The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-08-12

and safety that the forty mile an hour
trains are now doing; and repeat that
most of us will live to see it. Then
when steam has been supplanted by
electricity, when all that genius can
devise has been perfected and applied
to railway train, look out, my friends,
for some fast travelling. believe that
the generation to follow us will go from
New York to Chicago at an average
rate of speed of 200 miles an hour-or
less than five hours for the whole dis
tance.
One of our members recently made
the trip (in his mindD by pneumatic
tube in twenty-six minutes, and to the
disgust of him and his two travelling
cempanions-two twentieth century
ladies-they were three minutes behind
schedule time. Some section men
along the Maumee river were repair
ing the track, l believe, is what caused
the delay.) l was much interested in
the way the writer of the article re-
ferred to handled his subject, but it is
not my intention in this paper to draw
so far upon my imagination as to sug
gest to you the possibility of its ever
becoming feasible for human lives to
be transported the distance of 1000
miles at the speed of forty miles a
minute without great fear of accidents
and dire disasters. But do claim that
science and invention will go forward
until our present mode of rapid transit
will be as stage coach in comparison
with what is yet to come.
The greatest inventor the world has
ever produced is Edison, and still what
he has given to the world is in its in
fancy, in crude state, having been
only partially developed. The great
and mighty Falls of Niagara have stood
for ages and no use has been made of
the tremendous power until recently,
when party of gentlemen bridled just
about as much of it as a small boy
would use in his squirt gun Gf [ may
be allowed to use the cOmparisOn) and
what do we see. Why, sir, the power
thus made use of is propelling every
street car, turning every shaft and
every spindle in the city of Buffalo,
twentysix miles away, as we'll as for
half a dozen cities within the radius;
and furnishing light for the country
for far greater distance, some Of it
being made use of in New York City,
not to make mention of the fact that
telegram was sent around the world
by the power of the great falls. But
wait until the mighty cataract has been
fully harnessed and power 100000
fold greater than what has thus far
been made use of has been mastered,
and then conceive, if you can, what
will happen.
1t has already been demonstrated
that electricity can be carried on a
slender wire for an unlimited distance
from the power plant, and made to
operate in satisfactory manner. |
oOoOlC UlloU CllC uoOuI al pOWCl VI
Niagara Falls is sufficient to produce
the electricity and this electricity can
in time be SO completely applied and
made use of, and distributed to every
part of the country, and applied to
every railway train, passenger and
freight, from Maine to California and
Galveston to Winnepeg, and propel
them all at a rate of speed four time as
great as what they are now making
Yes, and we will add to this every
street car, every mill, every factory,
every shaft and every spindle within
said territory, and all propelled by the
power of the great Niagara-a power
that is increasing and costs nothing to
maintain.
There will be no horses in the country
then, because there will be no use for
any. The horseless carriage will have
become fixed fact and it will be joined
by the horseless express wagon, the
horseless plow, etc. The country from
one end to the other will have system
of endless and connecting boulevards,
or roads, made hard and smooth, and
of a composition that can be charged