14090 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT, No. �82. NOVEMBER 26, 1892.
boring settlement. He never returned. Search parties any appearance of a keel, as the outer planking will NANSEN'S NORTH POLE EXPEDI'l'ION. were sent in every direction, but no trace of him could lie even with its base, so that there will not be any be found. His footsteps were followed to the edge of projection below water that the ice can get hoh1 of. By O. DAHL, Ph.D., New Haven, Ct.* a dangemus glacier, 11nd a nUlIlbpr of his speeimens The cross section of the vessel th us resembles a bowl were (lisoovered, but nothing lIlore. 'l'here seelll;; little cut in halves. The engines, manufactured at the THE exploration of unknown part� of the globe has doubt that he must have fallen into one of the deep Akers Works, Christiania, are of 1(j9 indicated horse of late made rapid progress. But few regions now remain unexplored. 'I'wo parts of our earth, however, in spite of numerous attempts, have not been explored. These two parts lic around the poles. As regards most unknown regions whieh have hitherto been explored there has been this peculiarity, or rather lack of pecu liarity, that there was nothing unusual about their geographic position, as other regions were already C) known which lay in the same latitude and had the <0 same physical conditions. One could thus, with some degree of certainty at least, form an idea of the eon ditions in these regions even before they were traversed. Nevm'theless no considerable area of the globe has been explor'.ld without rewarding us liberally in a scientific way. The polar regions, however, have this peculiarity, that we know no region of the globe whieh lies in a corresponding latitude or under the smue physical conditions. As investigation and science have advanced, scienti fic problems whose solution can be found only in the Arctic and Antarctic regions have arisen. We can study scarcely any branch of the physical sciences, whether meteorology, geology, or physical geography, without meeting great and important problems which await their solution up in the polar regions and con cerning which we now can offer only the vaguest hypotheses. 'l'hose regions which we have hitherto explored have, as a rule, been inhabited, and the foot of the explorer was not the first to tread on its soil. Often, through story and tradition, originating with people who lived in the country, we had arrived at some idea of its conditions and appearance. In the polar regions, on the cont rary, no human foot has set its mark on the white snow, and no human eye has penetrated the icy mists. Since so Itlany scientific problems await their solution in these northern regions, the question as to the value of polar exploration is synonymous with inquiring about the value of any scientific investiga tion. The two polar regions, the Arctic and the Antarctic, have both their peculiar interests. While it is the Arctic region that has most attracted the attention of men, this is due solely to its situation on our hemisyhere. As it is this region which sp("eially concerns us, shall limit myself to its consideration, and first mention the routes by which attempts have been made to reach the north pole. The most successful attempts have been by way of Smith's Sound. For a long time after the American explorers Kane, Hayes, and Hall had reached the highest latitude in this region it was thought that here was the way. Here it was thought they had seen the open polar sea stretching to the north. It was not long, however, before it was found that here also the TIC usual hindrance was encountered; the impenetrable zoI{)CEA ice, coming from the north, carried by a strong polar current. MAP SHOWINH 'rHE ROUTE OP THE PEARY EXPtml'l'lON. By this route, Admiral Markham, who took part in the English polar expedition under Nares, reached the highest latitude then attained, proceeding by crevasses on the glacier. He was only twenty-five power, and, with a consumption of about 2% tons of means of sledges over the drift ice as far as 83" 20'. The years old, and was much liked by his colleagues. coal a day, give her a speed of about 6 knots. She Greely expedition of 1882 has since surpassed this, as will carry enough coal for about three and a half Lockwood reached 84024' along the northwest coast of months' constant steaming. Rigged as a three-m11sted Greenland. EXPEDITION. DR NANSEN'S NEW ARC'l'IC sehooner, she will mflke lllOSt use of her sail power, Also along the east coast of Greenland attempts ha ve DR. NA:VSlcN'S ship for Arctic discovery, which has which will have an area of 600 square meters. 