The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-06-03
THINKS TWILL RUN
200 MILES AN HOUR
The Speed Claimed for q New Electric
Bicycle Railway.
LINES ARE SOON TO BE OPERATED
From Washington TO New York in
Two Hours. The Lines Will he
Elevated and There Will BE No
Cinders or Smoke..A Revolution in
RailrOadiMg.

Washington Letter. Philadelphia Times.
That the railroad systems Of the
country are about to be revolutionized
within short time seems possible from
the developments which are taking
place at the capital. And 1t will be no
strange thing II we are able to rush
about at an inconcelvable speed within
n few months.
To New York in two hours from the
capital: to breakfast in Gotham and
lunch in Chicago, and to take our next
breakfast in view of the placid waters
Of the Pacific. are what Is promised us.
To spin to Baltimore in less than twen-
ty minutes, to reach Philadelphia in
less than over an hour is what Is pos
sible, and to do all this without any
danger or any disagreeable feelings,
such as are incident now to ordinary
travel, is what is claimed by the gen.
tlemen who are about to astonish the
world with their enterprise.
The latest invention, and one which
Is to be put to practical use In q short
time. Is what Is known as the Brott
rapid transit bicycle railway 1t Is
entirely different from the roads now
In use, and gives a vastly increased
speed without any Of the dangers to be
encountered now In surface travel. 1t
combines the principles of the most i'm
proved electric motors. whose speed
can be accelerated to an almost incal-
culable point. and the trackway IL con-
structed with single rail, the cars
having but one wheel, hence the name
Of bicycle.
SOON TO BE.
The invention Is the work of Colonel
| George F. Brott. of this city, formerly
OF New Orleans. and though he has
| been laboring on the plans for some
years. 1t Is only now that he Is able to
say that the thing Is to become a real
lty. For within two months there are
| lines to be erected, cars to be placed
| on them and the road to be run Just as
| claimed by the incorporators. That
work Is to be begun on the construction
| or the road Is certain, and 1t Is also
certain that the first spade will be
stuck In the earth within the next sixty
days and the cars will be running be-
| fore the fall.
The directors Of the new method Of
rapid transit are not just yet decided
whether to build the first branch at
Washington or in New Jersey, but that
matter will be settled within few days.
AFTER the first line is In running order,
which Will be before cold weather, lines
| VIII be continued north and south.
east and west till there Is an elevated
bicycle electric railway from the At
lantic to the Pacific, till 1t is possible to
cross the continent on the wings of the
wind In day. Chicago Is also to begin
at once the construction of line from
that city to Milwaukee The plan
which 1t Is most likely will be followed
Is the one proposed by Colonel Brott,
which Is the building Of a mile track in
| WQChinrfOn n T1r1N = -
at the Bladensburg pike, which Is the
terminus of the New York avenue line.
The reason for this line Is that Brott
has purchased lot Of land at the bays
shore about thirty miles down the river
and wishes to make 1t a summer resort
his railroad taking passengers that dis
tance In fifteen minutes. After the
building OF these lines the company will
parallel the tracks Of the big surface
roads for most of the way between the
great cities and the new mode Of travel
will ultimately end in the surface roads
being restricted to freight service only
AN ODD CONSTRUCTION.
The construction Of the bicycle road ID
peculiar. 1t Is as far ahead Of the pres.
ent methods as the old postroads of the
revolution are behind the flying loco
motives of the day, and 1t Is only the
question Of few years before all travel
Is done by the means Of the electric cur.
rent, which shoots with lightning. like
velocity.
The roadway is to be that of a single
rail, having elevated side rails above
the center one. side wheels fitting into
these and aiding in the balancing Of the
car. and in rounding curves. When the
car Is In motion the wheels will touch
but slightly on the side rails, but theil
presence will prevent any accident ol
any tendency to fly the track.
The rails will be of steel, the road be
ing slightly elevated above the sur
rounding country. The cars. which viii
be devoted exclusively to passenger
mail and express service, will be pecul.
lar in shape, the front one being pointed
so as to reduce the resistance of the
air. Each car will seat from forty t.
eighty passengers and the baggage will
be stored in the trucks beneath. TIL,
cars will be vestibuled, so there will b,
no danger In passing from one to tn
other, there will be no smoke, for ther
is no coal. there will be no putting O
an engine, no cinders, no noise Of tn,
clicking Of passing rails, but a contin
ual spin in q noiseless, clean, smootl
car, which can run with the wind Itself
The power will be electricity, wtlic
will be stored in the latest motors, on
in each car. No freights will be above
on the system. There will be two tracks
one for each way, so there will be n
danger Of head to head collisions, an,
as to the trains running In the sam
direction the appliances are such that
on the approach. of a second one, tn
electric current ceases when 1t get
: within certain distance Of the on
) ahead.