The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-07-24

of friction. lie said he would sool
build Il long track, and then he woult
show something of the real speed hi
car can attain.
1t has been his ambition to provi,l,
u practical electric car which woult
travel at high speed for the purpose
of transporting mail matter between
the large cities of the country. liz
said: "l believe that this model de
monstrates that car built on these
lines will reach a speed ranging from
300 to 400 miles an hour. In Other
words, it will cover the distance be-
tween New York and Washington
passing through Philadelphia and Balli
more, in one hour"
Kelly believes that once his railway
is built there will be little ielcSraphine
been these cities, and nearly al! the
business will be done by mail. lie eX
poets to bring the invention to tho
notice of the postmaster general short,
| ly, and thinks the government will
perhaps undertake TO construct the
line.
Kelly's device is novel. The car is
propelled by magnet attached to il
which takes action upon series of
iron plates placed between the rails
These plates are nearly as broad as the
gauge of the road ut the end, while
they taper TO point ut the other end.
The sharp ends all point one way, and
the car must travel in direction op.
posite to the one in which the sharp
point Of the plates point. The road
must, therefore, necessarily be n
double-tracked one.
The inventor says that it is tho ma
ture Of the magnet to reach the large
| end Of the plates as soon as possible,
and that it does this almost instantly
| alter it "smells" the small end of the
| plate. When the magnet beneath the
car reaches the broad end Of the plate
on the track beneath il the current is
automatically cut off by the car wheel
| until the momentum OF the car has
carried it a few inches beyond the at
traction of the magnet by the plate it
has just passed over. Then the mag
net enlivcns" again and reaches for
the attraction plate ahead.
"Only a practical test" he said
"with full-sized car will solve that
problem, though my experiments have
convinced m, that the car will trave
at the rate of from 300 to 400 miles al
hour. The model car Kelly has now
on exhibition is, perhaps, 80 inches
long. II ls shaped like an ordinary
box car, but both ends arc sharp. II
has four wheels, each rs high as its
roof. The big wheels, the inventor
says will decrease the friction, and the
sharp ends of the car will enable it tC
so faster through the air.
The next model made will have the
wheels set further toward the
center of the car than the first one
made has. AS tho wheels are set on
the first model, they offer some resi-
stance TO the air. The current which
| will propcl the car is carried in one rail
Of the track. This rail is positive, the
other is negative.
The negative rail is divided at inter
walls corresponding to the divisions in
the attraction plates between the rails.
One wheel of the car on each side of
it is insulated from the axle, allowing
the current to pass through the con-
nccted wheel to the magnet on the
bottom of the car, and from the magnet
to the connecting wheel on the mega
tive side OF the car, forming circuit
except during that interval when the
circuit is broken to permit the car tc
jump from plate to plate.
| There is short interval between the
plates as they lie on the track beneath
the car. Mr.. Kelly said that in time
he believes passengers will embark OF
his line, but they will probably be a
first fearful Of travelling at such hlgl
speed. "l will" he eaid, "ride on
the first mail car that goes out. l an
not afraid" The inventor is un.
married, was born At Woodstock, Iii.
April 16, 1872, and has two brothers
and seven sisters, all living in Illinois
and Minnesota. He ran away from
home when quite young, learned to be
a machinist, has had few advantages
in the way Of schooling, but has picked
up a great deal Of knowledge Of elec
tricity.
The speed of the car may be regulat
cd by raising or depressing the SHARP
points of the plates on the tack. The
car goes slower The more these points
are depressed When the car runs
upon several plates, the ends of which
have been reversed, it stops. This il
tho method Kelly will use in stopping
the car. He will at stations reverse {
number of the plates. He says he viii
install in stations an indicator which
will show just where the car is at al
times. He does not believe that th'
road will be costly TO build. lie say
tho car will run on the ordinary rail
and could be run over existing line
were one rail alive and the track clea