Evening star., 1895-08-28
TO SUPPLANT HORSES
We Are Rapidly Nearing an Ago Of Me-
ohanioal Steeds
France is Leading the Way-Horse-
less Vehicles In American Cfties-
Petroleum Wagons.

| france II Le04an8 the Way-HOfoos
less Vehicles In American Cities
| Petroleum. Wagons.
From the Boston Evening Transcript.
Carriages without horses have long been
popular In France. Since 1892 they have
been coming rapidly into favor through the
! invention of a petroleum motor. The re-
cent race from Paris to Bordeaux. in which
machines adapted by NM. Pauhare and
Levassor of Paris to carriages Of two or
four seats competed. has attracted the at
tention not only Of France, but Of America
| These carriages. made after traditional
| patterns, are driven by means of motor.
| which is situated indinerently either at the
| back or in front. The driver sits with a
| lever ready to his hand, by means of which
| the machinery can be set in motion In a
| few minutes. Some experimenters nave
proved that two minutes Will suffice Tor
| start. and others agree upon five minutes
! as the time required. Anyhow, 1t Is
| small affair, even If the horses have a sort
| Of advantage here. But horses. at least,
| cannot 70 backward, except at great per-
| sonal Inconvenience, and after a vast
| amount of manipulation by the coachman.
| The petroleum carriage runs either way
without protest. And in the matter OF
| speed no mere horse can approach It. Ine
average speed on good roads recommended
| hy the manufacturers Is something more
| than eleven miles an hour, ana even slea.
! er claims are made for 1t. The petroleum
| in these engines is used as fuel for the
| production of steam. They are as easiiy
| worked as a tricycle., probably easier.> A
| first trial, to drive his carriage over two
| hundred miles in two days of ten hours
| apiece. Tourists have wandered over naiI
| a dozen departments IN tnem' anu .ns
| taste is spreading every day.
These vehicles, perfect as they appear 10
| te will have to give place to the later de-
| vices of electricians. SO lar those tnat
| have been constructed have proved too
heavy and expensive to find general sale
| The batteries alone cost about $500. They
| have undoubted advantages. They are
| clean. no.seless and require no engineer or
| skilled operator. resembling in this respect
| the trolley and the cable car. But the ex-
cessive load of the batteries and the lack
! of facilities for recharging them will pro-
| some time to come. Supplies of petroleum
| and gasoline are to be obtained In any
| town. The petroleum vehicles are light
more convenient in running. and also re-
| ouire no engineer. For these reasons they
| must take the precedence for ordinary use
until the ingenuity of the Yankee has over
come the obstacles that electricity pre-
| sents. Take, for instance. the electric
wagon of the Boston Inventor. 1t is heroic
| in its proportions. resembling an English
| brake in general design, and Is built to out
| last the wonderful one-hoss shay" 1t
| weighs 100 pounds. and Is undoubtedly the
| heaviest motor wagon on the continent.
rivaling in weight the steam omnibuses Of
| Paris. Tie general design of the vehicle Is
contained in the body and under the front
| seat are extremely powerful consisting of
| forty-four chloride cells, with total ca
pacity of two hundred ampere hours, and
| NJ 700 n i0Nh h fn nj N tyy-f1y
| amperes. The motor yields four horse
| power and three different speeds OBJ
| tanned, the minimum being four and the
| maximum fourteen miles an hour The
| owner has put this carriage through the
PAGES in hill climbing and over heavy roads
with most satisfactory results.
BY Means of Electricity.
An electrical wagon In use in Philadel-
| phia has run several hundred miles with
| out an accident. AS compared with petro-
| leum vehicles it is rather ponderous. weigh
| ing 1880 pounds. The batteries weigh
| 600 pounds and consist of sixty chloride
| accumulators. having maximum capacity
| of thirteen horse power. From fifty to one
hundred miles an hour can be accomplished
| on one charge, according to grade and
speed. and the maximum speed attainable
| is fifteen miles an hour. The motor,
| weighing 300 pounds, Is of nominal three
\ horse power. electric launch type. capable
l
| horse power Steering is accomplished by
| means of a wheel in front of the driver.
| The first electric wagon ever seen near
| New York has just appeared in Brooklyn.
| 1t came from the west. and is the inven-
| tion OF two residents of Kansas City. 1t
| weighs about 5000 pounds. and at pres
ent constructed has but one seat. Eighteen
! hundred pounds of storage batteries of the
chloride accumulator type furnish the
power. which is communicated to the
wheels by a rawhide friction pulley rum
| a
| side of the rear wheels. When desired, an
| automatic lever detaches the power from
the driving wheel without stopping the mo-
| tion of the motor. On ordinarily good roads
| a speed of fifteen or eighteen miles an hour
can be obtained. and for ascending hills a
reserve Of twelve horse power can be drawn
upon. A run of fifty miles can be made
| with one charge of the batteries.
Lock Haven, Pa, Is also a claimant for
| honors in this direction. This wagon is in
| tended for hotel service. The seats run
| lengthwise, and under them are stored the
| batteries. eight cells in all. four on each
| side. Though so few in number, these cells
are said by the inventor to have sufficient
capacity to run the wagon fifteen days of
nineteen hours each, recharging themselves
| from a generator of ten sixteen-candle-
power lights. The motor develops three
horse power, geared to equal six. The We
hicle weighs LOGO pounds. and is said to
carry 5000 pounds. The rubber tires with
| which it is fitted increase the comforts Of
riding.
When the wagon stops or is running
! down hill the generator returns the used up
| current to the batteries, thus economzng
power. 1t is claimed that on a good road
speed of twenty-five miles an hour can
| be reached. and the project is on foot to
apply the invention to fire and police
| patrol wagons hotel omnibuses and pleas
ure wagons.
A light and graceful buggy propelled by
a gasoline motor has for three months past
| been traversing the streets of Springfield
and adjacent country.
Tire Humble Bees Duty,
From Notes and Queries.
Some years ago 1 paid visit to my