66 ANNUAL OP SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



as a fulcrum, by means of a compound lever, these friction rollers or 

 wheels are pressed up at pleasure, and to that extent press down the 

 driving-wheels, producing instantly whatever amount of adhesion may 

 be required. The tread of the driving-wheels is as wide as the rails, 

 and the friction rollers revolve just under them, with flanges to pre- 

 vent their rubbing the sides of the road. These friction rollers or 

 small wheels, when not required, are instantly thrown up some 

 eighteen inches above the track, where they remain until they are 

 again required, when they are instantly thrown into gear. 



New Car Wheel and Truck. An improvement in the construction 

 of car wheels and trucks has been effected by Mr. J. T. Deniston, of 

 Lyons, N. Y., by making the rim of the wheel somewhat thicker than 

 is used, and forming the flange in the centre of this rim, thus forming 

 two treads, one upon each side of the flange. The circumference of 

 the tread upon the inside of the flange being larger than that upon 

 the outside. When the curve is turned, this inner tread takes a new 

 rail, placed near the outer rail of the curve, and thus causes the cars 

 naturally to run in a circular direction. It will be observed that the 

 outer wheel, in turning curves thus instantly, becomes larger than the 

 inner wheel, which gives the curvilinear motion. 



Improved Car Break. Draper Allen, of New York, has invented 

 and taken measures to secure by patent, an improved mode of con- 

 structing the brakes for rail cars, more particularly intended for the 

 horse-cars of city streets. It consists in constructing the shoes of 

 brakes in such a manner as to bear not only on the periphery of the 

 wheel, but on the flange also, thus distributing the friction over a 

 greater amount of surface, and at the same time preventing the 

 unequal wear of the wheel, rendering necessary its frequent renewal. 

 Scientific American. 



Babcock's Railroad Track- Supporter. This arrangement is intended 

 to obviate entirely the noise, jar and dust now produced by the passage 

 of trains, enabling each passenger to read or converse as freely and 

 comfortably as though seated by his own fireside, while immensely 

 diminishing the wear and tear of rails and machinery, and the con- 

 sequent danger of accidents. It is entitled " Babcock's Railroad 

 Track- Supporter " and " Track- Spring," and the plan is briefly as 

 follows : Lay the ties firmly on blocks of stone, where these are to be 

 had, and on any solid substitute where they are not, so as to obviate 

 the perpetually recurring necessity for raising one side of the track 

 here, lowering the other there, and leveling it every where, but which 

 cannot now be avoided because a certain elasticity in the track rapidly 

 traversed by a train has been proved indispensable. This elasticity 

 Mr. Babcock supplies by means of air-tight metal boxes, each enclos- 

 ing a circular piece of India-rubber, say 2 inches in diameter and ^ 

 of an inch thick a box being set into each end of every tie, just 

 under the rail. Thus the required elasticity is obtained, not in the 

 track, nor in the rail, but in the Indian-rubber spring ; the rail merely 

 settling a little on each spring as the train presses upon it and rising 

 again when it has passed, leaving the track entirely unaffected. The 



