The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1907-05-16
ON A ONE
RAIL TRACK.
English Scientist Amazed at a
DemonstrationS In London
Of a New Invention.
CARS ALWAYS BALANCED.

CARS ALWAYS BALANCED.
London, May 13,-The announce
ment OF another triumph OF science,
oiperhaps epoch making importance,
was made before a brilliant assembly
gathered under the auspices OF the
Royal society. For more than two
hours the leaders OF the English
scientific world listened to theexposi-
tion Of a we'll known principle of
mathematics for the first time appli-
ed and watched q marvellous demon.
stration which seemed to set the laws
OF grsvitation at defiance.
At the close the men OF science &C.
claimed It's discoverer or inventor as
worthy to rank high upon the -oll OF
honor which bears the names oiNew-
ton, Watt and Stephenson. What
they saw was this:
THE SIGHT THEY SAW.
The miniature railway car or loco
motive, standing entirely above a
single rail with apparently nothing
to balance 1t, ran about the hall,
turned sharp curves at high speed,
crossed q single strand OF wire cable
In lieu Of q bridge and climbed heavy
inclines-all with perfect stability.
Ii was sometimes loaded, sometimes
empty. There was no attempt to
balance the load, the vehicle Itself
did that instantly and sutomatical-
ly. Every attempt to unbalance it
resulted In a paradox. II the load
we're piled allupon one side 1t seemed
inevitable that the vehicle would sag,
If indeed It did nottopple over. But
no, the overloaded side automatical-
ly rose in proportion to the burden
and the empty side was depressed.
BRENNAN EXPLAINS THE DISCOVERY.
The creator OF the new system OF
locomotion, Louis Brennan, c. B.,
the inventor of the famous Brennan
torpedo, told his audience very briefly
about bis long search for an ideal
method OF traction. He said:
"The characteristic features OF this
system of transport is that each
vehicle is capable OF maintaining it's
balance upon an ordinary rail laid
upon sleepers on the ground, wheth-
or 1t is standing still or moving In
either direction at any rs-e OF speed,
notwithstanding that the center OF
gravity Is several feet above the rail
and that wind pressure, shifting of
load, centrifugal action or any COM
binstion OF these forces may tend to
upset II.
HOW IT KEEPS ITS BALANCE.
Automatic stability, mechanism
OF extreme simplicity, carried by the
vehicle itself, endows i. with this
power. The mechanism consists
essentially Of two fy-wheels rotated
directly by electric motors in opposite
directions at very high velocity and
mounted 80 that their gyrostatic and
stored up energy can be utiliz3d.
These hywheels are mounted on high
class bearings and are placed in ex-
hausted cases, 80 that both air and
journal friction is reduced to q mini
mum, and consequently the power
required to keep them In rapid mo-
ton is very small.
NO DANGER OF DERAILMENT.
"The wheels are placed in q single
row beneath the center Of the car and
are carried on bogies or compound
bogies, which are not only pivoted to
provide for horizontal curves In the
track, but for vertical ones also. By
this means the cars can run upon
curves even Of less radius than the
length Of the vehicle itself, or crook
ed rails, or on rails laid over uneven
ground without danger Of derail-
ment.
"The motive power may be either
steam, petroleum. oil, gas or elsc-
n az > -