New-York tribune., 1906-02-18

All persons, excepting, perhaps, a certain
genial young American humorist Of seventy
who has announced that he always does his
work in bed, are vitally interested In transpor-
tation. Some chiefly interested in their own
transportation. some in the transportation of
others. The latter class perhaps, is large as
the former Montaigne is entirely solemn when
he says that rapid transit began when old King
Cyrus installed a system of horses and stages all
over his vast kingdom. The question now is
not, Where did it begin? but, Where will it end?
The answer is matter of imagination. Kip
lings airship crosses over the ocean, Jules
Verne's inhabited projectile wings it's way to
the moon. Perhaps day there will be
airship expresses-"step lively and dirty straps
included-who knows? In fact the question is
as if one should ask How long is a string?''
Where there is no bottom it Is idle sound.
In transportation it is What will 1 live
and enjoy?' that the practical man asks. What,
in the next few years, will invention bring forth
TO save time add to comfort? This can be
at least partially answered. for coming events
throw their shadows before.
Speed saving of time, seems to be the prime
consideration. Safety is not so much thought of,
comfort only incidentally. Consider the subway.
Many man will while away hour watching
a pool game then trample another's corns in
rush for the express. The dainty little maid at
last turns from her castles in a shop window
squeeze in, grab strap, and stife for ten sta
tions.
Inventors never before are rejecting in
their work this peculiar trait of modern man.
AS an instance OF this call OF the fleet take
the recent appearance of motor boots in
Paris. The gay crowd on the Avenue des Champs
Elysees leading into the Bois de Boulogne, We're
dumfounded a short time ago to a sail
down the street without the slightest effort
at twenty-five miles an hour. II was Constan-
TIM, with his motor boots. They two little
automobiles. each fifteen inches in length and
with four rubber tired wheels eight inches in
diameter The man exerts power. for the
power lies in the accumulators, which are car
ried in a belt. One and a quarter horsepower
is furnished TO each motor boot. The weight
of the boots is sixteen pounds apiece but as
the feet are not lifted from the ground, this
weight doesn't matter. Constantine was virtually
standing upon two automobiles, whose speed he
could regulate at the of from six to thirty
miles hour
Constantine has said that he has it In mind to
make the trip from Paris TO ST. Petersburg on
them. He forgot TO state what would happen
one machine grew ambitious and persisted in
reeling off thirty miles hour, while its lazy
companion was content TO jog along at six.
Think of some of the possible complications of
this motor boot scheme. One might be speeding
chauffeurs charge upon him in that terribly inn
polite way they have; his steering gear goes
strike; men shout and horns blow and bells
clang but all too late. The coroner decides that.
like Falstaf his heart stanch but his feet
were traitors. Or suppose that one is stopped
on the street by one of those tresome takers
that so affiict humanity. He is an hour telling
how. where when, why he dined last night. One
sauirms and fidgets drums up imaginary en-
gagements to the sorrow of his conscience prom
ises anything and everything to get a change
of latitude and is just about to look for club
ana knock the man in the head when he thinks
Of his motor boots The rest is simple. Just as
he saws something particularly dull one laughs
as IL il were Joe Millers best, slaps him heartily
ON the shoulder blade. right on the point. If he
wants revenge swings him around and then
slyly presses the button in his belt. He takes the
hint al thirty miles hour. Or. again. think
OF the new field opened up Ia the paywrghts.
The motor booted villain, in lieu of prosy schem-
ing simply abducts the heroine by clasping her
around the waist and holding one villanous nm
ger on the button of her beribboned little motor
boots. Miss Seepyhead will have no trouble get