Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-05-14
A PULLING SUBJECT.
Speed OF Trains as Affected by the Revo
luton of the Earth.


luton of the Earth.
1t Is MS for from Buffaloto New York as
it is from Now York to Buffalo, yet II we
arc to believe the reasoning of Mr.. Alex
andor Hogg, correspondent of The Rail
way Gazette, tho railway run can be made
more easily in the former direction because
tho speed of tho eastward moving train
being added to that of tho rotating earth
the reduction of weight due to centrifugal
force is greater. We quote such portions
of Mr.. Hogg's letter us do not involve
difficult mathematics:
"In 1891 the Now York Central and
Hudson River railroad ran train 486M
miles in 425 minutes and 42 seconds, or
an average OF 6lX miles per hour The
weight of the train was 400, 900 pounds.
Tho Same company on Sept. II, 1896
made the remarkable run of the same 436h
miles in 407M minutes. This was an
average of 64.26 miles per hour.
"Tho Now York Central, in starting
both times from New York city, unneces-
sarily retarded its own speed From AL
bany to Buffalo, duo west, tho train en-
counterod not only tho prevailing west
wind, but tho force of tho earths revolu-
ton eastward.
lowing to tho diurnal rotation of the
earth, bodies ut tho equator press toward
tho earth with two hundred and eighty
eght.two hundred and cighty-ninths OF
the pressure they would were tho earth
deprived of its rotation. IT, therefore, the
rotation of tho earth could be accelerated
until 1t took only onc-seventeenth OF the
present sidereal day to make IL complete
turn or revolution, tho centrifugal tond-
ency would be increased U7) twofold-
/ Al 4. a. n l..,D t,,,,,
now, and bodies at tho equator would have
no pressure downward, or, as we say,
would weigh nothing. This ratio of revo-
luton would not be sufficient to deprive
bodies anywhere else of their entire weight.
"Now let us apply this to railroad
trains. A train running cast, at tho equn-
tor, would be liRhtened rs compared with
tho weight on astill earth. If running due
west, the result would DO less. And the
difference of weight between the same
train, running east and west with the
same velocity, would bo certain frac-
ton of it's total absolute pressure Exam
! plc-Taking train running, say 20 feet
per second, or nearly 4S miles per hour,
this fraction would not be far from one
ono thousand six hundredth part; in run
ming GO miles per hour 1t would DO one
ono thousand two hundred and oightieth
part and If running 100 miles per hour, or
147 feet per second 1t would DO the one
seven hundred and sixty-ffth part, nearly,
and it would be greater and greater as the
speed Is increased, and still greater as both
speed and weight of tho train are in
creased. Tho train of tho Now York Cen
trail was 337 feet long and weighed 5G5, 00C
pounds.
"This calculation, it will DO observed
as said, will DO true for tho equator. The
New York Central train ran from Albany
to Buffalo upon about tho forty second
parallel of latitude and " therefore
this calculation should DO corrected fol-
tenths as great"
Other correspondents agreed with Mr.
Hogg in principle, though not accepting
oil his mathematics. Ono Of them ends hi:
letter with the following rather jocose sug
gestion:
at Is well known that when tho moor
is above us it draws movable objects away
from the earth and when it Is on the op
positc side of the earth it draws the eartl
away from movable objects here, thereby
causing tho tides. 1t might be well to sug
gest to tho New York Central officers that
as tho tides travel from east to west they
may perhaps offset the disadvantages un
der Mr.. Hogg's theory by starting whcr
the position of the moon is propitious and
as they would keep in tho tide while go
ing west, they still may DO able to make
fast time going wost, even If the engineers
or indeed, tho engines themselves, learr
of disadvantages of centrifugal force whor
they are trying to mako Buffalo,"