A WATER-RAILWAY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2239, 28 September 1889, Page 2

A WATER- RAILWAY.

The "Dally News" correspondent at Paris telegraphed on Sunday night :— A press view took plaoe yesterday of the sooalled " ohemln de fer glisaant" or '* slide railway," on tie Esplanade des lovalldei, within the Exhibition. The new invention Is a singularly original eontrlvanoe for enabling trains to run by meana of water-power at a speed hitherto undreamt of. Tbe train consists of four carriages, affording room for one hundred pas. sengers. The carriages had no wheels, being supported at the corners by blooks of iron of a s'sn somewhat larger than a brick, which rested upon a double line of girders. In the middle of the line, at regular intervals, jutted: out irregu ajiy shaped pillars, the use of which was not yet apparent. Having taken our seats and the signal being given, wa glided along very gent'y for the space of a few yard*, when suddenly we gathered tpsed ; two or three, twigs, were Mt and we were flying on at the paoe of an ordinary train, but as smoothly as * i boat on a river. There was a clicking noise on the rails, but this, we were assured, was due to a defect m the oon Btruction of the slides and would be remedied. Tbe absence of any vibration, shaking, or 'J tail motion " )vas wtfnderfql. The sliding /.railway was Invented m 1868 by au engineer named Qlrard, who wai killed In the Franco-German war." The hydraulic oarrlages have no wheels, these being replaced by hollow slides fitted upon a flat and wide rail, and grooved on the Inner surface. When It is desired to set the carriage m motion, water ia foroed Into the slide or skate of the carriage from a reservoir by compressed air, and, seeking to escape, It spreads over tbe oader eurface of tbe slide, whioh It raises for about a nail's thickness over the rail. The slides resting, not on' the rails, but on a film of water, are In a 'perfeotly mobile condition, la faot the pressure of/t he forefinger Is sufficient to displace a carriage thus supported. -' Toe propelling foroe lo supplied by the pillars whioh stand at regular Intervals on tbe line between the rails. Running underneath every carriage la an Iron rack about six Inohei wide fitted with a paddle Now, as tho | foremost omlege passes In front of a pillar - *«~ i**to>.ia ooened automatically a tap ou kuw « — ..ai| and a stream of water at high presou... .. directed on the paddles. This drives the train on, and by the time the last carriage has gone past the tap (whioh then closes) the foremost one (s in front of the next tap, the water's aotion thua being continuous. The force develops! is almost Inoredlblo. There is soma splashing on the rails at the start, but this diminishes the faster tbe train goer. To atop the train, the small stream of watar that feeds the slides is turned off, and the latter < ooming m contact wli»n the rails, the reeuUlng frlotiou stops the carriage almoEt Instantaneously. A water train running at over J.OO rnjff-e an' hour could, I 1 1 was told, be puifiV'Sg at within 30 yards, could climb cp^'adients of 16 \ inches m the yard, descend them with! equal safety, and rqn on oui?ti of 44 yardr radlai «