'l'he main been made to reach the pole. Thi� route has not been beBn bllilt at Laurvik, Norway, at the works of Mr. mast is 82 ft. in length and the topmast 49 ft., the view so successful, the nortnernmost point reached being 77\ Colin Amher, a gentleman of Scotch descent, is de from the barrel being thus about 105 ft. above the Cape Bismarck, lat. the limit of the Germania 1869-70. signed speei,tlly to withstand the buffetings of Arctic water. She carries seven boats, of which two, some expedition of stOl'lllS. '.rhis will be effected, it i8 hoped, not only by what larger than the others, are fitted out so as to be Farther to the east we have Spitzbergen, from which its solid constrnction, but also from the shape of the able to carry the entire crew, if necess,try, with pro point numerous attempts h11ve been made to reach the 1827, vessel's hull, which, being much rounded and fiat, it is visions for several months, as well as a warm tent or pole. Here the noted English explorer Parry, in 82° 45'. thought will enable the vessel to rise when nipped by covering. reached the highest latitude, Parry did not i(,e, possibly to snch an extent as to rest entirely on The principal dimensions are as follows: Length of come so far by his vessel, but finding that he could not the ice surface, when the ice by its presumed move keel, 31'00 meters; length at water line, 34'50 meters; proceed farther in the open sea, he abandoned the ship Illent will form the Illeans of further locomotion, convey length over all, B9'00 meters; beam at water line alIlid- and transported boats across the ice. He was soon the vessel from the neighborhood of the Liakov Is lands, past the north pole, and eventually launch it c------on the waters of the Greenland Sea. Probably no vessel has ever been built for the purpose of Arctic ex ploration with greater foresight or care, or, indeed, of stonter or better materials. In form Dr. N ansen's ship resembles a Scotch buckie boat, only that it is carvel built 11nd rigged as a three-m11sted schooner. Both stem and stern are conlSiderably curved, as in the buckie boats, but by an ingeniouH arrangement the rudder will be entirely submerged, and both it I. and the screw may be raised when necessary and pro I tected from damage in a well. The stern is furnished with two perpendieular :;tern posts-one a propeller post, the other a rudder post. Outside these on both sides are bolted cur ved oak timbers, which give the I: vessel its whaleboat appearance. Between them is the well for both screw and rudder. '.rhe frame tim I·I bers are of the best materials, free from defects, about 13 in. thick at the keel and 8Xl ill. at the deck, mnged in couplm;, squared and bolted together, all joints be I ing bOllnd with iron. Between eaeh pair is a space of . ...._ about 2 ill. whieh is filled in with asphalt, so that, if I �;;".�. the outer plnnking were ehafed away the vessel would 1'---_'_" - -- " still remain watertight. Above the frame timbers are -' . � . -��� 17 12 :���;;;�=:� placed two keelwns, one in. and the other in. in �?:�. �- I height, both being bolted together to the timbers and keel, which Iattcr is in two pieees, cOlllposed of balks of elm 14 ill. sqlml"e. ThB steHl is composed of four i���:- ·��� ��" �<����- ����-::;:=;��I balks, 15 in. broad 11nd 13 in. thick, bolted together with o11k tierails. '.rhe inner "tern post is of larger di mensions than the keel, the oute]' one being- the same THI<� NEW �HJP PUR DR NAN�I<;N'� EXPEDl'rlON '1'0 THE as the keel, both aUnched to the latter by strong cross NORTH POLK and longitudinal iron damps, and outside the after sternpost is a "stern stem," or cut-wate.r, 10Xl in. by 21 ill. tbiek. 