Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-03-23
HIGH SPEED IN GERMANY.
Talk Of Electric Railroad Upon Which
100 Miles an Hour Will Be
Practicable.

WIN Qlgn-SpeeQ uOIOT CdIb OVeT lno
specially prepared line between Berlin
and Zossen were concluded and their
results analysed and recorded, the Ques-
ton of an electric railway for rapid serv-
ice between Berlin and Hamburg has
been q topic of earnest and constant dis
cussion In the daily and technical press
of this country.
The Zosaen experiments demonstrated
clearly that, given a straight, well-laid
and well-balanced track of the best mod
ern construction, speed Of 120 miles an
hour was possible and safe. 1t was
shown that to propel single motor car
carrying the requisite transformers and
motors, with room to accommodate 60
passengers, required, for a speed of ITO
miles an hour, the expenditure Of 1900
horsepower, and that this consumption
Of energy was increased to 1000 horse
power when the speed was raised to 120
miles an hour, at which velocity the
head-end air resistance alone consumed
about LOO horsepower
1t was also found that in order to keep
the rails and run steadily the car must
be heavy and its running gear skilfully
adapted to slurring over with smooth
elasticity the slight but unavoidable
irregularities of the track. 1t proved,
for this reason, impracticable to use
light trail cars for any speed above 80
miles an hour; at higher velocity the
lateral oscillation became so great as
to compromise the comfort, II not the
safety Of passengers. Another point
clearly demonstrated was the impor-
lance Of a practically direct line.
Curves, If unavoidable, must have a
radius of not less than a mile, other
wise they must be passed at reduced
speed. In other words, no steam rail-
way of any important length now being
operated in any European country, ex-
cept perhaps Russia, Is sufficiently
straight to meet the requirements Of
high-speed electric service. Whether
the new systm be adopted sooner or
later the lines will have to be resur-
Veyeu anu Specially DullJ.
With these fundamental conditions
clearly established, public and tech
meal interest has been concentrated on
a high-speed electric railway between
Berlin and Hamburg. a distance by the
present steam railway route of 1T miles,
which could be shortened by a new di.
rect line to about 1855 miles. The coun-
try between the two cities Is generally
level and as well adapted to the con-
struction Of high-speed line as could
be found between any two large and
equally distant cities in Europe. The
ordinary passenger traffic between Ber-
lin and Hamburg now includes about
1900 persons per day, or $4,000 per
annum, whose fares average 16 marks
($9S0l each. The best steam train
makes the distance In three hours and
80 minutes, but accommodation trains
take from five to 615 hours.
Will the proposed Berlin Hamburg
line be built; and if so when? These are
the points on which public and press
opinion varies all the way from eager
confidence to hopeless doubt. To build
and operate such a line would reduce
the present frst-class double track
trunk line, with its excellent equipment
and terminal facilities, the property of
the PPusEian state, to the status Of a
freight railway with local passenger
traffic between intermediate points.
There are no important cities and COM
paratively few villages on the most d.
rect steam railway between Berlin and
Hamburg, 30 that an exceptionally high
percentage Of the whole is through traf-
fic. Will the Prussian government con-
sent TO sacrifice the bulk of its passen-
ger business on an important trunk line
and encourage the expenditure of from
316,0O0,O 900 to $50, 900, 900, in order to en-
able the public to save from TX to two
hours in the transit between Germany's
capital and It's chief seaport? There are
many who gravely doubt it.
On the other hand, there is In this
eohptry. and particularly at Berlin, a
spirit OF lofty and enterprising ambition,
which will stop at no effort or sacrifice
to keep Germany in the front rank Of
progressive development This spirit
was especially manifest at the memorial
exposition recently held in Berlin to
commemorate the twenty-ffth anniYer-
sary of the founding Of the Eleetrotech-
nlcal society. Having at great cost and
labor carried through Zossen expert
ments to demonstrate what will happen
when electricity driven trains are run
from 100 to 120 miles an hour, 1t is felt
to be incumbent that this heightened
speed, which opens a new chapter and
era In the history Of transportation,
shall be first carried to practical reali-
zation by German enterprise and tech
nical ability. Having provedoa most
desirable improvement to be possible,
1t would, in the popular estimate, be an
unworthy sacrifice to permit other ma
lions to step to the front and first util-
ize what German experiment has made |
definite and plain. 1t Is manifesto
ton of the virile national spirit which |
has been shown In the growth Of the Ger
man navy, the great merchant fleets Of |
Hamburg and Bremen, the consumate-
ly organized exhibits at Paris, Chicago |
and st. Louis, and which will be con-
tent with nothing less for the Father
land than front place IN the foremost
group OF progressive nations.
FRANK H. MASON.
NIL D. yJ,.oo Jys Noo1