time as a brake. No modification of the car is necessary to attach the device, and being of simple construction it is said to be inexpensive in itself. A device intended to automatically set the air brake in cases of trucks becoming derailed has been applied to some of the cars of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie road, which consists merely of two longitudinal timbers just outside the wheels, so arranged that in case a wheel drops off the track the timber falls upon the rail and a consequent vertical movement causes an emergency movement of the brake. It is believed also that some other northwestern road has had in service trucks with transverse bars of iron secured to the truck between the wheels and placed a few inches above rail level. If a truck should run off the track, this bar, extending several inches beyond the wheels on both sides would serve to hold the wheels up off the ties and act as a sliding support. This application is believed, however, to have been a simple stationary device without amplification of any kind and we are not familiar with its operation in service.-The Railway and Engineering Review. Wabash World's Fair Terminal.-The Wabash World's Fair terminal station, located opposite the main entrance to the World's Fair grounds in St. Louis, will have a main building 125 feet wide, 250 feet long and 60 feet high. At the rear or east end of this building will be baggage, express and parcel rooms. At the north side, fronting the main tracks, will be five additional waiting or classifying rooms, each with a capacity of from 700 to 800 people. The main waiting room will have a clear space of 120 feet wide by 200 feet long, with two large galleries on each side. Over the baggage, express and parcel rooms and at an elevation of 10 feet above the floor of the main waiting room will be a restaurant and ladies' retiring and waiting rooms. The main waiting room and the side galleries will furnish room for from 8,000 to 10,000 people, and with the classifying waiting rooms, there will be room for an aggregate of about 12,000 people. The subway will be 200 feet in width, and will furnish direct access to the DeGiverville and DeBaliviere loops of the transit company. To the right will be the Suburban loop. There will be no crossing of the Wabash tracks at grade in order to reach the main entrance to the fair. The plan for the operation of shuttle trains provides for five classification compartments. For instance, at a certain hour there will be scheduled a westbound through or excursion train. A sign will be displayed over the entrance to one of these compartments indicating the track from which the train will depart, and passengers holding tickets for that train will be admitted to that compartment, and any passengers intending to take other trains will not be permitted to enter that compartment. When the train is announced the gate from that compartment will be opened and passengers will proceed to the platform, and thence to their train. Thus crowding will be avoided, and passengers will not be allowed to have admission to any train except the one they are to take and for which they hold tickets.-Railway World. His Wife as Baggage.-To save railroad fare from Mentor, Minn., to Buford, N. D., a woman was bundled into a box, to be shipped as baggage on the ticket purchased by her husband, and had the train been on time the scheme would undoubtedly have been successful. As it happened, there was a delay of two hours because of the heavy snow, during which time the box, with its human freight, lay on the platform in the bitter cold. The woman was plucky, however, and stood the uncomfortable position as long as possible, and until fear of freezing to death compelled her to scream. Her cries were heard by the station agent, who immediately opened the box and found the woman almost frozen with the cold. When the trick was exposed the baggage privilege of the man's ticket became, of course, valueless, and he was told that he would have to purchase transportation for his wife. What became of the couple is not known, as they left the station as soon as the woman was suf ficiently thawed out to travel, and they failed to return in time to catch the train. -The Express Gazette. Locomotives to Race.-The German government has advised F. D. Cassanave, in charge of the Pennsylvania's exhibit at the St. Louis Exposition, that four engines will be sent to the Exposition, to compete with those of French and American builders. The tests of speed and traction ability at full length, is in some ways like a are to be made in the Exposition buildings, and the novel sight will be witnessed of a locomotive having its machinery going at the rate of 100 miles an hour without its body moving. The driving wheels, pony wheels and the wheels of the tender will revolve upon other wheels, corresponding in size, but in an opposite direction. A dynamometer will register the speed, resistance, and the pull weight. These figures can be taken just as accurately as could be done were the locomotives to be raced across the country with long trains trailing behind them.-International Railway Journal. The "Pioneer" at the World's Fair.-The old locomotive Pioneer, built in 1851, and owned by the Cumberland Valley road, will form a part of the exhibit of motive power relics at St. Louis, and excite the couriosity of those who have never seen an engine of ancient build. On this old timer the tender is a part of the engine, and this feature, taken in connection with its antiquated stack, gives an air of bygone days not readily linked with the present. The old machine still turns its wheels under steam, and only recently did a 20-mile an hour gait on a limbering up trial.