ROUND THE WORLD IN SEVEN DAYS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXVIII, Issue XVIII, 3 May 1902, Page 819

ROUND THE WORLD IN SEVEN DAYS.

The Steel Trust works in mysterious ways its wonders to perforin. Just now some experiments are being conducted on its behalf which may have world-reaching results in a very literal sense of the term.

These experiments, which have been conducted with the utmost secrecy for over a year past on a large ranch in California, owned by a prominent member of the trust, are, it now leaks out, for the purpose of demonstrating the feasibility of a system of railway that is to change the entire aspect of the transportation problem of the world. The inventor promises that within the next ten years it will be possible to travel round the world in a week by his new system of suspended cars.

TH E AIK RESISTANCE. One of the most important factors with the present systems of railway that prevents high speeds is that of air resistance, which, on the suspended railway, is almost entirely obviated by the shape of the cars. This is a very important factor, as has been demonstrated. At one hundred miles per hour, the pressure is about four times as great as at sixty miles per hour, and at two hundred and fifty miles per hour it is over fifty times as great. Now, when you understand that most of the power in a locomotive pulling a train is exerted after 30 miles per hour is reached in merely overcoming- the air resistance, you will understand that high speeds, by the older systems, have about reached the maximum. With the sus-

pended railway cars the air resistance at two hundred and fifty miles per hour is about equal to that on the older method of construction at forty miles per hour. The inventor promises that by his system you wi 1 be able to travel from New York to San Francisco in less than twelve, hours, from New York to Paris in less than a week—and that by allrail route, via Asia. On account of the strength of tlv; materials, this railway has a spiderlike appearance, like the suspension bridgie. upon which principle it is modelled, but which'j is much stronger than the great heavy structure of limited strength built on tho older principles. STRENGTH AND LIGHTNESS. The supports and girders are composed entirely of tubing of extraordinary structural strength. The main feature of this tubing is the web flange, which adds greatly to it. strength, the quality’ of the steel being similar to that used for plane wire, which is the strongest materia’ known to man.

On each side of the top of the elevated supports are fastened two “tube girders.” the upper sides of •which form the rails from which the cars are suspended, the cars running along under these girder rails, instead of on top. as with the older systems.

On the under side of these girders is also a roller, which checks any tendency of the cars to rise from the track. Thus derailment by the ears jumping the track is absolutely’ impossible. It will be seen that the main features ‘are two suspended electric motors, on the end of the shaft of which are the drive wheels. These.

by pressing in towards each other and against the opposite sides of the lower or traction rail, act as a rotary gripping device. The pressure of this rotary grip is secured and regulated by two methods, one an adjustable magnet battery- of springs, the other an electric magnet of great streng'h the force of which is exerted through a togle-joint in such a manner that the gripping of the rail is in direct ratio with the amount of electrical current necessary to turn the motors, and this is in proportion to the load

the locomotive is pulling. This pressure, explains Mr 11. F. Gray, who writes very interestingly on the subject, is for the purpose of securing what is technicalll known as the “tractive” effect, to secure which, in the old systems, there is required a weight on the drive wheels of the locomotive in propor-

tion to the “draw-bar” pull necessary to haul the train of cars.

From an economical point of view, one of the most interesting features in the new system is that the electric motors, are so arranged that they not only act as a perfect system of brakes, but also, from the fact that their action is reversed at such times, they become generators. Thus, when the trains are descending a grade they generate electric current, which is forced back upon the supply system, and is utilised by trains on the up grades elsewhere on the road, or is stored at the power houses in storage batteries for

future use. By this method the only power permanently dissipated is that which is necessary to overcome the friction of the working parts in the rolling stock, and as all bearings are anti friction roller bearings this is but a very small amount, the loss from electric transmission being the only item worthy of consideration. The generating power houses will be located either at waterfalls or at coal mines, and in oil listricts, so that very cheap power can be manufactured — in fact, the power will nosr less than one-twentieth whit it would cost to generate the sani • amount of power in a steam locom - tive. The average cost of constructing this system of transportation is £6OOO per mile, inclusive of bridges of ordinary length.

'l'he promoters propose calling their railway, when it shall come into Ining, the Inter-Continental Transit Company, the capital being one and a half billion dollars. Agents have already been in all parts of the world negotiating for franchises and concessions. The railway will run from the cit\ of Mexico, via Los Angeles. San I’ran cisco, Portland. Seat th*, up tin* valley of the Fraser River, through Canadian territory, and Alaska to Behring Straits, across this by means of a tunnel into Asia, where it will connect with the company’s line of oil turbines, capable of travelling al a speed

of 50 miles per hour, completing the line round the world. A line will connect at the Brest junction, passing southward through Spain under the Straits of Gibraltar into Africa, which will run along the North African coast to Cairo, thence southward to Capetown. And “so will be bound with steel all the continents of earth.” at a cost of over £300,000,000. The oil turbine is one of the new’ factors in marine ship propulsion. A description of it, as developed by the Inter-Continental Transit Company, is necessary to completely understand tin* new system and give a comprehension of the magnificent transportation project, which is to open up the great vista of the coining age of oil. The reader is no doubt familiar with the steam turbine torpedo-boats, built for the British Government, which have already made speeds of 40 miles an hour. The principle of the new oil turbine is practically the sann\ with this difference; with the steam turbine the steam has to be generated in boilers, necessitating the combustion of fuel, extracting only about 10 pel emit, of its energy value. 'Phe steam is then carried to the turbine, which is, in fact, a rotary steam engine—that is. has no reciprocating motions, as with the ordinary engine, which is the reason why high speed is made by the strain turbine, there being no jar or vibration on these vessels.

With the oil turbine a great step further has been accomplished. Oil being the source of energy, is made to become volatile in electrical furnaces or retorts. Tin' power value of Ihr gas thereby created is utilised by being expended in lit th'chambers in the outer rim or periphery of a disc, the re-action therefrom causing this disc to revolve with a very high velocity, in fart, so high a speed that it is iin practicable to use directly connected with the propeller shaft. So this high-speed oil turbine is connected on to the shaft of an electric generator, which in turn operates a flower speed motor, which is the rea propelling engine. PERFECT CONTROL SECURED. By this means perfect control is secured, and the speed is regulated with ease and elasticity. Otherwise it would be impossible to control the oil turbine sufficiently promptly whim it is desired to slow up or come to a stop, on account of tin' terrific velocity at which it runs. The two generators, one at each end of its shafts, operate four motors. These are connected with long pro pellerlike screws, which arc recessed in grooves under the vessel on each side of the keel. The action of these screw’s not only drives tin* ship forward al great speed, but also, on account of the angle at which they arc placed, has a tendency to lift tin* boat, causing it to skim over the surface of the wafer. The shape of the vessel is on the so-called “frying-pan model.** That is to say. it is very wide and of comparatively light draught, with a biilb-finn keel, so familiar on vnehts a few years ago. 'l'he vessels are prael ica Ily without decks, being more like the submarine boats of the Holland type; in fact, these vessels are so arranged that in case of necessity they are convertible info immense submarine boats.

'l'he Inter-Continental Transit Com pany will also build branch lines.