Proceedings of the Polytechnic Association. 731 



smell of oil, or steam from the machinery ; the fuel used is hard coal, 

 making no smoke. 



7. It is so constructed, with an iron water tank partition between 

 the engine and the passenger room as to be perfectly safe and com- 

 fortable for passengers. 



8. The steam railway car will seat fifty passengers ; and will draw 

 one seventy passenger car behind it, over any steam railway grade in 

 the United States, or two seventy passenger cars on all railways of 

 medium grade. 



9. The steam railway car will run twenty-five miles per hour, at a 

 cost of not exceeding twelve dollars per 100 miles, for fuel, oil, 

 engineer and conductor ; it adapts itself to inequalities of the track 

 with greater ease, is less liable to be thro\\Ti off, and causes less wear 

 of rail than other cars. The locomotive, engine and tender being 

 dispensed with, the weight of the passengers gives adhesion of the 

 driving wheels to the rail. 



10. For passenger travel on steam roads, for moderate distances, it 

 is peculiarly adapted, and much more economical than the locomotive 

 passenger train as now run, doing the same work at one-half the 

 expense ; the dead weight carried per passenger being only from 300 

 to 400 pounds in the steam car, in place of 1,000 to 2,000 pounds by 

 the usual locomotive train. 



By an ingenious combination, this car adapts itself to inequalities 

 of the track with greater ease, is less liable to be thrown ofi^, and causes 

 less wear of rail than other cars. In this car the weight of the pas- 

 sengers gives adhesion of the driving wheels to the rail, thus dispensing 

 with heavy separate locomotive and tender. The economy and gene- 

 ral utility of Mr. Woodbury's arrangement seemed to meet the 

 approval of all the engineers present. 



Undergkound Railways. 



The selected subject for discussion, "■ UndergrouncbRailways," was 

 then taken up. Gen. Barnum occupied a few minutes in explaining 

 his sidewalk elevated railway in detail. An engineer then replied to 

 Gen. Ijarnum, .and presented some objections to his plan, arising 

 from the expansion and contraction of iron. Messrs. Nasle, Fisher 

 and Dr. Rich joined in the debate ; and, without disposing finally of 

 the subject, the association, at a late hour, adjourned. 



