The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-03-06

There is actually mysterious Rus
sian in Paris. That mysterious Rus
sian has nothing at all to do with
Bolshevism, but very much with
science. If what he says is true, he
has made one of the greatest discov-
cries on earth and he Is going to revo-
lutionize the world. OF course Rus
sian has always got to revOlutionize
the world somehow, writes Stephane
Lausanne, editor-in-chief Of Paris lie
Matin,'' in the New York Tribune.
The name of the man is Makhonine.
He married Natalia Ermolenko, one of
the greatest opera singers, who Is at
this moment carrying the day at Bar
celona. He has-to put it quite simply
Invented an electric train which runs
without the aid of any electric cur
rent.
In 1918 Mr.. Makhonine had worked
out the plan of this extraordinary
train when the revolution broke out.
He was at Petrograd at that time, and,
of course, he could not execute his
plan. However, he succeeded in In
teresting some factory workmen In his
ception, they consented to work for Its
realization.
Engine Actually Works.
Three months later the first engine
was ready. And, to the great surprise
of the Russian engineers, who had I'M
iceasingly scoffed at the idea and pre-
tended that it was impossible to con.
struct an electrical train to run as Mr..
Makhonine proposed (that is to say,
without trolley or accumulation, on
October Is, 1919, for the first time in
the world an electric train, piloted by
its inventor, went from Moscow to
Petrograd, covering the 400 miles in
eight hours-the condition of the rails
not permitting greater speed.
Mr.. Makhonine's train was remark
able in these respects: Ths 1t could
make long run without stopping that
it was not required to stop anywhere
on the road to take up fuel supplies
or water, since 1t did not consume any,
and that, without additional costs, the
locomotive motor supplied light and
heat for the whole train.
The line traversed by an express
from Petrograd to Moscow up to that
time had required train with total
weight of 500 tons; the engine weighed
1877 tons and had to be supplied with
fuel four times during the journey; it
consumed $50 pounds Of naptha or
1850 pounds of coal. The special
train which Mr.. Makhonine established
in Russia weighed only 120 tons in all,
less than the engine of the old train
and for the same distance OF $50 kilo-
meters used not more than seventy
pounds of naptha, one-thirteenth the
consumption of an ordinary train.
OF course, all Russia spoke OF the
marvellous discovery at the time. The
March 81, 1921, at Petrograd, and
spent an entire sitting celebrating on
the Makhonine train.
Eminent Engineers Present.
There were present the most emil
nent engineers and professors of the
Socialist Federated Republic of the
Soviets OF Russia: NM. ]. o. Mix
hallovsky, M. Blistanof, G. Bogolinof.
l.. Sekanine, T. Hartman, A. Kaufman,
Swentorgentsky, CRATIC, Kerstner,
Kobosof, Rosenweig and Iganatenko. !
These gentlemen confirmed the state
ments l have made above.
After having examined the train
they further agreed that it could run
without stopping as long as the axles
CT the cars attached to the electro |
locomotive could bear it. At this |
meeting the members of the commits |
sion of inventions decided, by way of
to grant to Makhonine, |
" h0 had solved q nl.nhlpfn which had |