New-York tribune., 1906-02-18

put more or less out of commission by the rail-
roads OF the country every year. All were pro-
foundly shocked by the losses I'm the terrible
feusso-Japanese war Yet. as a matter of cold
fact in that time more persons were being sent
10 Paradlse-or Tartarus-by railroads and
street cars than by bullets in Manchurfa IL is
soothing TO be told that the porters on the Chi
cago limited will thoroughly sterilize everything
IN the cars at Jersey City just before each trip.
IT would be more soothing if one were told who
would olslnfect the porters. The travel stained
drummer smiles desparingly when told that
the upper berth hasn't the slightest intention
or giving up its inhuman horrors Several
technical papers are taking up this subject and
lashlng the upper berth unmercifuIly ''The
Sclentihc American" finds much to critIcise in
the poor entrance facilities. the swaying uuaIi-
ties, the fetid air. II says that a simple sus-
pension spring could be applied 10 the frame of
the berths so as, like a hammock to mini
hhze the motion. There is hope that thew will
some day be designed for entering nv neonIa
other than acrobats. and that the air will be
renewed oftener than once a day. Neverthe-
less, man can now get his trousers pressed
and creased on some trains as we'll as have his
come. "
Municipal ownership is sometimes called mo-
nopoly by bosses. unless, as a prominent an
thority said the other day the peopIa acnuira
so many public utilities that it takes all the in
habltants 10 run them. Municipal ownership
oI street railways may come, but many think
II Is not likely TO last If il does come however
the resulting grab for soft billets may furnish
d generous supply of guards and trainmen to
handle and direct the subway crowd Instead
or the painful parSimony which now provides
one or two men 10 stand back and shout offen-
sive language at the self-impeded 3 O'Clock
throngs there would probably be two uniformed
ana highly perfumed officials to direct at each
car door Also. fresh air is not expensive and
1T IS possible that the city might be able to fur
nsh it-for the first time
1t will probably be a long day before there
are submarines as perfect the one Jules
Verne imagined but they are proving prac-
ticable in war and likely to be greatly i'm
proved by Yankee ingenuity the years go by
rO
under water all the way may be only the Gus
tomary thing.
Airships are immensely in demand. Enormous
prizes are being offered for a thoroughly prac-
tlcal one. Professor Alexander Graham Re1
VINO Is working on this problem. said at the
recent dinner of the Transportation Club that
airships are now further advanced in design
than automobiles were eleven years ago. IL was
also maintained that the practical airship must
possess the qualities of the balloon else il would
fell to the earth the minute the motor stopped
John r Holland, the inventor of the submarine
says that he also is working at this problem
Scientific men, Mr. Holland said In his speech
at the dinner, claim that for a man to fy he
would require wings an acre and half in area
Theolog1ans. he added very pOintedy, "are
babies in dogmatism compared TO scientihc
men," The real secret of birds flight has
never been discovered. Take. for instance the
boatswain bird OF the South Pacific that will
fly for hours, days, even week. il has been
claimed, without once Tapping its wings. Up
and down and around IL sails over the sea- vet
without $50 far as has been observed) the slight
est effort. Hence il woIld appear that il is not
necessary 10 tnraSn tne air with fans
pellers in order to fly any than it is neces-
sary for a graceful skater TO pound the ice i'm
order to skate. Therefore. it may not be many
years before business ride downtown in
the morning I'm the airship express and the
man living in the suburbs can reach his home
wherever IL Is by making bee line from his
office. That will be great day for real estate
operators.
There is man known to the writer beside
whom the immortal Colonel Sellers was pes
simlst He has observed how ostrches are be-
ing tanned in California these days and used as
beasts of burden. They carry easily in
the saddle for mules. Now this ingenious
mans idea is to establish ostrich breeding
farm in South America and there the
easily domesticated but short winged bird with
the royal condor OF the Andes. BY this means
he feels certain of evolving Il gentle. domestic
bird strong enough in body and powerful
enough In wing TO bear man anywhere through
the air that the rider may wish 10 go. He says
the roofs OF New-York skyscrapers Will all be
turned into bird stables then. and the demand
for his condOstriches, as he viii call them
(name copyrighted). will he so great that his
fortune will speedily run up into the millions,
This inventors friends tell him. however that
the airship will be perfected first. and for that
reason alone they refuse to lend him enough
money to start the stock farm