Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1899-08-31
AIR LINE TO THE SEA.
"hat Brfdgeton Scientist Says of Rapid
Transit.

Transit.
The Atlantic City Press "Wednesday
published an interesting interview. which
1t attributes to Mr.. Oberlin Smith. of the
ferracute Machine Company, of this city.
In Its article the Press says that Mr..
Smith is of New York. The place of
residence is wrong. The article from the
Press is as follows:
Ialk about your cross State trolley
railroads and your 100 miles an hour loco
motives. Prof. Oberlin Smith, promi.
nent scientist of New York, comes for
ward with scheme by which passengers
can be swished from Philadelnhia to
Atlantic City, at the speed of 200 miles
an hour, or little less than half an hour.
impossible? No, not by his calculations.
and 1t is said the road will be in opera.
tlon by next season, as a number of
prominent New York capitalists have be-
come interested. 1t will run in an air
ilne from Gloucester to the sea, and will
be elevated. Its length will be about one
hali the distance between New York ard
Philadelphia. Single cars are to be run
by electricity, at speed of nearly 2OO
miles an hour. The company has already
been organized with Sc, 900 900 capital. ard
1t is said the best part of the right of way
has been secured,
"A delightful point of advantage the
road will have, will be that there is no
noise conducted with its running. no
smoke, no dirt. Cars will dart to and
from the seashore, like the shuttle in a
"eaVer's loom. There is no mystery of
etherlc force, liquid or compressed air or
vacuum transit tinterwoven in the proiect.
1t is simply another stride human in
genuity is about to take in utilizing cleo
tricity.
Professor Smith, the protector, has the
reputation in the engineering profession
OF being modest, conservative man, of
sound judgment and authority on me.
chanics. Hsis president of the Ferracute
Machine Co, at Bridgeton, and has given
much attention to the problems which
restrict the speed of railway trains.
: would like to clear up miseppre-
| hension that seems to exist in regard to
what L said OF rapid transit" said the
Professor when asked to tell how snace
could be annihilated at the rate of shree
miles a minute. II did not say rfras r,rf,z
Der tired locomotives could be made to
travel two or three times faster than their
present speed. My reference was to
rubber tires on electric cars.
'Of course the proposed road to Allan
tic City would have to be elevated to do
away with grade crossings, and it will be
an air line, for curves will not permit of
the high rate of speed desired. II will be
double or triple track road, controlled
by an automatic electric block system.
Electric power would be transmitted
through the rails, with transmitting
stations located at intervals of twenty or
thirty miles. There will be no train. but
each car will have its own motor and be
run singly.
"These cars will be two or three times
the length of ordinary railroad passenger
cars and will be built of steel upon the
principal recognized in bicycle construc-
ton, that of attaining lightness with
strength. The cars will be tapering at
the end to minimize the air resistance"
Prof. Smith is too conservative an en-
gineer to fix definite maximum speed
for such an electric railroad as he de-
scribes, but about 200 miles an hour
would not be overestimating.