'rhe planking consists of it 3� in. oak ships, excluding the "ice sheathing," 10'40 meters; baffled in this attempt, as the ice was driven faster Hkin, over which Itnother of 4�2' ill., and finally an grentest beam, excluding the "ice she�t,t.hillg-," 11.'00 southward than he could advance northward. Still outer planking or .. ice sheathing" of from B>4' in. to meters; depth moulded, fi '21) llIeters; L1nwg-ht. with farther to the east we find Fr. Joseph Land, discovered Ii �.� i tl. greenheart. '.rile eeiling consists of pitch pine light cargo, 3'75 meters ; displacement with 1 ig-ht. eargo, by Paym' and Weyprecht in 1874, on a polar expedi planks, alternately 4�4' in. and 8� in. in thickness .. 530 tons; displacement at draught of 4'75 meters, HOO tion. Here the salllB hindrance was met, namely, drift 'l'here are two decks, an upper and lowel' one, each of tons. The hull, with engine;; and boilers filled, weighs iee. In this case it did not come from the north, as in 4 in. pine. The deck beams are of oak and pitch pine about 420 tons. With a draught of 4'75 meters she has the cases previously mentioned. l1Xl in. squal·e. Upright stanehions are placed as sup one meter's freeboard. Thus she has a bearing ca- There remains to be mentioned the route through ports to the beams, and united to them by large knees. Imcity for 3HO tons of co111 arH1 ('argo. Dr. N ansen and A half deck or poop, three feet in height, covers thB lis brothBr explorers intend to leave Norway in Feb * It" plan as olltlined by himself before the Students' Unionof the cabius and engine room. Externally there will not be ruary next.-Lorulon .Daily Graphic. Royal Frederick. University, Christiania, Norway. September 17,1892.
© 1892 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC NOVEMBER 26, 1892. SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT, No. 882 14091
Behring Strait. This was fir t attempted . � by Cook in certainty conclude �hat th� current flow� 0ward the this immense channel, which 1llE'asures as much as the last century, a d, In our tImes, by the I . .n unfortunate pole. Let us consider b�' lefiy the conchhons o� the 2,600 fathoms in depth. 'l'rne,part of the water flows Jeannette expeditIOn, 1879-81. currents on the borders of the unknown polar regIOns. out through Smith's Sound Jones' Sound and Lancas- It might seem to be a sad inference which can be 'fhe current which, fir'st of all, attracts onr attention ter Sound, but this is of so' small importance, because derived from all these attempts. The chief canse of is that wh ich flows along the ea�t coast of Greenland, of the shallowness of these sounds that we can for this failure has been drift ice, driven southward by Illighty and which is so broad that it almost extends over the reason leave them out of consider�tioll. current�. To transport �oats anross the ice has been wh )le ocean be . . . � �wee.n Greenland and S�itzl?ergen. 1 What interests us most, next in order to our know found llUposslble. A thu'd alternatIve. mIght be to ThIS current carnes Jllllll n::;e masses of dnft ICe al- ledge of the existence of sunh a current, is to know go by land. There are, however, only two masses of most to the coast of or way and we often hear it I what direetion it tltkes. 'l'he Gulf AtreaIll, as we have land whose northern boundary we have not known, stated that the weather is cold beeause drift iee has I seen, flows eastward along Nova Zelllhla ; the Behring Pr. Joseph Land and Greenland. A;; regards the first, been encountered neal' the coast. It is this same current flows northward and divides into sev,�ral it has been established by the Austrian expedition of I current which flows between Greeuland and Iceland, branches, but the bulk of the water takes a nortll- 1874 that it nonsists of a group of sUlall islands. around Ca,pe Parewell, and up along the west coast westerly direction. These eurrents it would seem, lllUl't The route over Greenland remains, but the explora- i again. Prom the limited knowledge whieh we have unite somewhere north of tIle N�w Siberian I;;iands. tions of Peary seem to show that it does not extend far of its swiftness, extent and depth, we come to the con- If to t.his we add the Aiberian rivers, the result lllUSt beyond 