The semi-weekly messenger., 1903-12-04
1870 MILES AN HOUR.
The Famous Run on the High Speed
Electric Road From Berlin TO
ZOsScn.

DR.. Reichel in a Berlin Weekly, Trans
lated by The scientific American.
All preparations have been made: q
brake test has been carried out; the
engineers have climbed into the car.
and the military posts along the road
have. been informed that the car is
soon to start. The motorman turns the
controller very slowly through Il few
degrees. Fourteen thousand volts shoot
from the lines to the motors. With a
Whirr the car starts on its memora-
BILE iourne-- from Marienfelde at %
minutes after o'clock. The overhead
wires are swaying in a strong wind
AS the car travels on. the strength of
the electrical current fed TO each OF the
four motors is gradually increased to
800 amperers. In other words, 2,3OO Kill
owatts, or $500 mechanical horsepower
are being expended. a mile and a
quarter has been covered. The speed
indicator shows a velocity of seventy
five miles an hour. When Iichtenrade
| is reached about halt a mile further on,
the car is rushing on at "a L. miles
an hour. Each second the speed IN
| creaseS. Just before the station OF
Mahlow appears, curve OF o'9oo 1ee1
radius looms up. The speed is now lOC
miles an hour. We seem to be leaplng
| toward the curve. No bend can be
| seen: the track apparently ends abrupt
Iy. We know it is only a curve, anC
yet we are anxious; we brace ourselves
| for a shock. Just as we reach the curve
| the track seems to bend INTO gentle
| arc into which the car runs easily.
| The curve is passed. About a mile
| ahead of us Il safety signal can be seer
| We climb grade of twenty-slX feet tC
| the mile-slight to be sure, and yet tC
| ascend it at full speed we must eX'
| pend 500 horsepower. The rair
| is flying on faster and faster. We rush
| through MahIow (four miles from Ma
| rienfelde) at a speed of 110 miles ar
| hour No vibration or shock is felt. L
| seems as if the car itself were not NOV
| ing-as if buildings, poles, trees. were
| nickering past. Only the hCmming o.
| the wheels assures us that t is We who
| are moving The voltmeter shows tha
/ the current collectors are doing theil
| work smoothly. No fear Of increasing
| the speed need be felt. The last resist
1 ances of the controller are gradual!
| cut out under the load of $500 ki.o
| watts The finger of the speed irdi
| Gator slips along to a mark which
| shows that the car is making 121 mile:
| an hour. At every crossing a loud ring
| ing note can be beard. caused by th'
| wheels.
! Fragments of ballast as large as wal
| nuts are sucked up into the air and TAI
| back as the train rushes on. At frs
| the speed IS bewildering, almost stupe
! flying. We in the cab are much near
| er the track than is the engineer of {
| steam locomotive. On that account i
| seems at first as If the car is Hterall!
devouring the road by the mile. Grad
| uaIly we become accustomed TO tn
new sensation. The feeling of safet!
and comfort which oyercomeS the frs
| shock of anazement gives rise to tn
desire to travel still faster. After tn
120 mile an hour mark has beer
] passed the excitement in the car be
comes intense. Not a word is spoken
Only the click of the wheels over th'
rails is heard. Every eye that is no
! fastened on II e speed indicator is glue
on the track. Suddenly, at a distanc
of about half a mile We see two mel