The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-04

A locomotive that makes no smoke,
that produces no cinders, that blows off
no steam, that makes no noise, that
has no bell, nor whistle, nor smoke
stack, nor engine cab nor tender-this
marvel in mechanics is the invention of
Arthur Pillsbury Dodge. He calls it
the kinetic motor He has just opened
a large plant at Wilmington, Del, to
manufacture motors of this variety in
large numbers. Recently, Cornelius
Vanderbilt, jr, Robert G. Ingersoll and
other capitalists visited Mr.. Dodge's
works and rode in one of the new mo-
tors at forty miles an hour. After the
test was over, Mr.. Vanderbilt said:
81 should think the kinetic system
would be we'll adapted for work on ele-
waited railroads. 1t fulfills the claims
made for it,
Colonel Ingersoll said: THE kinetic
is a splendid motor. Mr.. Dodge is not
an easy-chair theorist. but a construc
tor of practical theories, and he knows
how to carry them out in good shape.
All / know is that the motor works all
right, and. as it is an Improvement
over the locomotive, / suppose ii viii
have some sort of revolutionizing in
flueGce upon the future of transporta-
ton
Nor is Mr. Dodge's invention a mere
toy. IT has actually been used with
great success on a suburban railroad at
Babylon, l.. l., on one of the lines in
Detroit, Mich. and in Chicago The
inventor is now negotiating with one
of the elevated railroads in New York,
looking TO its adoption as the motive
power to the exclusion of all others.
and he has received many fiattering Of
fers from capitalists for rights in the
new invention.
1t was nine years ago that the in
ventor began his Investigations. He
explained his theory to a number of
railroad men. but they laughed at him.
They were all of the opinion that the
perfection of the locomotive had been
reached. and that it would be idle to
Speculate further upon the subject. All
of the prominent investigators were
buried in the work of solving the prob
lem of propulsion by electricity, chemi-
Gals, compressed air and cables. Mr..
Dodge came to the conclusion that in
asmuch as electricians and others are
using the steam engine indirectly for
motive power. the direct use of steam
in a perfected locomotive system would
make ii not only cheaper to operate,
but also give each motor car the indie
pendent property of moving. stopping
and reversing at Will.
And after nine years of work, Mr.
Dodge has, according to many experts,
produced a noiseless. high-power loco
motive that could take a train of cars
to Chicago. on regular schedule time
without as much as losing single
puff of smoke or steam on the way.
and without a cinder to betray its
course. The Dodge motor is acceptable
to all forms of automobile contriv-
ances; to carriages as well as TO
launches. II is even feasible. so says
the inventor. to construct motors of
sufficient capacity to move an ocean
going steamship at the same rate of
speed as now attained. while attended
by a larger factor of safety and econ
omy of operation than that present in
the ordinary steamship engine.
The Inventors Beginning.
Arthur Pillsburv Dodge was 40 years
old before he made il his business to
make money" to use his own express
sion. Three years previous, at the age
of 81, he founded the New England
Magazine, having Edward Everett Hale
as chief editor Well-known persons
representing party of capitalists and
noted men of letters. including Secre-
tary of the Treasury Lyman J. Gage,
William Dean Howells and the late
Prof. David Swing and others urged
him to go to Chicago to publish mag
aZine there according to an admirable
plan deVoVed by Mr.. Dodge: and it was
while making preparations for this pro-
ject that the late George NJ. Pullman
called Mr. Dodge'S attention TO some
experiments made there with a certain
stored steam motor. This very imper-