Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 July 1889 — Cars Run with Sails. [ARTICLE]

Cars Run with Sails.

A Washington correspondent of the Philadelphia Telegraph was recently some models in the National Museum of curious ears used in the early days of railroading in this country, when Mr. Watkins, the curator, pointed out one particular one that had a mast and sail. Experiments with such cars were made on the Baltimore & Ohio road and on the South Carolina road. It was then a serious question whether the motive power on railroads would be sail, horse or steam. The steam locomotive was still Idoked up on as an experiment. Sail** can. are used to-day on a guano railroad on the island of Malden, in the south Pacific. They are, iu fact, used nearer home than that, for railroad men at Barnegat beach, whan the wind, is fayorable. frequently ride over r dhe rgad on consfructlon ears —sloopriggid. “The wind has agood deal to do with railroading even to-day,” Mr. Watkins said. If you go to the bureau of intelligence at the Broad street station, Philudeipbia, and ask whether some train, say from New York, is likely to be on time, you may be informed that it is likely to be four or five minutes late, because there is a strong wind from the west. Winds make considerable difference in the running time of trains.