82°, and hence eannot come into consideration' elusion that it carries an illlmense TUass of water. But be a current which froIl! the New Siberian Islands a� a basis for a polar expedition. The land along Inde- where does all this water come from? I flows northward through the ocean by way of t.he pole pendence Bay-diseovered on tl1e 4th?f JUly, 1892-, LToing ea,:tward, we encount.er the well known cur- and then out into the ocean between Greenland and . , seems to be the northernmost pomt of Greenland, and. I'ent to whwh we owe so Illllch-the Gulf Stream. I Spit7.bergen, where it forIllS the well known Bast would thus prove that the land seen by Lockwood was . North of N ot'way, this stream sends a braO(�h north- , Greenla.Jicl P01:tl' current. not a part of Greenland, but islands separated from it. westerly along the west coast of Spit7.bergen; it then!! Now there is yet one question which presents itself ; Prom what has been said it would seem impossible turns to the south and unites with the polar current. Are there not other ('OlHlitions, and especially condi to reach the pole by land, by the open polar sea or by Here, then, is a tribute to this mighty current, but it is tions of the weather, whieh may cbange the direetion tl'ftnsporting boats am'oss the drift ice. There remain so unimportant. that we may leave it out of considera- of the enrrent? If, in the mea·nt.ime, 'we examine t.he two methods �hich might be thought posRible; to go tion. The wain body of t.he Gulf Stream continues to condition of the winds, OJ' rather the pressure of the through the all' 01' under water. To go by balloon, II its course eastward, past North Cape and the White I atmosphere, in the polar sea, we shall find that this though it cannot be considered impossible, must be Sea, and toward the coast of Nova Zembla, then along eall hardly be the case. vVe have ah'eady mentioned subject to great danger, and the scientific results would the north point of this land and eastward into the I the fact that a large branch of the Gnlf Strealll flows be very limited. unknown polar sea. along the north coast of Nova Zelll bla and ea,stwar(]. The plan of going under the watel' has also been I The amount of water which is here brought into I Now we know that over so warm a cllrrent the air be- proposed. Such a plan must surely be abandoned as the polar sea we cannot definitely determine, but from I coming warmed will rise. As a result the air wiJI rush long as we are not more thoroughly acquainted with, what we know of its rapidity and depth, must be very in from all sides, as the preE'snre of the f1il1tOSphel'e is here at a minimum; the air from thE' south will form a, northerlv eurrent and the air from the north a southerly current. Now we know also that, because of the rotation of the earth, every current of the air of a northerly direction will tend to the northeast and every current having a southerly direction will tend to the southwest, It i� just this influence that. we could desire. ,Ve cannot think, t.hen, as a result of this met.hod of reasoning, that tIle wind should present formidahle obsta('.les in the W3,y of the Jlolar current taking the course which from ot.her considerations we should ex pect it to take. The German geographer Prof. Aupan has lately arrived at conclusions with regard to tlIe condition of the winds in the polar sea which favor 0111' theory with regard to the prevailing winds in thc;,;e regions. I have now endeavored to show that what little we know of the conditions of the currentR on the horders of the unknown polar region llluSt drive us to the COll clu�ion that an ocean eurrent crosses it. N ow it might be a,skecl, Is there no proof t.hn.t, this ell1'l'ent· actually exist�? Can we not pl'oduce objcntl'> that have been carried over th is I'egion by the ('urrellt? o Yes; we ean. I will fh'st and foremost direct attentioll to the Jeannette expedition, which went np through Behring Stra,it a,nd was canght in the iee the 6th of Aept.ember, 187!), at a point east. of W.1'l1,ngel'l' hlarHI, latitude 71" north and 175" west long. It was then eRr ried by the ir.e two years until the lBth of June, "18Hl, R Runkrr-5. C C,"I.'JII1 ... J:: rn'm"iI