-Railway and Engineering Review. A Flying Machine that Flies.-To sail three miles through the air at a speed of eight miles an hour, against a breeze blowing twenty-one miles an hour, is the most notable achievement in flying-machine experiments. Three years ago two brothers named Wright, of Dayton, Ohio, went down among the sandhills of the North Carolina coast. They were expert mechanics, and brought their own tools and machinery. They had studied the experiments of flying-machine inventors here and abroad. They were going to put their study and ingenuity to practical use. They tried the "multiple wing" machine with its large number of sails. Then they turned to the gliding machine invented by Octave Chanute, and modified it to their purpose. Their first machine carried one of them three hundred and sixty feet, and after another year a new apparatus sailed an eighth of a mile. Last year they made changes, and added a gasoline engine and propellers, with the final successful test late in December as a result. box kite with a rudder instead of a tail. The framework is covered with cloth at top and bottom. It is buoyant enough of itself to float its own weight and that of one man. During their three years of experiments the brothers had added considerably to their knowledge of air currents and of the resistance of canvas. Keeping these things in view, they designed and built their propelling apparatus. One propeller, revolving horizontally, is placed underneath the center of the machine's body. The other is like the screw of a steamship, whirling vertically at the rear. The gasoline engine, with 4-inch pistons and 16-brake horsepower, operates at will either or both of the propellers. The one beneath helps to hold up the machine; the one in the rear drives it in the direction toward which the operator points.-Collier's Weekly. Rival for Panama Road.-Percival Farquhar, of New York, representing the Central American Improvement Company, announces that the contract for the com pletion of the International Railroad has been approved by President Cabrera, and awaits ratification by the Guatemala Congress. "With the ratification of the contract as recommended by President Cabrera," said Mr. Farquhar, "the corporation I represent will begin the construction of a railroad from El Rancho to Guatemala City, a distance of sixty-five miles, and it will also complete the Guatemala Northern, extending from Puerto Barrios on the Atlantic to El Rancho, thirty-four miles." The movers in the enterprise, which seeks to compete with the Panama Railroad and its allied roads in the United States, mainly the Harriman combination, are Sir William Van Horne, president of the Havana and Santiago Railroad and the Canadian Pacific, and Miner C. Keith, first vice-president of the United Fruit Company.-Railway World. Thirty Minutes Left.-A rough looking man had inquired of the station agent at Clymer three different times as to when the eastbound train went out, and as he came back the fourth time, the agent scowled and replied: "Haven't I answered your question three times?" "You hev, mister, but I want to make The machine, in which the operator lies mighty sure of it." time as a brake. No modification of the car is necessary to attach the device, and being of simple construction it is said to be inexpensive in itself. A device in tended to automatically set the air brake in cases of trucks becoming derailed has been applied to some of the cars of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie road, which consists merely of two longitudinal timbers just outside the wheels, so arranged that in case a wheel drops off the track the timber falls upon the rail and a consequent vertical movement causes an emergency movement of the brake. It is believed also that some other northwestern road has had in service trucks with transverse bars of iron secured to the truck between the wheels and placed a few inches above rail level. If a truck should run off the track, this bar, extending several inches beyond the wheels on both sides would serve to hold the wheels up off the ties and act as a sliding support. This application is believed, however, to have been a simple stationary device without amplification of any kind and we are not familiar with its operation in service.-The Railway and Engineering Review. Wabash World's Fair Terminal.-The Wabash World's Fair terminal station, located opposite the main entrance to the World's Fair grounds in St. Louis, will have a main building 125 feet wide, 250 feet long and 60 feet high. At the rear or east end of this building will be baggage, express and parcel rooms. At the north side, fronting the main tracks, will be five additional waiting or classifying rooms, each with a capacity of from 700 to 800 people. The main waiting room will have a clear space of 120 feet wide by 200 feet long, with two large galleries on each side. Over the baggage, express and parcel rooms and at an elevation of 10 feet above the floor of the main waiting room will be a restaurant and ladies' retiring and waiting rooms. The main waiting room and the side galleries will furnish room for from 8,000 to 10,000 people, and with the classifying waiting rooms, there will be room for an aggregate of about 12,000 people. The subway will be 200 feet in width, and will furnish direct access to the DeGiverville and