeated eff
forts haUa hann mazda To n
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-driven
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 successflii
traction engine or carriage can be ac-
complished. But the production of
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. 1t must be light The bicycle
of twenty-five pounds weight carries
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, and |
the progress of the individual would |
be favored. But until good roads come
this cannot be. The trolley road as an
approach to the desired cheap traction
has proved welcome to the country
and suburban jewellers. The advent /,
of a practical power-driven vehicle
coupled with good roads would prove
just as welcome and more in con-
sonance with the vested rights of the |
community in such roads as they pos
sess; rights in which are now sur
rendered to the electric road companies
with far too great readiness.-Scien.
tifc American.