Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1910-06-02
EXPECT HIGH SPEED
sssa.
15o Miles an Hour Thought Pos
sibie by English Expert
Success Of Plan Would Bring New
York and Chicago But Six Hours
Apart-Motiye Power Would
Have to Be Electricity.

London. Should ]. Sutherland
Warner, prominent English railway
expert, see his ideas practically real
tied there will be no denying that
we are living in q fast age. He is
authority for the assertion that a
speed of lao miles an hour by railway
trains Is technically possible today,
and will be commercially feasible with
IN the next ten years, SO long as the
railway serves great centers Of popu-
lation yielding a large amount Of
traffic
The motive power of course, would
have to be electricity" said Mr. War
ner. Naturally, too, the high horse
power required for the attainment of
such speed would necessitate motors
OF enormous size and weight In or
der to carry such tremendous weight
safety 1t would probbly be necessary
to use three, II not four, rails.
1.-THE great problem, however, would
be how to deal with the resistance Of
the air There are three methods by
which this could be met One of these
would be to construct the train cigar
shaped, with the sides of the car
rtages oiled Or vanished so as to
make them as smooth as possible.
Another way would be to reduce
the friction On the track by fitting
wings, OF lifting planes, all around the
train, the object being to utilize the
resistance of the atmosphere to lift
the weight from the track and there
by reduce the track resistance.
THE third method would be not to
run the train through the air at all.
This could be done by running it in
tube from which the air had been
exhausted in advance Of the speeding
train by powerful pumps.
"Of course, in addition to the
driving Of the electric motors in the
ordinary way, power for propulsion
would be obtained owing to the pres
sure OF the atmosphere acting on the
rear Of each carriage. That also
would supply air for the passengers to
breathe. None of the methods are
impossible. It is all merely a mat
ter Of money.
I am dubious about all the claims
advanced for the monoraiI system.
The horsepower required for high
speed means weight, and the monorail
cannot stand the weight. Therefore,
the contention that such system can
attain any speed up to 200 miles an
nour seems not to have q very solid
foundation The expense Of running
! such a system, too, would be extreme
" high. I believe that In ten years
we will see trains making a hundred
and fifty miles an hour on regular
schedule
I It Mr.. Warmers plan attains mate.
REALIZATION It would mean New York
to Chicago In little more than six
hours.
|, The longest multiple trains in the
world soon will be put into service In
the District railways tubes In Lon.
| DON, The company has found that
even by operating 38 trains an hour II
cannot fully cope with the rush Of pas.
sen1ers at certain times of the day
It has been decided, therefore, to in.
crease the length Of trains, and those
to be put In service will be 600 feet
In length, comprised of II coaches
| with seating capacity Of 1900 passen
gers. The company also is consider
ing. the question of the abolition Of
straDhanging. But even Il the straps
are removed from the cars there vii,
be handles attached to the seats fol
the convenience Of those passenger.
who may have to stand up.