The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-10
Pretty blouse waists for cool mornings
SPIRAL RAILWAYS.
A Dizzy Device for Giving Fear and
JOY to Seaside Merrymakers.
london Daily News.

London Daily News.
At first sight the title given to new form
of engineering device for increasing the en-
joyment of holiday makers suggests a
scheme for exploiting the monumental
tombs of Egyptian kings. For an nlustra-
ton of its meaning, however, one need go
no farther east than Southend-on-Sea,
where, in the newly formed Marine Park, a
giant structure that is rather conical than
pyramidical in contour rears its head above
surrounding tree tops. 1t STANDS on rldge
that makes the height of its topmost gal
lery seem dizzy though in reality this is
not more than forty feet from the base:
Around the. skeleton frame or iron spiral
railway runs like a huge Archimedean
screw the lower end of which is lost In a
tunnel This railway is not merely in an
experimental stage, having been at work
since August Bank holiday, when many
thousands experienced the pleasant sensa-
ton of swift descent on its curved gradl-
ents. and kept the cars gong necessarily
of a company that has come into existence
with the object of placing similar dehghts
within reach of holiday makers throughout
Great Britain had not seen the thing IN
oneration until yesterday, when, with a
party of invited guests, they went 70 SCUM
end and made several journeys on the spiral
railway with all the lively enjoyment VI
children irving a new toy. They do not
claim to have done more than discover a
new pleasure for the hundreds whose lueds
of exhilarating amusement nave nor
to SCARED much above switchback fanWays-
IF any among them had any mlsgiVlnSs as
to the possible dangers attendant on such
forms of amusement thelr anNIetles ,r nus
have been diSpelled by the Soll0o VI PAS'O'A
cal tests yesterday. ,.,.. oeo
The structure itself is aDsolutely sale'
though it has nothing about IL so pohuerous
as the base of a Wembley tower. On d oeu
of concrete the central iron rrameWork
stands crowned by an octagondi peesou t
which at present lacks Ornamental hilSii !;
Within this framework are the engines anu
other appliances for giving motive power
RI lift From it iron struts extend dloullo
great circular area and serve as supports
for the railway, when Is lenGeu a ny con.
strIcted to hold six passengers edcn, ale
not drawn up the spiral by locoIloli ,eI, en-,
gines, but hoisted TO the nls t Huoe From
these they are set going down the lncllne
nv a slight exercise of manual or Ilec y: =!
zeal force, and then the only tning IL 90 ~
check their speed by the judicious apphcd5,
tion of brakes. These are of such power anu
SO perfectly under control OF the CrlV ,s
that two cars coupled toge'nea ~ .aa++er
stopped instantly at any point, no ni 49,
how fast they may be going. by an me- me-
rious arrangement OF levers actua aSii
auxiliary wheels that run aloIls l nfs ;te
rail anv tendency of the car to get OH lIss
track is effectually prevented, ana snort VI
q hrea kage, which seems Impossible, no az
cident that might happen coulu t LeaI ~ nv
rious consequences. The mechanism ~
Which these cars are lifted to the top IS.
according to an estimate made by the eng i
neer, capable of bearing nIeef b u mi nnnn
IT. Looked at from a distance the cars az
+fev start and gather way and swiftly seem
IN he going with a rush that nothing, can
control. but a touch of the brake FeuuCes
sneed at once and they wind gently rounu
the lengthening vOluteS at rate ina go, ?el-
dom exceeds fifteen miles an hour, taxing
inst one minute to cover the quarter "
nile from top to bottom and giving tne
passengers full opportunity to ENJOY IN.
beautiful panorama of sea ana l9no tna'
| seems to revolve round them -.
The sensation is much like tnat eHpeLl-
enced in a descent by the winnings OF tne
Syrian Railway from SemmeIins pas i NE
| Cslopgnitz valley but 1t dOeSn last quite
| En- long or give command of scenery Wildly
| Picturesque The revelry Of Southend III
festival mood, as 1t was yesteIuay; wo III,
| destroy any romantic illusions that 1magln'
| alton might otherwise conjure up, ana the
/ neonIe for whose enjoyment this railway
| has been constructed will propaply Sel
| nnch more pleasure out or the sense OF
swift motion than from the panoramic view
| COO During the earlier hours yesterday Wis
| itors to the Marine Park found so mucf
| entertainment in watching bicycle and 100
| races that the spiral railway was nttlt
| natronized but towards evening the cars
were kept going merriy, and the directors
| nrobahIv began to realize that profits or
| their venture were not a remote contln
! gercv. A sanguine member or tnat p0uN
| quoted figures to show that with twelve
| cars at work money coould be taken at the
| rate of so shillings a minute from paSsen
| gers That would amount to 5JO an hour
| but he omitted to say that you must frs
| catch your passengers, which WILL perhaps
| he more possible when the attractions o.
| Southend's Marine Park have been fully de
| veloped and it's boundaries Widened TO the
sea front This scheme is already IN con
temptation, and may be realized before
|