DeBaliviere loops of the transit company. To the right will be the Suburban loop. There will be no crossing of the Wabash tracks at grade in order to reach the main entrance to the fair. The plan for the operation of shuttle trains provides for five classification compartments. For instance, at a certain hour there will be scheduled a westbound through or excursion train. A sign will be displayed over the entrance to one of these compartments indicating the track from which the train will depart, and passengers holding tickets for that train will be admitted to that compartment, and any passengers intending to take other trains will not be permitted to enter that compartment. When the train is announced the gate from that compartment will be opened and passengers will proceed to the platform, and thence to their train. Thus crowding will be avoided, and passengers will not be allowed to have admission to any train except the one they are to take and for which they hold tickets.-Railway World. His Wife as Baggage.-To save railroad fare from Mentor, Minn., to Buford, N. D., a woman was bundled into a box, to be shipped as baggage on the ticket purchased by her husband, and had the train been on time the scheme would undoubtedly have been successful. As it happened, there was a delay of two hours because of the heavy snow, during which time the box, with its human freight, lay on the platform in the bitter cold. The woman was plucky, however, and stood the uncomfortable position as long as possible, and until fear of freezing to death compelled her to scream. Her cries were heard by the station agent, who immediately opened the box and found the woman almost frozen with the cold. When the trick was exposed the baggage privilege of the man's ticket became, of course, valueless, and he was told that he would have to purchase transportation for his wife. What became of the couple is not known, as they left the station as soon as the woman was sufficiently thawed out to travel, and they failed to return in time to catch the train. -The Express Gazette. Locomotives to Race.-The German government has advised F. D. Cassanave, in charge of the Pennsylvania's exhibit at the St. Louis Exposition, that four engines will be sent to the Exposition, to compete with those of French and American builders. The tests of speed and traction ability are to be made in the Exposition buildings, and the novel sight will be witnessed of a locomotive having its machinery going at the rate of 100 miles an hour without its body moving. The driving wheels, pony wheels and the wheels of the tender will revolve upon other wheels, corresponding in size, but in an opposite direction. A dynamometer will register the speed, resistance, and the pull weight. These figures can be taken just as accurately as could be done were the locomotives to be raced across the country with long trains trailing behind them.-International Railway Journal. The "Pioneer" at the World's Fair. The old locomotive Pioneer, built in 1851, and owned by the Cumberland Valley road, will form a part of the exhibit of motive power relics at St. Louis, and excite the couriosity of those who have never seen an engine of ancient build. On this old timer the tender is a part of the engine, and this feature, taken in connection with its antiquated stack, gives an air of bygone days not readily linked with the present. The old machine still turns its wheels under steam, and only recently did a 20-mile an hour gait on a limbering up trial. Railway and Engineering Review. A Flying Machine that Flies.-To sail three miles through the air at a speed of eight miles an hour, against a breeze blowing twenty-one miles an hour, is the most notable achievement in flying-machine experiments. Three years ago two brothers named Wright, of Dayton, Ohio, went down among the sandhills of the North Carolina coast. They were expert mechanics, and brought their own tools and machinery. They had studied the experiments of flying-machine inventors here and abroad. They were going to put their study and ingenuity to practical use. They tried the "multiple wing" machine with its large number of sails. Then they turned to the gliding machine invented by Octave Chanute, and modified it to their purpose. Their first machine carried one of them three hundred and sixty feet, and after another year a new apparatus sailed an eighth of a mile. Last year they made changes, and added a gasoline engine and propellers, with the final successful test late in December as a result. at full length, is in some ways like a box kite with a rudder instead of a tail. The framework is covered with cloth at top and bottom. It is buoyant enough of itself to float its own weight and that of one man. During their three years of experiments the brothers had added considerably to their knowledge of air currents and of the resistance of canvas. Keeping these things in view, they designed and built their propelling apparatus. One propeller, revolving horizontally, is placed underneath the center of the machine's body. The other is like the screw of a steamship, whirling vertically at the rear. The gasoline engine, with 4-inch pistons and 16-brake horsepower, operates at will either or both of the propellers. The one beneath helps to hold up the machine; the one in the rear drives it in the direction toward which the operator points.--Collier's Weekly. Rival for Panama Road.