The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-12

two air-brakes, one for stacking speed tbA
other for actually stopping the train.
Electricity comes from a power houss
in the Tervueren park, which has ca
pacity of about 1,0O0-horse power. The dy-
namos have a working strength of 7sO
volts. Electricity is fed to the line bv
copper cable properly connected to the
steel contact-rail, which is carried on Chi
ma insulators, made fast to the sleepers
This contact-rail feeds especial collectors
which in turn pass the power to the mo-
tors.
This line has sharper curves and sleeper
gradients than are likely to occur on any
commercial railway. And it has itself been
most severely and impartially treated un-
der the eyes Of commissioners specially ap-
pointed by the governments of Belgium
and Russia. So it is worth while to hear
what those big-wig official gentlemen say
of it.
"A single-rail line, on trestles, with
bearing surface for the vertical pressure
of the rolling stock, and supplied with
guide-wheefs TO resist lateral pressure, Of
fers fewer chances of derailment than the
ordinary railway" says one. A second
comes in like an echo: "a single-rail line
with curves of the radius common upon
express routes can be travelled over much
more rapidly and more safely than an Or
binary track"
CuriOsities of the New Line.
One of the curiosities of the Tervueren
line is the method of crossing country
roadways, of which there are several
through the park at Tervueren. In order
to maintain such a speed 1t would be fatal
to have to slow down for a crossing. Ac-
cordingly, Mr.. Behr has rugged up mar
Vicious drawbridge for roads. This draw
&c cd ar
when the train approaches the two sections
of the bridge, parting in the middle, fly up,
allowing the train to pass at full speed.
Mr.. Behr expects lin the future TO use
his new invention not only for short dis
tances between densely populated cities,
but for long distances through the coun-
try where the passenger traffic is large. II
his line now projected from Liverpool TO
Manchester is entirely satisfactory, think
of the possibilities for still longer ones!
For instance, a travelling man might go to
bed in the evening in a train in New York
and wake up fresh for business in Chicago
the next morning. It. would be perfectly
feasible to go to Florida for a Sundays
outing, leaving Saturday night and COM
ing back on Monday morning, and accord
ing TO Mr. Behr, this could be accomplish
ed with even greater safety than that at
tanned in the swift-running double-track
trains of to-day
Cost of Single Rail Lines.
The question of cost, of outlay and pos
sible returns, is, of course, crucial. MI.
Behr is frankness Itself there. He sets
down categorically estimates of first cost
at from $50 900 TO 100000 the mile but as
serts that the operating expenses are SO
moderate that the single-rail lines can
carry passengers at a less rate than IS
now charged upon fast trains, and stu
pay dividends upon their capital. He says
too, that he sees no likelihood of inter
ferlng with freight traffic nor even OF
monopoliz,ng the passenger business. what
he advises is the construction of sing'e-
rail systems along some of the great
trunk lines, possibly in connection with
them, so that Impatient travellers, or timid
ones or those under stress of business
may be whisked away as by magic, leaY-
ing the Pullmans and Vestibule trains 10
those who have luck and leisure.
Evolution of the Single Rail Idea
The genesis of this Ternisee line is most
interesting. 1t is as much an evolution as
1t may work a revolution. Various ana
sundry other singlerail lines have eXisten
IN various and sundry parts of the Wotih
some ran by mule power, some by steam
power. The Tervueren line is, however
the first to run by harnessed lightning It's
immediate prototype is the single-rail tres
tie line running from Listowel TO Bahy,
brennan. in Ireland, which is in itseH
somewhat notable. Its length IS nlle
miles and half, II has run for eleven
years-odd, without having a car wneel
once to leave the track or a passenger OF
emp.oye make a claim against it for dam
ages This, though ii is operated by steam
ana runs twenty miles an hour-not d"
astounding rate of speed, but a very SUM-
clent one, under the circumstances.
Mr.. Behr built it, as later he built me
Belgian experimental line. The Lslo"el
model was line put up by a French e'i.
glneer out in Algeria. At first he bullt
a double track line on the ground put
lhe sand, storms covered up his tracks ias,
Ter than he could uncover them, so he hdu
recourse to trestle construction, alou7
which cars were drawn by mules ails'
the manner of boats on canal Happen.
ing to see II, Mr.. Behr decided that II Was
good scheme and proceeded to imita.5
II upon the Irish coast. From steam an.
twenty miles an hour, the transition has
peen more natural than rapid. lie na7