The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-26
THOUSAND MILES AN HOUR.
TRAVELLERS MAY YET ANNIHILATE
SPACE AT THAT RATE.
Edison says 1t Is Possible by Moving
Roadbeds-A Very Interesting Line
- SneeuIaffon.

nav enjoy railroad travel at the rate of
ra0 miles an hour. Sixty miles, or the
ynaximum Of the west bound flyers on the
great railroads, may prove sufficient for
the nerves Of the average person of to-
fav but science is constantly unfolding
r,arvels that soon are accepted actualities,
and the daring dream of to-day becomes
tbe cold commercial fact of the morrow.
And in these times it is the commercial
idea that is the mother of invention. No
less authority than Thomas A. Edison
himself admits the truth of it, and this
overturning of the old saw demonstrates
how human ingenuity is constantly at
tanning the new.
A thousand miles an houri That means
that New Yorker could go to Phnadel-
mia in less time than it takes to cross
the ferry to Jersey City; that he could
on to Chicago in less time than is con-
sumed by the L. from South ferry TO
one Hundred and Fifty-fifth street. 1t
would be possible for him 10 leave his
home in the morning and reach san Fran
cisco, so as to have ample time to tran
sact his business and still reach home
again in time for dinner. A thousand
miles an hour would, of course, make TINS
great country much smaller, but then, ii
would give the various sections OF Uncle
Sans family magnificent opportunity
of becoming better WIN OAic
another. Alaska would undoubtedly De-
come a fashionable summer resort, toward
which the weary business man would turn
his way on Saturday afternoon Tor the
purpose of spending Sunday with his
family and leaving again on Monday
morning in time TO reach his ONCE Dy
u o'clock. 80 ,
man, to make it entirely practicable,
would prabably be crushed under the
avalanche of gold that would pour IN
IA, IF
is one New Yorker who is developing
plan which will place this astounding
rate of speed within the range OF posi-
billy and Mr.. Edison, to whom II was
submitted, admits that all of the ny
potheses are perfectly sound Indeed,
the sage who has wrought miracles IN
electricity and sound declares that there
is practically no limit to the speed 10 De
obtained. The only drawback is the CO
hesive power of steel. That alone would
limit the velocity to be obtained.
The man who has evolved the ldea
spent a whole day in travelling from New
York to the worlds fair at Chlca 80. re ne
is a person who when at work, mis- the
capacity of three or four ordinary men
SO time with him is precious; time vast
ed is little short Of crime; Ana tnat oda
miles seemed deplorable, especially dur
ing an epoch when the brain or man
seemed invincible in the face OF opsta-
cles. He had often been in such a mood,
but on this occasion, having almost stol-
en- his vacation, he felt that he was es-
PeSay a o frawe But h his trip had its
recompense. Att the fair he saw the
moving sidewalk on which visitors,
seated on benches, were run OUT on
pier in the lake and brought back gain.
Ii did not go at any great speed, OF course
but it impressed the New Yorker never
theless Its projectors were unaware OF
this fact, and 1t is probable that they
would not have cared cent Whetner ne
was impressed or not. They had putt
body, but not him. At that time the
question of how to rapidly transport pas
sengers in cars across Brooklyn ~, 99rlG l,ss
be moved quickly enough. The men VINO
built the moving sidewalk at chicago
thought they had a solution to the prop
lem, and it is said that they exhibited
their sidewalk in the hope that when
Mayor Gilroy visited the fair he would
at once become charmed with 1t and rec
ommend the arrangement as speedy So
luton of the bridge problem. But ne
didn't; the inventive New Yorker did. =,
He noticed, too, that the main IS slaeW "IadS
was PARALLEL by another one that moved
much slower, and that passengers wishing
to land stepped on the second sidewalk.
To step from this to the ground was quite
easv' The New Yorker realized there was
an excellent idea underlying all this ana
he studied it over on his way home: The
train was going at the rate of 40 miles an
hour He thought If sidewalks could trav-
el at this rate they might have a value
above that of mere curiosity. The porter
at this moment darted through the aisle
car. He must be running after tip, I
remarked the New Yorker to himself, land
about ten miles an hour; the train at for
ty. He has the motion of the train and
his own added to it--ffty miles an hour,
in ALL Then the New Yorker smacked
The thing is as good as done"
He has been working on his scheme at
tails, which he jealousy guards it is this:
Given a roadway or plane that moves
with a certain speed train placed upon
It at rest would of course, have the inf-
tiai velocity; in motion it would have the
initial velocity plus its own velocity. Thus
If the road-bed were going at the rate OF
100 miles an hour. and the train upon it
were going at a like rate in the same di-
rection, the train would be going at the
rate of 200 miles Now, if instead of a
train upon the first plane there were an
other plane, and upon this plane still an
other going at like speed, the third plane
would really be going at the rate of 300
miles. If this arrangements be continued
any desired velocity could be attained.
This may not at once be clear to the I'M
scientific reader, but it is nevertheless
beyond contradiction. A little study will
make it apparent. He outlined the scheme
last week to a friend who has thousands
OF dollars tied up in railroads, but the
was brutally cynical. Only a practical
demonstration would satisfy him. You
have been reading The Tachypomp " he
sneered
THE Tachypompp exclaimed the in
ventor Never heard of it. What is it,
anyhow"
Don't you know any Greek?"
Not a word was the reply.
Ever hear of Bishop?'
Which Bishop" asked the inventor
"Oh, never mind, SO long as you don't
know" responded the other. But let me
tell you that you have only gone back to
that cannon ball problem, and if you fool
4 with that long you'n be daft, sure" 81
think you are daft from the way you ard
4 talking" retorted the inventor, with some
asperity. II don't know what you are
driving at. What is the cannon ball prob
n lem, anyway"
a Well, it's just this" said the railroad
man. Given a train going at the rate of
sixty miles an hour cannon ball fired
q In the same direction from one of the
cars and having a muzzle velocity of sixty
miles, would 1T reach a given spot at the
same time of the train or before lt2''
Why, it would reach the spot in just
4 one-half Of the time" promptly replied
the inventor. That's easy, and just IL
lustrates the principle on which 1 am
4 working"
Yes" asserted the other cynically.
4 Now, I have another question. Suppose
the gun were on the rear end of the train.
n Given the same velocity to train and can
non ball, WOuld the latter. If fired in the