The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-10-23
BILLY M'CABE'S MOTOR.
BY LUKE SHARP.

nOIlO0, the mousse OF cOmIuOuS ldllcu u
pass the motor car bill. Many COM
panies had been organized in England
for the making of road locomotives, and
people now wondered what was to be-
come of these organizations, which
were, as usual thing, largely over cap
italized. 1t was said that the commons
would be sure to pass the bill next ses-
sion, bu& the same remark had been
made the session before.
It was at this period that the eyes of
the world became gradually turned on
Billy McCabe, who was at first called
the English Edison, but after awhile
| people began to term Edison the Amer
ican McCabe, which went to show that
Billy was getting on in the world. No
body was so much disappointed at the
inaction of the house of commons as
Billy, and it is doubtful if anyone used
more reprehensible language on the
subject than he did. Billy was not the
man to sit calmly under this injustice,
and he held, quite truly, that it was
ridiculous that a country like England
should have law compelling motor
car to go at four miles an hour, pre-
ceded by tired-loolling man with red
flag. Billy had invented a motor car
himself on an entirely new principle,
and he had been waiting patiently for
the house of commons to pass its motor
car enactment so that he might float
his company and compete with the other
organizations already in the field, Tor
the patronage of those who wished to
run along the country roads as swiftly
| as if they were in a railway train. Bill
Tvs car differed from all others then in
the market. 1t was extremely light,
being made of a composition of steel
and aluminium or something of that
sort. 1t did not depend for its motive
power on either electricity or petrole-
| UNI. 1t was simplicity itself. In
| strong reservoir it generated the new
acetylene gas, which is easily made by
| dropping lozengeo of carbine of calcium
| into little water. Not being practical
chemist, 1 am little uncertain whether
the substance is carbine of calcium; 1T
may be carbine of sodium; but anyhow
it is carbine of something, and this
substance can be made into little tablets
which, when dissolved in water, pro-
duce the acetylene gas. There was
strong reservoir holding some water,
into which was dropped automatically
loZenge after lozenge as the gas gen
Grated was used in the engine, and so
pumped off into the empty air. Billy
had a good deal of trouble at first with
his motor car, because he insisted on
smoking while running it, and the
acetylene gas being tremendously eX-
plosive, Billy found himself blown into
the next county on frequent occasions,
SO he was compelled to give up the use
of tobacco while riding on his car. He
thought at first of calling it the anti
tobacco motor and floating it as COM
panv which would reform smokers, but
finally he hit on an invention which al
lowed a man to smoke in comfort while
he sat on the car. He concocted an ar
rangement by which the discharged gas,
having done it's work, passed through
box containing soapy mixture SO
that the gas came off in great bubbles
and floated along by the roadside, This
was the germ of his next marvellous
warlile invention, by means of which
the gas inclosed itself in little globules
that shot off into the air, floating in
space for awhile, and exploded with
fearful force when the bubble touched
tree or the earth. This device, as
everybody knows, has changed mod
ern warfare completely, just as Billy's
car has changed modern locomotion.
Edison came out, Immediately after
Billy's discovery was announced, and
claimed that he had invented the same
thing 25 years ago, but Billy got his
patents all right, and that is the main
thing in O commercial and contentious
world.
l was intimately acquainted with
Billy, and beg to state here that it is not
true, what historians have said, that Nc
Cabe set out deliberately with his motor
to defy the great British empire. Moth
ing was farther from Billy's thoughts,
he being most peaceable citizen. He
merely took out his motor to show the
public how easily it might be guided
through even crowded streets; but the
law takes no account of good intentions,
knowing perhaps to what purpose they
are put in paving the lower regions So
Billy was caught by constable out Mt
MiddleseX, and hauled before a magis-
trate The magistrate would listen to
no excuse. He said it might be great
invention, or it might not, but that he
was defying the law by not having a
man with red flag in front of his mo-
tor. Billy explained that it was impos-
sible to have the man there, because the
motor was going at the rate of 40 miles
an hour, and few men, unless they are
in extremely good condition, can cover
that distance in 60 minutes. The magis-
tratc retorted that this made the case
all the worse, for he was running at ten
, times the legal speed. Thereup0p he
! fined Billy 40 shillings and costs and
threatened to send the inventor to prison
E if ever he appeared before him agair.
Angry as Billy had been before, he now
became wild. He said he didn't mind the
40 shillings fine, or even the costs, but
the econtemptuous language of the magis-
trate regarding his new motor car
proved the last straw on the motors
aluminium back. Billy left the magis-
/ trate's presence without a stain on his
. character, but at the same time he swore
loudly that he would let the British en-
pire know whatitwas to runup against a
full-boded motor car that would go 40
miles an hour at ordinary speed or SO
s miles if it was hurried. For two or
three weeks nobody saw anything OF
Billy, and when he did come out they
did not recognize his motor car.
Thel began his celebrated excursion
| L. 60,