B Bml rr'- wlH'n the ve;;�el was erni>hed to pip(,(!;; nnd I'HlIl( l10rth o O,I..y, S �·OOIi. C ChaH alx) \\'hceJllou.,c of the New Siberian Islands, h1titude 77° 15' and longi tude 1550 west. From this point the crew attell1pted to find their wa,y down to the mouth of the Lena River or some other place on the Siberian coast. '1'],e r.urrent carried them northward, however, with SUdl speed that after a ten days' struggle, making their way over the iee southward, they found themselves seven miles north of the place where they sta.rted f.rolll. This was a very s,td diseovery, and it was also kept secret by the leader of the expedition, as he thought the knowledge of this fact would make thelll lose every hope. They nontinued to wake their way south ward with difficulty, and finally they succeedpd in making t.heir way to an island whieh they discovered for the first time, and which they called Bennett's Is land. From this place they worked their way further south. Finally they took to their three boats, going from the southwest of the New Siberian Islands over ,. � p . - the open sea to the mouth of the Lena River. During . . .. �� .,.'�. '. . . ' r' J!.�- "., the passage one of the boats was lost. The second one reached land and soon found people. The third,
IUd,e.blp TtAnlYer�e SectlOI). TnnnerRf- St'ct.iOI1 Art 9.CrJ)!Js Engine·toom, flhoy.lnr in which was the leader of the expedltion, De Long, 'l'bt- Sf..et'il (W Well). tb'l "'lU:lttCC8 tor Officeu andCrew. also came ashore only a day's journey frolU where there were natives. This they did not know, however. They entered the mouth of the Lena, and De Long ar· PLANS AND SE TIONS OP THE SHIP IN WHICH DR. NANSEN ri.ved with all his men exceptin� two, Louis NOl'Osand " . SlIl?emann who were sent onm at'!vance to seek the PROPOt:;ES· '1'0 RJ;'ACH THE NORTH POLE natlves. T hey met a party of natIves about a day's journey from where the others stal'ved to dcath. so tJHl depths of the sea. the conditions of the ice and the great, prot-ably three-quar�ers of the volume of the I T.hey could not make them!,elves underst.ood aBfl /jJl'ectlOns of the currents. I polar current. If .�'e go stIll farther to t.he east, we . did not get any help for thelr comrades. , In view of all these difficulties, is there, then, no come to the Behring Strait. Through this there is also I A number of articles froll) the Jeannette were found possibility of reaehing the pole? a current going northward. This is not so large, as three years afterward on the west coast o� Gl'eenlawl. It will be seen that most expeditions failed beeause the strait is quite narrow and also quite shallow-only Among the fifty-eight articles was a ship'S}lst anul1lber they met polar iee driven southward by a mighty cur- about 50 to 60 fathoms at the greatest depth. of garments tha t were marked. 'j'hese al'twles had been rent. It would seem reasonnhle to conclude, hovrever, As a tribute to the polar basin we must mention the earried across the polar sea by the current down the that if they failed beeause of the currents, we oug'ht to rivers which flow into it. The volume of water which east coast of Greenland, around Cape Farewell an�l up succeed by means of the currents by approaehing from they eany is not so inconsiderable, as all the rivers of along the wei:it coast. In all probability the�e ob;wets another point. A current coming from It certain point Northem Asia and some large rivers of North America had been earried by ,the eurrent and the �c� by the edltlOn. must have been carried thither fl'Gfll lwother direetion. empty into this basin. In comparison with the im- very route that we deSire to go on our exp. . If we take into consideration the experience� we mense volume of the polar current, the sum total of all A javelin belonging to an ethnographlc eolleetlOn have with regard to the condition of the currents on these rivers is not large. There is, however, this cir- from the east coast of Greenland and pre:;;ented to our sides of the pole, we shall find that there is quite. cumf
© 1892 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC 14092 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT. No. 882. NOVEMBER 26, 1892.
