Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-08-01
A 2OO-MILE- E-AN-HOUR
Train Designed By WeII-KnOwn
Engineer,

half an hourl That means a speed OF
200 miles an hour Can II be done with
the motive power now In commercial
use? An eminent engineer says It Is
possible and will be Accomplished just
as soon as few mechanical difIicul-
ties are overcome. 1t is asserted that
passengers on this ideal railway of the
future will be whisked from Gotham
to the Quaker City quicker than II now
takes them to go from the Battery to
Harlem. There Will be no noise, no
iolting, no smoke. Cars will dart to
and from the big cities like the shuttle
In a weavers' loom. There is no mys-
terry of etherlc force, liquid or COM
pressed air, or vacuum transit, inter-
woven in the project. 1t is simply an
other stride human ingenuity is about
to take in utilizing electricity, the
most potent and wonderful force that
has yet been subjected to mans will.
At the recent convention ofithe Ameri-
can Society of Civil Engineers. held at
Cape May, the largest and most Inn
portant gathering in the history OF the
society, Prof. oberhn Smith, of Bridge
ton N. j., in a carefully prepared paper
dealing with the recent improvements
in transportation, said the time was
close at hand when the tourney from
New York to Philadelphia could be
made in one-fourth the schedule time
OF the fastest express train. This was
not mere flight OF the imagination,
for he proceeded to convince his audi
ors, men OF the highest engineering
skill and attainments, that his state
ments was easily wl,nin the bounds OF
possibility.
Prof. Smith has the reputation in the
engineering profession of being mod
est, conservative man, OF sound judg-
ment, and an authority on mechanics.
He is President OF the Ferracute Ma
chine Company, at Bridgeton, N. ].
Prof. Smith has given much attention
to the problems which restrict the
speed OF railway trains and has come
to the conclusion that the limit Of
speed by the,use OF steam has been al
most reached.
Electrlcity, however, presents a
force which Is restricted only by the
ability Of the engineer to utilize It,
Thus, quicker travel is a problem
which the machinist and civil engineer
rather than the scientist, must solve.
II would like to clear up misappre-
hension that seems to exist in regard
to what said OF rapid transit at the
Cape May convention" said Prof
Smith when asked to tell how space
could be annihilated at the rate OF
three miles minute. II did not say
that rubber tired locomotives could be
made to travel two or three times fast
er than there present speed. My ref.
erence was to rubber tires on electric
cars. Electricity will undoubtedly bC
the motive power used on the railroad
OF the near future"
Prof. Smith thinks the first railway
on which electricity will take the place
of steam will be built between New
York and Philadelphia, because of the
comparatively short distance, the
great travel between the two cities and
the large profits to be derived from
such a road.
"Of course, the road would have tt
be elevated" he said, ito do away with
grade crossings, and 1t would be an all
line, for curves would not permit Oh
the high rate OF speed desiderd. Ii
would be double or triple track road
controlled by an automatic electric
block system. Electric power wOult
be transmitted through the rails, anC
transmitting station could be locatel
at interVale OF twenty or thirty miles
There would be no trains, but each cal
would have its own motor and would
run slngiy.
"-ne cars would be two OF three
times the length of the ordinary rail
road passenger car and would be bull
of steel, upon the principe recognized
in bicycle construction-that of at
tanning lightness and strength. The
weight Of passenger trains in proper
ton of passengers carried is something
tremendous when you figure 1t out
This is necessary to keep the tralI
from jumping the track. But the tea
ture OF the electric road that will obyl
ate this is a track which will make I
derailment impossible. With such I
track the highest attalnable speed vii
be devoid of danger. The cars should
be- tapering at the ends to. mlnimiz
the resistance and the wheels nigh
have rubber tires to minimize nols
and Jar"
A road such as Prof Smith describe
Is already planned to connect Phila
delphia with A .antle City. II will
run In an air line with Gloucester Cit
TO the sea, and will be elevated. 1t
length will be about one-half the dis
tance between New York and Philadel
phla. Single cars are 10 be Fna b.
electricity at speed OF more than 10
miles an hour. The company has beal
organized with a capital OF $4,000, ,00(
and some Of the right OF way has bee
secured. Passengers will be Wh.ske
down tO the aea6hOre In ona-half tn