The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-20
In THE NEXT CENTURY.
Realistic Pom Picture Of How Our Forum
ate Descendants viii Travel onc
Hundred Years from Date.


Realistic Pom Picture Of How Our Forum
ate Descendants viii Travel One
Hundred Years from Date.
| Moved by the prophetic spirit writer
In the New York Recorder thus peers
ahead into the doings of the American
people a century hence. After pronounce
ing the doom of the horse as an agency
of locomotion, he observes that there VIII
mo longer be heard along the highways
| the rhythm of trot and gallops, no Joyous
neighings. no sterterous b-eathings or hags
oppressed with burdens. In their place VIII
resound the heavy roll of wheels. the whirr
of machinery, the scream of warning
whistles. Everywhere steam or electric
carriages, everywhere coaling or petro-
leum stations, everywhere water tanks
for the boilers restaurants for travellers,
| blacksmith shops for repairs in the ma
| chlnery, villages transformed into minia-
| ture towns and 'hayseed' into sophisti-
Gated townfolk, the entire landscape IN
vaded by automatic cars and aerial voy-'
ayers, flying Ike birds through the air.
| such vehicles will not be without char
acter, and will lend individuality to the
scene. Specially remarkable will be the
large family car or excursion carriage.
fitted with all conven!ences. One,feature
l
the boiler. utilized as a sort of homely
| kitchen. will facilitate the concoction OF
succulent stews, of hot pastry and of
smoking coffee. The country doctor will
adopt convenient 'petroleuse' run, as Its
name indicates, by petroleum, and FUR
nished with small drawers for medicines,
where the heat will keep at a wholesome
temperature his sudorifc doses, his anti
septic potions, his prophylactic vaporizers
and injectors. The matron will rejoice In
| a three wheeled wicker basket-wagon, not
larger than an Indian sofa, which she will
manage alone in the byways and the
woods. A great sight will be the electric
cobwebs,' whose two principle wheels.
lightly and delicately interviewer, with
thin copper wire will have diameter ex-
ceedng even that of the body of the We
hicle. while the directing wheel, more sub
| stantial in appearance, will be reduced
| two thirds, so as to assist the evolutions
of those who work it. These cobwebs will
be suited for long journeys, and Will, there
fore, be extremely swift. They will attain
a speed of from seventy-five to ninety
miles an hour.
Cars of Every Kind.
| "Traveling statesmen will speed along in
drum cars very giddy in color, and open
at the sides so as to exhibit show cases
full of tempting bats for village coquetry
or country dudedom, while others will
have bargain cars, replete with strange
bits of bric-a-brac in the shape of bottles,
pots, cans or bales, according to the partic-
ular line they represent. There will be
Campaign cars for candidates election
eering tours: tabernacle cars dark and
mysterious, for clergymen on their pa
rochial rounds; 'antitite cars, cheap little
vehicles. whose wheels will be so fixed
as exactly to bestride the ordinary broad
| gauge railroad, and will be mainly de-
| signed for actors and tramps; and jour
nalistic joggers,' elegantly mounted In
brass and fitted with a typewriting ma
chine and, If necessary, a pretty type
writer girl, who will supply the motion
| with her legs at the same time that her
hands are busy taking down dictation from
the master mind who accompanies her.
1.-The streets of all the great cities-New
York, Chicago, San Francisco, Paris or
London-will be far indeed from the COM
parative calm and quiet of the present
Merely human voices of dscredited coach
men and car drivers will be drowned in
the prodigious and never-ceasing tumult
| of the whistles, the bells, the gongS and
other alarms from all sorts of vehicles
the shrieks of escaping steam at each ac-
cident or collision. the thunderous roll Of
wheels, the interminable clicking of ma
chinery.
Street Cars on Pneumatic Tires.
Following one another. hurriedly in the
midst of the deafening clamor of trumpets
of warning will appear the cars of the
Metropolitan Electric company. They
will not run on rails, pneumatic tires en-
abling them to dispense with those relics
of the past. Interspersed among them will
be heavy carts and drays run by steam
and loaded to the height of second-story
window by means of a mechanical crane
which will be ready at any moment to un-
load the merchandise upon the sidewalks
From all these vehicles there will float Il
heavy odor Of burned grease and of sui
phur In order not to disturb the rich and
elegant quarters of the town, streets
which form the promenades or driving
places of the aristocracy will be forbidden
to electric or steam carriages. whose use
will be confined to common and ordinary
people, with whom haste Is more import
ant than comfort. The fashionable We
hcles of the beau monde will be rich car
riages with daintily decorated panels
mounted upon springs, the motive power
being furnished by liveried suite of foot
men. two Wallets behind in gala costume,
moving with quick, nervous action of
the IndSIiHceHlly ueNeIOpeu CdlVeS the
pedals of the wheels, while in front the
conductor, a skillful bicycllst, will give
to the equippage fast, certain and dis
tinguished gait.
mo horse will appear. save in certain
little riding roads in the suburban parts.
Magnificent bicycles. run by the aid of
electricity and developing high rate of
speed by the merest touch of the most
emasculated foot will be the fashionable
thing in places like Central Park. The
horse track will give place to the bicycle
track. Jerome Park and Washington Park
will no more attract people to see contests
of s,alvators and Tennys. Instead, more
exciting trials OF speed will take place be-
tween famous bcycllsts. Enormous prizes
will be offered fy rival builders of the
wheels. A curious sight IN ali the large
cities will be the electrical funeral trains,
accommodating number of burial parties
and running by schedule every day, each
train consisting Of half dozen hearses
and perhaps a hundred coaches for the
friends of the defunct. These expresses
will run at the rate of about 100 miles an
hour. century from now progress In
transit will almost have reached its apo
gee
Weight Of Postage Stamp.
A gold-weighlng machine in the Bank