The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-10
TORPEDO TRAINS FLIGHT
ANALYSIS OF THE RECENT REC.
ORD-BREAKING RUN FROM BAL
TIMORE TO WASHINGTON
INVENTOR ADAMS IDE
All the Fastest Moves Heretofore
Known on Worlds Railroads
EcIipsed by This Sensa-
tiOnaI Test.

A mile in thirty-fve seconds, or a speed
equal to 1O3 miles an hour, is the marvel
GUS and unprecedented record made last
week by the cigar-shaped train invented
and constructed by Frederick U. Ad-
ans.
Mention has previously been made in
the columns of the Glob about the
wonderful run from Baltimore to Wash
ington made by this train and also a cut
of the cigar-shaped cars. The distance
between the two cities is exactly forty
miles from station to station. The total
time consumed between these points was
81 minutes and 80 seconds.
From Alexander Junction, a small sta
tion seven miles from Washington, TO
Trinidad, which is 40 miles from Wash
ington, or a total distance of five miles,
the actual running time was minutes
and D seconds, or a sustained speed Of
JOB miles an hour.
The performance of the Adams train
has been the one topic of conversation in
railroad circles in the East during the
PAST week. While great things have
been expected by those who have made a
study of the plans under which the train
was constructed, few were prepared for
SO remarkable a showing.
IN A CLASS BY ITSELF.
When all Of the conditions are ex-
amined this forty-mile run certainly
stands out uneXampled in the history of
high railroad speeds. Early in last De-
CcmbeT Mr.. Adams laid his plans before
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad company.
Ile was backed by an abundance of New
York capital, and only asked permission
to construct a train at his own expense,
and had little difficulty in arranging with
The Baltimore & Ohio officials for such an
experiment.
After several conferences 1t was de-
Cided to take five old passenger coaches
and baggage car and remodel them so
that they would offer as little resistance
as possible to the atmosphere. In view
OF the fact that no such experiment ever
had been made, it was decided to employ
the older type of passenger coaches.
Mr.. Adams cheerfully agreed to this
idea, and stated that he was confident
that he could so change these antiquated
structures that they could be made 70
travel faster than the finest Pullman
coaches
General Manager F. D. Underwood, of
the Baltimore q Ohio company, smiled
agreeably at Mr.. Adams optimism, and
said that he would be accomplishing
great results if he succeeded in equalng
with these old cars the records recently
made by the fine new equipment of the
Baltimore & Ohio road.
SUBURBAN PASSENGER COACH
TYPE,
The cars selected for the test were of
the suburban passenger coach type, with
four wheel trucks, provided with cast
iron wheels SO inches in diameter and
with 3A-ineh journals. Now there is a
vast deal Of difference between such d
truck and the standard siX-whee-truck,
with its S6-inch steel wheels carefully
turned and with its 2l-inch journals
The difference is about the same as
that which exists between the rubber
tired brougham and the irOn-Tmmed cab.
Jn six months time Mr. Adams had
brought wonderful transformation in
these siX cars. He had inclosed them in
structure which was as smooth as fine
carpenter work, paint and varnish could
make them. The space between the
platforms had disappeared; the rear car
J@pered off to a point; the locomotive
tender had been built up so that it was
on a line lush with the top of the loco
motive cab and the baggage car.
From END to end of the train there was
not a point which the in-rushing air
could clutch upon. Having completed
this train, MI Adams set about to con-
duct number of experiments He
started the train out slow and thorough
ly tested its mechanical parts, so as TO
make sure that IT would turn curves and
me- the other conditions of railway
traffic
When satisfied that everything was in
frst-class condition, the first test was
made with engine No. S22 a locomotive
weighing about forty-seven tons, and of
type no longer manufactured With
the advent of the newer and more speedy
ana powerful engine S22 had been rele-
gated to the task of hauling two and
three passenger coaches Oh the suburban
circuit ~ and out of Baltimore She was
not considered speedy or strong enough
to haul the Royal Blue trains. The san
guine inventor asked for a chance to try
this engine on his six cars
BEAT THE ROYAL BLUE.
The speed of the fastest train on the
Baltimore * Ohio railroad between
Washington and Baltimore is forty-five
minutes. This IS the time consumed by
the famous Royal Blue limited Railroad
officials were somewhat astonished when
Engineer Mike Kirby, with old $50, haul
ed the Adams train from Washington to
Baltimore in foTty-two minutes
He did more than that. He hauled the
train from Washington to Washington
JUNCTION, up Il6 heaviest grades where
ordinary passenger trains use two loco
motives. The regular time of the fast
trains up the long hill to the little viii
laee of Gathers is sixteen minutes
With old-fashiOned 500, Mr. Kirdy sue,
ceeded in negotiating this hill in fourteen
minutes, and made a dead stop in the
center of the grade when tagged by
some track hands who were repairing
the road.
After these performances Mr. Adams
was naturally sanguine that he could
make a very good record between Balti-
more ana Washington with an engine of
a more modern type. He felt sure of his
ground, and did not hesitate to assert
that he could make the forty miles in
thirty-nine minutes or less.
Engine S57 was selected for a formal
test Invitations were extended to the
leading financiers and business men of
Baltimore, and fully 100 of them accepted
the invitation. II was estimattd that the
gentlemen who started out that afternoon
70 see the record broken were worth be-
tween $l40, GOO and $50, ZOO 00O
HE WAS MUCH DISAPPOINTED.
Probably the most disappointed man
in Maryland when the trip was taken
was the inventor. The trip from Wash,
ington consumed a few seconds over
1orty-ive minutes. and on the way back
the time was about forty-two minutes.
CAREFUL OF THEIR MILLION
AIRES
The following day Mr.. Adams met Mr.
). II. Maddy, assistant Vice President
and General Manager Underwood "Tba3
was a pretty fast run you made vester-
day said Mr.. Maddy