The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-07
PROMOTER HAS \ GREAT PIPE DREAM From New York to Chicago in
 Sixty Seconds HE WOULD USE A TUNNEL Limit Reached on Tracks as Operated Today and Is Up to Railroad
 Builders to Try Some
 thing Else.
From the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post
 If | were not busy with things up on the hill" said the representative from the west. "and if l were not worn out by a busy life and determined to take it easy. l would build system that would nut a New Yorker ill Chicago in 60 sec onds.
 The company in the lobbyists room sat up in surprise and pulled itself together. The Colonel, who hailed from Mississippi, the clubman who dropped in after func- tions, the lobbyist and the westerner had played their usual game of poker with which it was their custom to end the night They had talked of journeyings here and there and of the discomforts, which weighed on the westerner particu- larly because he was contemplating three days journey home
 'I made trip to New York last week. he said Tt took five hours each way, and that was going fast enough to make it dangerous. Now, listen to me. This railroad travel is too slow. Think of eighteen hours between New York and Chicago, and the world sitting up and holdings it's breath at a proposition of company to construct line that will make the trip in ten hours"
 Then came the proposition to build the marvellous slXty-second route and the company rubbed it's eyes and demanded details. The clubman said that he was young and might spend some fifty or sixty years working on the job. and the lobbyist suggested financing it if it looked good. The Colonel offered to bet -four bits on the side that 1t was the biggest pipe dream of the years session.
 "The limit has been reached" continued Inc westerner, as to speed on the tracks as operated today We are going so fast now that there is a story of horrible carnage in each days paper The sys- tel is out of date. and has got to be su persceded by something safer. A monorail system that is unwreckable is proposed, but it is an ungainly structure, not gen eral1y adaptable. We have got to get away from the possibility of smashing things, and we have got to gain time.
 Predicts Catastrophe.
 "The underground people have taken the step toward the ultimate goal but their methods are painfully crude and there 'S going to be one of the most hor- rible catastrophes on record in the New Yor.. subway one of these days. But here is solution that eliminates danger and annihlates time and distance.
 We will consider the cities of Chicago anu New York They are of suitable distance from each other to demonstrate the plan, and there is sufficient business 10 make the venture profitable. In New A ork and at Chicago l would sink shaft 100 feet deep, at the bottom of each ar ranging a Commodous depot con nected with the surface with elevators. It would find no conflicting interests down there t1 prevent my operation.
 ''trom one depot to another would run tunnel as straight and true as gun barrel. This would be beneath all cities rivers and valleys, with nothing to interefere. It would be mostly in the soi.I rock and l would but have to put in my tubing to complete it, but the job would be pushed through regardless of the formations encountered.
 l have not the slightest doubt that d tunnel of this sort would pay for itself. There are undoubtedly many coal fields yet to be found along this route and a tunnel at that depth would disclose things never dreamed of. There might be gold, silver, copper and diamonds. There might be metals not known to present. day sciences. It is the greatest prospect ing scheme ever proposed. and we would proceed intelligently and take advantage of our findings.
 But the operation climax is vet to come We would complete the tunnel and make it's interior as smooth and regular as gun barrel. In fact it would be nothing more than a gun barrel of the length of the distance covered Think of straightaway of 150o miles of polished steel, but don't let the prospect make you bull In the street
 Equipping the Tunnel.
 The tunnel being complete, it's equip ment must follow. The first step would De to establish great exhaust pumps at each end that would remove all the air and create as nearly as possible an ab- solute vacuum. This is merely an appli- cation of simple and known mechanical devices, and it's practicability cannot be doubted. With a vacuum procured there Is no resistance in the tunnel to an object projected into il, and such an object will go on indefinitely at the rate of speed at which it was started
 Valves must be built at the end of the tunnel. through which an object can be forced and which will close in behind it fn such a way preclude all air. A se- ries of these could he arranged one after another that would gradually relieve the air pressure and make sure that none es- capped in the main tunnel
 "A car must be built for carrying pas sengers and freight that is smooth pro- 1ectlle-nosed and capable of being closed up with the air inside with no chance of its escaping into the vacuum It is a simple matter of mechanical construction and needs no elaboration. It's chief diff culty would be in getting through the valves, for once through there Is the open tunnel ahead with no resistance and no reason why 1t should not go on forever. With the ball-bearing arrangements on the sides in case it comes in contact with the walls of the tunnel to defect 1t ever so little into the course of least resist ance and the open tunnel, the car is com plete.
 We would then have but the problem of starting the at fits trreifict rate of speed without discomf 1ir to the passen- gers and the stoppinc F again at the other end and the trick is done
 'The problem has practically been solved already by the handling of deli cately explosive projecties used In the navy. A shell that the slightest jar will explode is projected from our battleships at such a terrific rate of speed that if will carry for five miles through the re- sistance of normal atmosphere Com pressed air Is the agency used, and the same compressed air could be used in giy- ing the car loaded with hurry-up New Workers the impetus that would land it fin Chicago in sixty seconds.
 Plan to Slow Up.
 ''To your crude and unscientfic minds the mechanical detail is unnecessary, but you see the principle, and take it from me. there is nothing in the whole scheme that could not be worked out. We would have to start to slow up along about Toledo or we mi~h' do some damage to ;.. ,. IL