The herald., 1897-12-11
BREV|1|ES Of SCIENCE

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!: BREY|1|ES OF SCIENCE !
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An electric road from New York to
Philadelphia, with speed of 140miles an
hour, making the trip in about thirty
minutes, is the next thing on the tapis
in rapid transit circles. A rigid road
bed, with metal ties, laid two feet from
center to center, and carrying four rails'
the ties supported in concrete laid upon
layer Of broken stone, is proposed as
necessary to the Accomplishment OF the
feat. The electric current is to be sup
piled, not by the ordinary trolley wire,
but by a third rail-" Charles Henry
Davis and r. Stuart Williamson, refer
ring to this third rail, state (Engineer-
ing Magazine) that 1t could be placed
close to the side Of the car, elevated
about two feet above the top or the
rails. This rail Is to be Of steel, sup
piled with current from the feeder sys-
tenn, carried between the tracks, the
power to be furnished by five large CEN
tral stations, located at intervals along
the line. Every car Is to be a motor
car, capable OF moving itself at the
speed required. The wheels are to be
seven feet and six inches to each truck
The conclusion OF the engineers. after
careful consideration OF all the facts,
is that such a road could be built and
operated. One hundred and forty miles
an hour on an electric road, so far as the
engineering possibilities are concerned.
they tell us, is no bolder in conception
than was the Suez canal, the Brooklyn
bridge or the Manchester ship canal.
II may be q surprise to some OF the
readers OF these Brevities to be told that
electric traction Is successfully applied
to plowing in France and Germany.
The electric motor, says the Engineering
Magazine, IL carried on the plow itself,
and drives a sprocketed chain sheave,
which engages with chain stretched
across the field and anchored at each
end. The current Is conveyed to the
motor through a pair OF trolley wires.
supported on carriers, which may be
moved laterally across the field as the
work progresses. The following interest
ing suggestion is worthy the attention
of our California agriculturists. Says
the magazine just named: when elec-
trio current from a general station is to
be had, the use Of electric plows offers
numerous advantages. Current which
is used for lighting at night can be fully
utilized in the motors by day, and the
introduction of a number OF electric
plows might make the installation OF an
IL III t,,e ~ t1v,C rbay-
otherwise the demand for current might
scarcely warrant the outlay. Elec-
trcity adds principally the general ad-
vantage Of power transmission from any
convenient point, and does away with
the necessity of having the entire power
plant in the field where the work Is to
be done, and in time its wider introduc-
ton may lead to the establishment OF
agricultural power stations, furnishing
current, not only for plowing, but for
all the manifold purposes required In
farming. Installations which at present
are too expensive for any but great
landed proprietors may thus by COM
bination be brought within the reach
of many smaller farmers"
The adaptation Of the rubber tube to
the purposes of molding pipes Of ce-
ment is both admirable and useful. The
inventor Is a Frenchman and continues
| in this new device the credit due his
countrymen for many ingenious aids to
the work of civilized man. Engineering
describes the process as follows: ITO
make a continuous conduit in the
ground trench Is dug, and at the bot
tom of this layer Of cement mortar
| is placed. On this rests the rubber
tube, which is surrounded by canvas and
| inflated The remainder of the trench Is
then filed with cement mortar, and as
soon as this is set the rubber core can
be Debated and removed for use else
where. 1t is stated that six-inch pipes
have been made on this plan out Of hy-
20 cents per yard"
An English mechanic has invented
what is termed gliding boat" which
is a successful novelty in marine ar
chitecture. We have in Popular Science
News an outline Of the vessel, which
will be of interest to the general reader.
| lS well dS W IHc bHlp Col pChlciS' - 40
as follows: 1.-TWO parallel hulls are con-
nected by cross beams. forming plat
form, on which are placed the engine
and boiler. The propeller shaft runs
down obliquely into the water. Beneath
the huls are secured fiat blades, ex-
tending from one keel to the other, and
projecting some distance on each side.
The fiat surface of the blades incline
slightly upward in front. When the en-
gine is started the boat gradually rises
to the surface, and when a speed of
twenty miles an hour Is reached, as was
actually realized, only the back part
Iof the blades touches the water"
Electric traction is slowly and pain
fully making headway in Europe. The
Electrical Engineer Nondon) tells us
that the total mileage of electric trac-
ton in all Europe is $40 miles. In the
United States we have about IL, 900 miles
of electric traction, and don't make
much fuss about 1t either. Comment
ing on this the journal referred to says:
Progress in America and progress ir
Europe are two very different things
but there are many indications that
Europe Is going ahead now very fast
not only in the matter Of electric trac-
tion, but also as regards lighting and
the more general use Of electricity. We
know what rapid developments are TAX
Ia.