The times., 1899-12-10


seen gliding uoiselessiy and swiftly 10 and
fro upon Jbe busy streets. vistacres are
prone TO predict tbat. iu ten years from
date. The horse VIII be found no mere
Within the citg limits. They fcmicd one
that Rot many years ago the horse drew su
/ street ears aud tGay unless citizens we're
inclined 10 walk they had 10 resort to the
horse for transportation from one part O.
the city TO another TIE elettris street
railways have displaced thousands OF
equiuss. and the bicycle has reduced b.
thousands the number Of Eorses used.
Now comes the automobile 10 complete ths
transformation in city traffic.
That far-seeing philosopher Of the four
teenth century. Roger Bacon, p4ophes.st
chat we viii be able TO construct ma
chimes which Wiil propel ships vita greater
speed than whole garrison Of r0Wers. and
which VIII need only one pilot 20 guide
them; We viii be able 70 propel carriages
with incredible speed without the assist
Gnce of any animal and we VIII be able g
make machines which by means OF wiues
Will enable US TO fy in the air like birds.
Anyone who visits the Patent Ofhce VIII
fully endorse this prophecy which iu Ba-
cons time was considered the fmag5uatious
of highty mind and which has since been
fully realized in the case Of the steamship.
Many Patents Granted
1t was learned at the Patent Once that
fully 250 automobile patents have already
been granted and that quite as many more
are pending This doees not include the
foreign patents which number quite as
many as have been granted to Americans.
French and English inventors have rece-v-
ed most of the foreign patents for autOmo-
biles, with France considerably in the cad.
About nifty years ago man in England
invented a steam rOad-wag gOn. which was
a success so far as I0comotiOn was con
Cerned. People claimed, however. that it
frightened horses. and law was enacted
requiring herald 10 prscede the steam
wagon and 10 carry a red flag OF warning
As this was an impracticabls requirement..
the steam road wagon business for pas
sengeE service was abandoned Several
years ago however. the law requiring red
flags was repealed. and in celebration the
steam wagons went through the streets
with their red flags cut in strings
Among the numerous drawings Of
horseless vehicles found in ne Patent Of
fee is a cut OF the first wagon ever pro-
PEELED successfully by the use OF machin-
cry Ii was constructed in the sixteenth
century ~ J1h1nn Haustach, Of Surem-
burg. who was described as a "malufac-
turer OF chariOts going by spring. and max
ing 2.000 PAGES an hour. The vehicle it,
self was large and clumsy being elabo-
rat.ly adorned with gilt aud rough cary
ing. II Tesemkied heavy circus cart ot
the present day The motive power vas
derived from the potential energy Of a
coiled spring. As the wagon was without
any steering spparatus,it could 9aly Do
run or straightaway course, and as Haany
accidents resulted from this deficiency. the
civil authorities forbid The runnlng q the
wagon on the public r0als-
Another means of hOTseless locOmotiCn
found IN the Patent Office. and which came
into use about the same time as the
spTing-propelled carriage. was the Wind
propelled vehicles of the Dutch These
carriages or rather, wagons, fer they
closely resembled the heavy read wagons
of the American farmer, we're propelled By
means of two square sails. The sails
proved a success on level lands and in go
ing before the wind, but there was tfauble
when the wind was against them, and the
only way out Of the difficulty was TO re-
sort to the horse.
The first steam propelled vehicle was cX-
psrimented with by Jesuit missionary
among the Chinese. one Father Ner5rest
The time given for this experiment vas IN
the thirteenth century. The vehicle was
.
that Father Nerbrest set up a JET and
vanea wheel i'm a vehicle OF light cOasJrue-
ton The jet wheel was affixed TO a YER
tical shaft-seariug attached t. one OF tine
aXIes.
An odd Walking Vehicle
In 1865. R. C. VernoI. Of New York pat
euted a walking vehicle that for oddity
must be given high place. It consisted OF
a platform supported on two wheels IN
front and TWO straight legs. with loot
arrangement on each. TO the rear An en-
CINE and boiler furnished the power and
when it was put in motion, it went along
az q jerky gait like boy running on
stills.
\ very curious invention in the way OF
I steam vehicles drawings Of which are on
file i'm the Patent Office is steam man IN
whose hands are the shafts Of cart in
which passengers are supposed 20 ST. Lne
man has a very COmiCal expression and
wears a plug hat His body is solid with
arliculated legs consisting Of simply few
steel rods without any covering In MS
mouth there is pipe through which he
constantly blows steam. In his body there
is an engine operated by a boiler which is
contained somewhere IN the region OF the
chest. This mOnstrOsiJy was never allowed
the liberty of the streets, but was confined
I as a curiosity.
The drawings Of several mechanical
horse vehicles can be seen, one OF which
was intended to walk along in the natural
I manner Another one was arranged with
wheel between his front feet having ped
ais like a bicycle and by means of an cleo
4 tric motor concealed within his body his
/ articulated front legs were made TO propel
I the whole mechanism with the carriage at
/ rached. The inventor did not seem 10 be
/ able 20 get away from the idea that the
/ carriage must be drawn. one Of the most
/ curious drawings represents vehicle with
/ two ordinary wheels behind and a large
/ drum affair in front in which are several
/ dogs working as in q yrastmiu The hs-
I ure of woman sits p,acidiy on he seat ti-
! rzctfug tEs mOyemeEls OF the vehicle EltA
/ lever
! The automobile has been developed from
{ these crude forms of mechanical Iocomotior
| and must be adEzd 10 the achievements OF
/ the nineteenth century Tn the Patent or
/ ice scarcely day passes without the re-
I c1ipt of applications for patents on either
I complete vehicles or details and improve
meuts. Iuveut tors are at WORK developing
/ engines wheels brakes. designs OF car
/ riages. springs. guiding apparatus st0r-
/ ars batteries. motors and all the parts Jda-
7 20 TO the construction of MODERN horse
/ less vehicle. be it truck wasoD, light road
/ wagou or carriage.
/ Crushing Comment
Irm tbe C'.geisnd P.sin Dea'JrT
[ few wears agr. when the Murray lane Opera
] Company Was PLAYING lr HtltCaFtH'- There was