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MR EDISON h ON- ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.
(from the' ti3ies, nov; 19 : '. ';
plr jUtHihifiqi Ao ikdistni, the r inventor, an
nounces th-his jnatoi; bleetrio systonv has now
been perfectedrantf'tliat.the'tiine lias at length
arriyedflyv.hettothe diKplacemetit of steam ' by
electricity on railways 13 to comiuenco in earnest.
In-therCouTse pf.un interview; just: published at
PittaburgpMriEdisou saya':— -"'Electricity 'will
displace'sfeanii ifeooiliiniy as well as speed and
wfe'tyi is' a' factor of ibeomotiori,' not because it;
mll'make-'a speed'of lOO iiriles an hour easily,.
)iUt!rskiiimi&elf;t; iuake 60,' but be-.
<&iU..'$nr.'ifte<hdKiw'er.'pnt,pf/;ll6 or
ffltf of 'oheHp !cpal, '.while" a lo'cbmotiye oiily ' gets
that jpiowef out of Gib of dear coal." Mr l3di6on
says that llryears neo lie ran' a Irain at 40
" miles hti' hour dh his three-mile frnok at Menlo-
park. and wanted., to run all the trains on tho
Peniisyi viiiira' Rail pay from Jersey City to Pitts-
bBftr'by thc Wtiie'' system. " But in ' pioneer
ing," he eont.iijuos,," yon liave to begin, at the
little eiiff'SoT'wehf into' tho electnc light.
And in pioneering yoij'.Hnye .to hnvo n man with
nerve to'adopt yo'ur ideaT. I have found the
man in Henry Villard,;' It is his idea to have
lbis_sy stent . in operation .between Chicago and
|lw'auioe during. .the World's Pair, YFIe in
tends (o demonstrate that there need be 110 such
tl)jng as;, waitine-for. trains, ieven 'between cities
now considered a lopgi distance rapart. Ho in
tends to run a train, say of two cars, every 10
minutes. , I.would liote surprised after that to
see him mfto'dhce the system' over tbo whole of
: the Northern Pacific lines, " Hpi would not be
compelled to'introduce it' all 'at oiicc; .throwing
away all of liis loconiotives. - , By this system
electricity" can ' be gradually introduced, more
trains being sandwiched between the steatn-cars
as tb'e .locomotives wear . out. '> ' \
tV.W'hen- asked for particulars of his system tho
inventorTephod:— "I cannot go, into, details,'
for featvof in j ur irig niy rights oh the' other ' side
— though, by theAyay, I never made anything
out of European patentif— but I will say britfly
" 1 thah the current.,, will .pass from the ' stationary
engine, to a oentral rail hetwcen tbo tracks, and
thencei through thai mechanism -attached- to the
luittom-ofThe cars or motor. ' A' freiaht' train,
N>L course,- wonld -heed' 'a motor, because of- the1
number of_ cars. Three stationary ... engines
w"ouI3T5e"needed!" vv'itli "Tp",<500 or 12,000 horse
power. Each cwould ..run. -the whole Pennsyl
vania Railwlfy system ;lietw'een New' York and
Philadelphia— freight, local, express trains, "and
-11 frt.„ Jli ;:luYv.c ,
an. j» iiiti u£pLcum«iuu ui iuiiiuyHLOCK 'ana roaa
bed is mucnless than- uuder steam propulsion.
E!IW:e?-eTtion of steam power, is- in the nature
of an explosi'in.;..and whon you: take into ' con-
sideration tho fact that 400 -or 500 engines are
on a rotfdflikcrtfie Pennsylvania iat'oiieftime,
eaeheorjcisiug a cliflercnt degree of, -its explo-
s ifl e. p'p w ert,', th e depreciation is' a great ".factor.
Bpt . , with ilelectrioity it is always the- smooth
'raarymotiqn,. imparted in- the same way by the
same men at the stationary engines." -
vJKOaln.'eqiiipment be deyised," 'the inventor
tmswdfddp.' which will stand the stinin of this
systcm-'VTit full ' Bpedd 1 " He', replied with a
smile'Pall -speed 'on. thii system is— or I
see hyTesasonwTij' it should nut ho— 200' miles
auhour. . But for, practical purpoies l feel sure
that 'a 101b rail on a' ballasted track would stand
a speed of ip0,.miles an hour." , - Mr Edison, says
his"' electric,! traini:.wpuld . bo stopped, as. at
present, by, air brakes; "and;" he adds, '' that
is about all .the one mnfi would: ha vo to do, who
would take tho -place of engineer ' nnd two
firemen — to keep , a' look-Out 'and '.mind 'his
brake." /.ir-if 1 ."""'.''j; I'1";!;
The New Zealand ' Herald ' of 22nd December
describes a deaperate.fight between, a man and"
aharft . which.-, pceurrod in Mannkau Harbor.
Mf.Ilenry Jhcobson; who is employed 'at tho'
North Manukau Heads, as beacon light beeper,
was returning to the Heads after a week's holi-
'day.-j iWhen Opposite Shag Point, about six.ratles
dowhthe harbor, his boat, which' had a quantity
of stores on boa-rd, . was struck by a squall and
8Wi»rapcd, and the occupant left in tho water.,
Jacobson dived, and endeavored to relieve tho
ballast,, but without success. He then, grasped
an uar, unu uemg a gooa swimmer, srrucK. out
fqr,land, butas a strong tido was running ho
was swept down tho harbor abreast of Muddy
Creelia.distnnceiof three miles. At that point
lie, WAS attacked by a large shark, which grabbed
at his hand. He protected liimself, however,
witk the; oar," which he tried to ram down the
shaVk-V throat. The fish then made a circle
aropnd .him, and renewed the attack. By this
tpn'e.'however, jacobson had his ahentli knife
djaiwri'. and desperately stabbed tho shark, rip-
pi itsj.sido open, so that tho water heoame red
wi$h.blbbd. A further attack was made,, when
jjiepjbson, again stabbed tlio monster near the
tail, and it swam away.' At that tiino a boat
came in sight, and standing towards the unfor
tunate, man the occupants coolly asked, " What
is the matter?" Jacobson, however, was too
mnolcexliausted to explain, and was hauled into
. the boat, having been in tho water 2 hours and
30 minutes. He was landed at Mr Laing's,
Little Muddy Greek, where I10 was provided
with dry clothes and some refreshment, after
which he iWalkod barefooted to Manuksu Heads.
Warden- Gibson 1ms telegraphed to tho Mines
department at Queensland, stating that the Last
011 mine, Clonourry, had cruqhqd 39 tons for
fflo't of retorted gold.
$