254 APPLIED SCIENCE 



fencing, and the purchase of land. A single stiff rail, with 

 numerous supports, from which the train might hang, seemed 

 better, and may, in some cases, be employed, but the supports 

 would require to be numerous say, one post every ten or fifteen 

 feet and even with these spans the girder required to carry 

 vehicles weighing 2 cwt. each would be costly. With a single 

 suspended rod or rope we may have supports 60 or 70 feet apart. 

 A f-inch rod, thus supported, will carry five vehicles, each 

 bearing 2 cwt., without excessive strain. No purchase of land 

 is necessary, no bridges, earthworks, or fencing. The line can 

 be so far removed from the ground that it will not be meddled 

 with, either by men or animals. A single wheel-path gives the 

 minimum of friction, and the rolling-stock can be much more 

 easily managed than if we attempted to let vehicles run on 

 double swinging ropes. On all those grounds it seemed well 

 worth while to devise means by which trains could be electri- 

 cally and automatically driven along the single suspended rod. 



Before proceeding further, I had better state how far this 

 idea has been realised. The Telpherage Company, Limited, was 

 formed last year to test and carry out my patented inventions 

 and those of Professors Ayrtonand Perry for electric locomotion. 

 On the estate of Mr. M. R. Pryor, of Weston, two telpher lines, 

 on my plan, have been erected. One of these is a mere straight 

 road, with spans of 60 feet, and various form of rod and rope. 

 The first full-sized train was run on this line with a locomotive 

 which we call the ' bicycle-wheel loco ' (Figs. 8 and 9, p. 260). 

 The line was found inconveniently large and high, and the ex- 

 periments were continued on a line f-inch diameter, of round 

 steel rods, with 50 feet span. This line is continuous, that is to 

 say, it re-enters on itself. It is 700 feet long, and we have run 

 a train of more than one ton at a speed of five miles per hour on 

 this line with complete success. The insulation has given no 

 trouble. It need hardly be said that we see our way to great 

 improvements in details. Thus, we can make the road more 

 uniform, and stronger for its weight ; we can lessen the quantity 

 of material used, and greatly diminish the amount of skilled 

 labour required in erection. We can improve the design of the 

 posts. We can improve the trucks and locomotives, so that they 

 will go round sharper angles, and so forth ; but the main object has 



