The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-01-28
TEST OF GERMAN
CYROSCOPE CAR
Model at Work Shown to Rail-
road Men In Brooklyn
PERFECT BALANCE MAINTAINED

Spinning Tops, Making 5000 Revoiu-
tions a Minute, Kept the Machine on
Its Single Rail-No fitting and No
Reduction of Speed at the Curves.
With whirring of motors that
sounded like the hum of buzzsaw, a
gyroscope monorail car of the German
type was piloted around an oval track
In the Clermont rink. Brooklyn. the
other morning before a crowd that in
cluded several engineers and railroad
men. 1t was the first exhibition of the
car In the United States, and the group
of experts who viewed it appeared to
be greatly interested in the working Of
the white, boat shaped continuance as
1t circled the rink. supported on one
small rail-
The noise was made by two steel
tops lodged at either end of the car,
which revolved at the rate Of 5000
turns minute. They were incased in
steel covering and could not be seen,
but 1t was these two spinning tops
which kept the car from topping over.
Had they stopped suddenly-which, it
was said, was next to impossible-the
car would have lost fits balance. Ac-
cOrding to those in charge of the dem
onstration, nothing could make the
wheels stop except cutting off the cleo
trio current, and even then they would
go on revolving for nearly an hour at
sufficient speed to hold the car in an
upright position.
Richard Scherl. the German inventor
who designed the car, was not on hand
when the demonstration began, but a
squad of assistants and mechanics set
the gyroscope going so that the visitors
could see the latest wrinkle In car
building in operation. 1t was the same
car which had been exhibited in Ber-
lin, but 1t differed in many respects
from the Brennan or English type of
monorail car recently shown in Eng
land.
No Passengers Carried.
No passengers were taken on board
during the preliminary trials, although
the car was built to accommodate from
six to ten persons. The only man who
actually rode in it was the mechani-
clan. who operated the levers. Some
times he dismounted and allowed the
car to go its way with no one at the
helm. 1t never made very high speed,
however, and. as the operating levers
were all within reach Of any one stand
ing near the track, the mOtorman could
hv.sn no 70, s,Sn OF ,1xv hxvf
ing the right lever as the car rolled by.
What seemed to interest spectators
the most was the way the car took the
turns. The track was oval, and the
turns were sharp-sharper by a good
deal than the general run Of curves in
the subway in New York. for instance.
But the single track car took them
with only the slightest tilt and with
out reducing it's speed. 1t Travelled at
about eight miles an hour most Of the
time. Whether stationary or moving
along the rail. the car kept it's balance
perfectly.
A Queer Feat.
One of the queer feats of the gyro-
scope was shown when five men
climbed up on one side Of the car
while it was standing still. The car.
instead Of tipping toward them, leaned
in the opposite direction. The tend
ency of the gyroscope, it was ex-
planned, was to preserve equilibrium
under all conditions, and, no matter
how the passengers might be seated,
the car would always preserve its own
balance.
1t was a small car that was used In
the demonstration. built only for ex-
detrimental purposes. Its dimensions
were eighteen feet In length and four
feet in width 1t rested upon four
wheels set in straight line. each hav
ing fianges on both sides.
The track stood about three inches
high and measured one inch In thick
ness at the top. On each side OF 1t
was strung wire which carried the
current. There were four motors In
the car, two of one horsepower each
for prOpelling it and two Of one-half
horsepower each. which operated the
gyroscope attachment. The car itself
WcISueu tWO dhu OhC-hoiA tOIc eAA~
the gyroscope about one-twentieth OF
this. 1t was explained that this pro-
portion would have to be increased IL
the gyroscope were to be applied to
heavy car of the Pullman type. To
preserve balance in Pullman car 1t
would be necessary to have gyrO-
scope weighing about per cent or the
total weight of the car.
Tops In a Vacuum.
1t was explained also that the two
revolving tops would keep right on re-
volvfng for long time after the eur
rent gave out, because they were spin
ming in vacuum where there was
little friction.
In case of an accident, 1t was ex-
planned, there would be plenty Of time
for the passengers to get out before
the gyroscope slowed down and the
ear toppled over. In the meantime
1t would be possible, according to the
demonstrators, to lower the supports
on either side of the car, and this
would prevent its falling. The car
used In the demonstration was equip
ped with this safety device. which
could be operated by the motorman.
It was said that the supports could
be so constructed that they would fall
to the ground automatically in case the