The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-11-30
PRALL'S NEW MOTOR.
YOUNG INVENTOR CLAIMS TO HAVE A
WONDERFUL ENGINE.


Confident That He Can Ride Over to New
York From Washington, by It's Aid I'm .
Buggy In Few Hours-The New York
! CentraIs 'Dark secret"
The New York Central Railroad com
pany about year ago experimental in
the most mysterious mannerwith new
motor on its tracks running from New
York tv Brewsters. On the day ON which
q large company of railroad men had
been invited to see it work it was an
nounced that in the fire which burned
down the shop the motor had been de-
stroyed. Wonderful tales were told OF
this machine, but all experiments with
it were so we'll guarded that the public
never knew anything definite about it.
This motor was called by the New York
Central people "The Dark Secret.
The Worlds correspondent in Wash
ington has discovered what 1.-The Dark
Secret" was and also that its successor
has been secretly built, but not for the
New York Central company. This en-
gine will soon be put under the seat OF
an ordinary carriage, and the inventor
SAYS he will start some morning in the
next three weeks for New York and
reach there the same afternoon. He says
he will go over the regular wagon roads
at the rate of from 10 to 40 miles an
hour, according TO the roadbed.
The inventor is William 4. Prall, Jr.
He is only 26 years of age. His engine
is so small that il can be wrapped in
one Of the sheets of an ordinary newspa-
per. In its proportions 1t looks like a
small mail bag. 1t is only 8 inches by
IL on the outside and the cylinder is
but inches i'll diameter and inches
long.
The motive power is oil, vapor and
air, and the inventor says that it will
develop 45 horsepower and can be run
by what is practically an ordinary kero-
sene lamp burning under the pressare'of
compressed air.
The fact that young Prall was at
work upon some mysterious machine
leaked out through the strange poises
which for two months have been COM
ing night and day from the cellar of the
Hotel Arno, on Sixteenth street. This
hotel is large and well known one. 1t
@@ssen closed for several months. The
: easil, IN the disused baldipg started
noiseat dynamite bombs were .heing
sru, tina a To-. the Cuban insurgents
manufactuicellar.
in the hotespondent found that the Gel
The CORR converted into an extensive
lar had beep, with plants for the work
machine sh and iron. About dozen
ing of woclected expert machiniets
carefully sworking there for two
have been W going and coming so
months, quact attention. The hotel is
as not tcyoung Pail and his father,
owns at present in New York. Both
whnventors, but they have quarreled,
md they are no longer together.
When Mr.. Prall was asked If he was
building the new motor for the New
York Central railroad, he said: mo; /
am building this for myself. The Gen.
trail engine, or Dark Secret, ran with
hot water. This will run with oil vapor
and suitable amount Of air for its
complete combustion.
.The principle is what is known as
combustion at constant Nressure There
is continuous combustion without any
explosion, and with no jar. 1t works
just as though you had burner burning
under pressure in vessel. The air is so
heated that IL is expanded aScut ten
times its original volume, and the en-.
cine is run by that hot air. 1t is the
ideal way Of running an engine by hot
compressed air. 1t has direct rotary
action. / call it u coneentrio vibrating
engine.
"The patent Office people, when my
patent was granted, said that 1t was Ell
tirely different from anything they hat
ever seen. It overcomes the clutch prob
lem, thing which inventors have con
sidered impossible.
"After the exhibition / shall put !
AIN an ordinary buggy some day befor
>"-sstmas and run ever to New York II
q few hours. Inc engine. .,nds
tanks, will not weigh over loo po~
and can and have run IL up TO ~
0OrsepOWer.
According % young Prall, after n
had bui' !, several more or loss snccessiu
m. cora no showed his plans Tor ht
.>waser engine to Mr.. Clifford pf the Me-
york Central railroad, and aithoue
Mr.. Buchanan of the railroad compan
made an adverse report on itthe otn'
of,,cials were SO much impressed tn
they told him to go ahead. j.
He went to Philadelphia ,nd WI
hisown hands built complete engin
He says it ran at the rate OF !, 200 rex
lutiops a minute and surprised the "
trail people. The company sent HIM
schenectady to build an engine at the
comotiye works. This succeeded SO
that a new motor for public exhibit
was built. 1t was tired at Van ~
landt park. :, =.
"This," continued Mr.. Prall, -
the New York Central's Dark Seer
twas built at Watson 81 Stillman's
One Hundred and Forty-second str
-.,, ~ nm the incline Of 107 feet to