The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-03-22
MOVABLE SIDEWALKS.
One of the Novelties of the Paris Expo
sitfon.

(Corre sp ondence Cincinnati Tribune.)
Two years ago, when they were yainly
seeking for clou for the exposition OF
1900 capable of rivaling the kiffel Tower,
few people dreamed that modern neces-
stiles would develop the great feature
without the need of any Snowman inge-
nuity The olou of the exposition is dis
covered. The Worlds Fla r of 1900 will
strike the keynote of the twentieth cen-
tury transportation, Paris already has
an airship club, whose members propose
to amuse themselves with navigate tai-
looms of the Santos -Dumont tyre. The
cab service of the capital will be replaced
with automobiles The Metropolitan
Underground will he IN operation. And
the moving sidewalks of the Chicago
FAN of 1898 and the Berlin Fair OF 1896
wi reach development far beyond the
experimental stage, anu somewhat in
keeping with the promise of their future.
The visitor in 1900 will see Paris in a
giddy whirl.
The idea of the trottoir mobile il, of
course, not u new one. 1t appears that u
French engineer, NJ. Hsnard, had nj.
ready proposed it to the directors of the
exposition of 1889. His platform was to
havo had a speed of IS miles an hour,
with a stop of fifteen seconds every min.
ute ito permit the public to get on and
of. " The working out of This idea at
Chicago in 1888 proved that those stops
would have served NJ purpose except TO
decrease the average speed and to dam
age the machinery by continual shocks.
1t was found easy for ladies and children
to step on "a platform moving 2 l-2 miles
AN hour and from this to another moving
5 miles an hour.
Ihe directors of the exposition of 1900
are pro1ting by this experience. The
moving platform of Berlin was only two
miles long. The two platforms OF the
Paris Exposit on will be nine miles long.
Tntv are counted on to play principal
part in the handling Of the crowds with
in the crowded grounds Indeed, should
they fail to work successfully, there
would be serious EN- barrassinent. for 1t is
becoming clearer every day that certain
sections, like the tao long, narrow strips
on either side Gf the river. will be pecu-
liarly exposed TO congestion.
These are two strips OF river bank con-
Meeting he new exposition grounds with
the old The two solid chunks of tie
Champ de Mars and the Irocadero
ground remain. but they tretch out these
arms along the Seine to take In double
their old space. As 1T Is all within the
henri of Paris, the space hal TO be taken
where IL could be found. On the north
side of the river the new grounds OF The
Champs Elysees lie q mile and u half dis
tapt from the Trocadero. On the south
side the new grounds of the lnvalides are
Just as tar away from the Champs de
Mars. Eetween these two rather far
away sections it Is all crowded Paris
streets, parks, avenues and masses of
apar tmeut houses. The strips along the
river are al that could be spared to con.
meet them AS 1t Is. they have narrowed
tn. river 10 widen the strips: and they
have thrown three of the six bridges into
the exposition grounds in order TO afford
u little moro relief.
The sidewalk that is to hustle the Wis.
ito-s from the great Underground Rail-
NV Stetion at the Esplanade des Inya.
l:des along the south sids Of the Soine
anu into tue Champs de Mars will bs ON
the Ground level itself. This, Of course.
can be only Oh condition that 1t will have
no street OF roads TO cross, u thing that
Is 60 be accomplished by running 1t, al
ways within the grounds close to the eE-
position walls. Its circuit TO ard from
the Champs de Mars Will be about five
miles. The trottoir mobile OF the north
side OF he river will be All elevated one,
FURNISHED with benches, in the old style
of Chicago and Berlin. Its circuit prom
ises to be about four miles, from the
Champs Elysees up TO the trocadero and
return, 1t Is much desired to have 1t