-Percival Farquhar, of New York, representing the Central American Improvement Company, announces that the contract for the completion of the International Railroad has been approved by President Cabrera, and awaits ratification by the Guatemala Congress. "With the ratification of the contract as recommended by President Cabrera," said Mr. Farquhar, "the corporation I represent will begin the construction of a railroad from El Rancho to Guatemala City, a distance of sixty-five miles, and it will also complete the Guatemala Northern, extending from Puerto Barrios on the Atlantic to El Rancho, thirty-four miles." The movers in the enterprise, which seeks to compete with the Panama Railroad and its allied roads in the United States, mainly the Harriman combination, are Sir William Van Horne, president of the Havana and San tiago Railroad and the Canadian Pacific, and Miner C. Keith, first vice-president of the United Fruit Company.-Railway World. Thirty Minutes Left.-A rough looking man had inquired of the station agent at Clymer three different times as to when the eastbound train went out, and as he came back the fourth time, the agent scowled and replied: "Haven't I answered your question three times ?" "You hev, mister, but I want to make The machine, in which the operator lies mighty sure of it." "Well, if you are here when the train goes, you can go with it. It's no use to bother me again." "I don't want to bother you nor nobody else," slowly replied the questioner, "but mebbe you don't understand how I'm fixed. I'm Prairie Sam's partner." "Well?" conscionable pauses at the stations. The ten days' journey to the Pacific from Russia shown on the official time tables has not been realized in fact. The bridges which cross the central Asian waterways are no flimsy structures, but well calculated for the heavy traffic they will have to bear. Over the broad yellow flood of the "Sam got into a little shooting scrape Volga at Samara is a great iron bridge up town this morning." "I heard of it." "And about an hour ago the boys turned out and h'isted him up to a limb." "Yes, and I was one of the h'isters. Why didn't we pull you up at the same time?" "Bekase the blame limb didn't seem stout 'nuff to hold both of us, and the crowd was too tired to hunt around and find another. They gimme two hours to leave town in. One of the hours has gone, and I'm kinder anxious about the other. I kin buy or borrow a cayuse and ride out if that train won't be here on time, but I'd a heap rayther take the kyars. I don't want to bother you or nobody, as I said before, but under the circumstances-" "I see. Well, the train will be here in half an hour." "Good! That gives me thirty minits to play on, and I won't look for a hoss. Nice weather, this." "Beautiful weather for a lynching bee." "Of course. That's what I meant. I'll jest step up and take one long, lingerin' look at Sam and then come back and ketch the train and leave you folks to run this durned old town after any durned old way you want to."-Houston (Tex.) Post. The Railway and the Russia-Japan War.-The transcontinental railway across Siberia, which connects Moscow with Port Arthur, and on which all Russian army supplies must be carried during the continuance of the war with Japan, is 5,100 miles long. For hundreds of miles the railway passes over lever stretches of deep black soil, absolutely stoneless, and with a surface except in summer and autumn, of mud, or mud and snow. The flatness of the country encouraged rather flimsy methods of construction, and the rails are light. The engines are wood burners and carry a crib piled with firewood as high as the smokestack. A recent traveler, M. Shoemaker, describes even the International Sleeping Car Express as going at a "dog's trot" of about ten miles an hour and making un called the Alexander, with thirteen spans, each 350 feet, nearly a mile long between its abutments.-Railway World. Efficiency of Large Locomotives on the Santa Fe. Mr. H. U. Mudge, general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, is quoted with the following remarks in answer to statements of the Missouri Railroad Commission to the effect that large locomotives, generally throughout the country, are not efficient machines in handling traffic: "The large engines are entirely satisfactory. They do not burn more coal than some engines of smaller size although they do haul larger trains and thereby reduce the number of meeting points and delays. The Santa Fe has larger engines in use on its line than most roads, and its through freight trains, and particularly fruit trains, are making better time than ever before, and several days' better time between the coast and Chicago than any other road."-The Railway and Engineering Review. He Took No Chances.-Senator Dubois tells of a Kentucky mountaineer's first experience with a railway train. He had gone to the nearest station to see the transportation wonder, arriving ahead of schedule time, so that the train could not steal by him unawares. After awhile he started out to meet the belated locomotive. He met it as it rounded a curve. Turning about, the mountaineer ran along the track as for his life. "Toot, toot," sounded the locomotive, slowing up, but the mountaineer only dug the gravel more industriously than ever. He soon reached the station, completely out of breath. "Why didn't you cut across?" inquired one of the bystanders. "Cut across?" roared the mountaineer. "If I'd ever took to that plowed land the blamed thing would have caught up with me sure." The Express Gazette. An Engine with a Good Digestion.-Engine No. 264 has returned from California and she has pulled into the Texas and Pacific |