ing a vessel carrying provisions for twelve men for fiveI As originally designed and constructed, the Sfax was are quite ornamental The platforms are reached by years toge ther with a large supply of coal, etc. It is to be full rigged as a frigate, but recently the rig has been staircases and arranged on each side of the track, as in provided WIth machinery that can attain a speed of six radically changed and reduced, until, at the present New York. Each platform has a platform man who knots, together with sails. The form of the vessel is time, the sail area is comparatively insignificant. One looks after the safety of the passengers and answers in to be such that it will be lifted up by the ice. One' military top is fitted on each of the three masts, and in quiries. There is a porter in each station to help pas thing about our preparation is that we take sufficientI each of these there are two Hotchkiss revolver machine sengers. There are also one ticket seller and one ticket time for it. Next spring is the time for sailing. The II guns as a defense against torpedo boat attack. collector; all of whom are relieved at regular intervals, original plan was to go through Behring Strait around I The Sfax is the only vessel of the design which the thus making in all, for an average station, four platform Asia. This plan has been abandoned, and we shall French government has considered it advisable to men, one porter, three ticket sellers, and two ticket now go by way of the Carian Sea. In any case we ex- build, and for her tonnage she is well armed. There collectors. The platform men, the conductors and pect to come through by the New Siberian Islands are six 16 cm. (6'3 in.) 5 ton breech-loading rifle guns, guards on trains, and all officers of the company are near the mouth of the Jenisei River. Here the cur- four mounted on sponsons, two on each side, and two in vested with police authority and can arrest disorderly rent flows northward and we can undoubtedly reach a in recessed portsforward,one on eachsideof the ship. In persons. high latitude. When we see everything closed by the the battery on the main deck there are, in addition,ten Equipment.-Themore special novelties in equipment drift ice, all that we can do will be to let the vessel be 14 cm. (5·5 in.) 3 ton breech-loading rifle guns. fivefiring are the heavy compound engines, of special design, carried along. on each broadside. The armament of light artillery con- the Westinghouse air brake, and the means for pre There is a possibility that unlooked for circum- sists of three quick-firing Hotchkiss guns and eight venting water and oil from dripping into the streets. stances may occur, and that, even with the best pre- machine guns by the same maker. Six of these, as There are no drip pans under this structure, as in New paration, the vessel may be sunk or crushed. We mentioned, are mounted two in each of the three York, but instead every precaution is taken to prevent shall then take to the boats, which are watertight and tops and the remaining two are fitted aft on the poop water from dripping into the streets by the use of drip cannot sink. We take along two quite large boats deck. Five torpedo firing tubes complete the arma pans and tanks under cars and locomotives. The cars, and a number of unusually warm tents, in which we ment, four being situated, two on each side, and the which are equipped with the Gold heating system, can live on the ice. fifth being arranged to fire right astern. Three elec- have a special arrangement for collecting condensation We may also think it possible that we would be tric light projectors are fitted one being mounted at in tanks at their ends, from which it is drained at the driven to land. This might be quite profitable, as far the bow on the forecastle deck and two on the bridge terminal stations. The locomotives have specially ar as observation is concerned. In this case we should between the funnels, one at each end. ranged drip pans which collect all the water and oil have to make our way on sledges. The Sfax is sheathed with copper below the water from the engme. How long a time may we think it will require to line, which greatly adds to her efficiency for work on a The ash pans are made tight and water is carried meet our destination? foreign station. The cost is estimated to have been in their bottoms to quench sparks. Water is also car With the same speed that the articles from the about $l, OOO,OOO.-Enginem·ing. ried into the smokebox to quench cinders. So little Jeannette were carried, we may hope to accomplish the =-=-_= =-==--== condensation from the steam heating system reaches journey in two years. We may, however, hope to in- the couplings between cars that leakage at these points THE "ALLEY" ELEVATED ROAD, CHICAGO. crease the speed by use of the machinery, some of the will consist mostly of steam. If the automatic coup time, at least. THE development of the Alley elevated road in Chi lings leak, a solid coupling with a screwed joint will The aim of the expedition is to explore unknown cago, owned and operated by the Chicago & South be substituted. This will cause no serious inconven regions. We are not bound to reach a definite mathe- Side Rapid Transit Railroad Co. and built by the Rapid ience, as the trains are seldom broken; the cars re-
THE FRENCH DECK-PROTECTED CRUISER SFAX.
