The St. Louis Republic., 1904-05-15
THE AUTO IN MERE INFANCY.

When it is considered that the rea. development
of the automobile began only eight years
ago, the wonderful advancement made in this de
partment of modern machinery seems TO justify nj
any predictions for it's future. The auto-traiu
under experimentation in France. is the
est and most radical departure from the conven
tlonal deas Of land transportation. Should Il prove
successful, the automobile would become speedily
q great transportation factor.
1t has been but year since the automobile train
made IT'S first appearance. Two attempts in this
line met sufficient SUCCESS to warrant mention Both
trains ran rails, and both were built at Paris.
The first attempt made over the tracks of the
Mediterranean Company. With a clear track Il
was reported, the train could make ninety-thrc,
miles an hour and seventy-fve on an upgrade. Th'
other attempt was made a road .eading fron'
Lyons to Paris The train consisted of three auto
mobile carriages, each holding forty persons a
normal speed of sixty-three English miles an hou
was attained.
The train with which the French experiment,
are now being made requires no rails and is adapted
for use over any road which is available for
dinary automobiles. AS prominent railroad off
cial in the United States recently s0id it requires
expert TO realize the vast possibilities of this
departure. For years we have dreamed aid
talked of the day when the common roads acrcss
country would become great national highway
teeming with traffic. We have pictured the smal er
and lighter vehicles and trains which would Il!
along these thoroughly macadamized and perfected
reads. In fancy have time when til
clumsy locomotive and trolley car, restricted
they are to the rail system. would be snpp.anted
by methods of transportation simpler and more
facile
"In this age of rapid material development
says Mr.. W. H. Hayden, OF the Central Raj road Of
of .;.,,
the accomplishment of the next. May IL be that
In this experimental trackess train shall have
the small beginning of system that will revo.u-
tionize our whole transportation scheme:- If train
of this size can be made that will perfectly re
spond to the will Of its operators, why cannot .ong
or and larger ones be constructed: When the mar
ve!ous strides made in this department of modern
machinery are considered. prophecy that could
be made for the future of the au'o-train. however
impossible on lis face. would impossible Of full
f,ment."
Next Sundays number of The Republic maya
zine viii include deeply interesting discussion by
Mr. Hayden of the motor cars relation to transDor-
tation in the larger sense Winthrop f. Scarrit:.
president of the American Automobile Association,
will have in this number suggestive article the
mission of the auto. Foxhail Keene. the noted
horseman. will consider the automobile from dual
standpoint. Mr.. Keene. besides being of Ameri-
cas- foremost riders Is q member of the American
Automobile Team s, Z. Kiser continues his hui
morous confessions Of Charles the Chaffeur. WI.
lam Wallace whitclock's amusing poem. "Au'omo-
bi,opss,' will complete the magazines automobile
feature.
Howevc-. the feature Is but one of several dis
tinct attractions. pictorial feature, In the rich
est of cclors, will go supplement to the maga
zine unbound so as to admit of ready framing OF
hanging II is entitled. Il Twilight Reverie," and
portrays a beautiful girl padding In her boat
among the rlisbes of pond at twilight. As spec
men both of artistic merit and excellent color re
production it is typical of the magazines highest
quality.
Seyerai direrting short stores good poems By