matical point. If it can be reached, so much the Transit & Bridge Construction Company, is full of in maining together almost constantly, and the time re better. teresting detail. The original scheme for this road quired to make a solid joint will not interfere with the The unknown regions around the poles are like to was projected by Col. Alfred F. Walcott, of New York movement of trains. rooms in our house whose contents we do not know, City, now President of the Metropolitan & West Side Cal's.-The cars seat 58 passengers, and are finished but which we, for that very reason, wish to know. Elevated, of Chicag-o. The late Col. Calvin F. Goddard in light colored mahogany with carved ornamentation. May it be the good fortune of the N orthmen to take was formerly preSIdent of the .4 Alley road," and took The seats are of rattan, arranged on the sides at away the locks from these doors! an active part in its construction until his death in the the ends and crosswise at the centers. The window early part of this year. Colonel Goddard supervised and door glass is plain at the bottom, with a slight the building of the road as far as Thirty-ninth street, ornament at the top. The end doors are double and THE FRENCH CRUISER SF AX . 'but the extension and the completion of the line and arranged to open together; that is, whenever one door LAUNCHED in the year 1884, the deck-protected the method of its operation, have been supervised and is opened the other opens automatically. The p la t cruiser Sfax now forms part of the French Mediterra- arranged by his successor, Dr. 'V. T. Barnard, who forms are wider than those of the cars in New York, nean squadron) being, with the exception of the Cecille for many years was closely connected with the man which naturally facilitates the movement of passen and the Tage, ItS largest cruiser. agement of the Baltimore & Ohio road. Mr. R. I. gers. Two passengers can pass in and out of the cars The Sfax, which is built of steel and wood, has a dis- Sloan, for some years chief engineer af the Manhattan abreast without the least inconvenience. The cars placement of 4,488 tons, a length of 288 ft.�9 in., a beam Elevated road, has been chief engineer of this road have the Vauclain wrought iron truck wheels, and of 49 ft. 3 in., and a draught of 24 ft. 9 in. since the resignation of Mr. G. B. Cornell. The line are strong and complete in all their appointments. The protective deck extends the entire length of the is now completed as far as Sixty-third street, and will The couplers between cars are made to couple almost hull, the safety of the ship being further insured by be finished to the World's Fair grounds before the first automatically, and are especially designed for eight minute subdivision into water-tight compartments by of next year. There are in contemplation several car trains. These drawbars couple together with means of longitudinal and transverse bulkheads. branches and extensions, which may be started before taper keys, which take up the slack, instead of the or Two horizontal compound two-cylinder engines. the line to the fair grounds is finished. dinary round, straight pins, and there is no free slack driving two screws, form the propelling machinery of The whole scheme of running this road and the plan between cars. This makes the cars ride with great the ship. During the steam trials made offBrest in of dealing with the employes are novel in many re steadiness and there is no disagreeable motion when the l"pring of 1887, these engines collectively indicated spects, and so far have proved very efficient. The the brakes are applied, as is the case when the round 4,333 horse power under natural draught, giving a speed equipment, method of operation, and the arrangement links and pins become worn. All of the safety gates of 15'9 knots per hour; while under forced draught of stations, etc., are different from other elevated and platform gates have been especially constructed 6,034 horse power was indicated, and a speed of roads. for the safety of the passengers and for durability, 16'84 knots was obtained. At a speed of 10 knots it Stations.-The stations are under the structure. with the bearings having hardened bushings. They arQ is calculated that, with the coal $upply of 800 tons car- the entrance on the level of the street, and are fitted up so arranged that it is practically impossible for a ried, this cruiser could make a voyage of 6,000 miles in a very complete way, having all modern conven passenger to be injured, but as an additional safeguard without replenishing her supply of fuel. iences. They are built of bt-ick with tile roofs, and the station platforms have been provided with railings
© 1892 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC