“Thus you see, we do not, like you, need water and fuel to run our engines, nor do we need draft-animals to draw our plows and other vehicles. Some communities, in order to charge their storage battery cells, ship them to great waterfalls. Electricity is also led by wires for long distances, and everywhere you are following us step by step. It is true that your mechanical appliances are still very rude, but you are improving them very rapidly, and, no doubt, you will before long make wonderful achievements in the electric and other lines of discoveries. In order to show your progress in the field of electric science, let me read to you another article from the _Scientific American_ of March 12, 1892.” Then Mr. Midith read as follows: “‘_One Hundred Miles an Hour by Electricity!_ “‘The latest electrical scheme is for an electric railway between Chicago and St. Louis. The following is from the prospectus of the Chicago & St. Louis Electric Railroad Co., working under the patents of Dr. Wellington Adams: “‘The proposed road will be operated from one central station, located at the mouth of a coal mine somewhere near the center of the road. The railway company will operate this mine by means of electric mining locomotives, electric drills, electric cutters, and electric lights, which will greatly cheapen the present cost of the ordinary system of mining coal. The possibility and economy of this method of mining has already been established beyond dispute. The company will sell the good coal that is mined at a handsome profit, and use only the waste, dust and slack to run the engines which develop the power for operating the mine and road, in connection with its distributing system of light and power for consumers along the line of road. At the present time such dust and slack is not only valueless, but has to be hauled away at the expense of the mining company. The road will be divided up into twenty-five sections of ten miles each, which will constitute a complete block system, making it impossible for any two cars to run at a high speed upon any single section at the same time, thus making collisions impossible. There will be a complete block signaling system by means of incandescent electric lights, with telephonic communication between cars upon the same section, whether running or standing still. The road will be illuminated by incandescent electric lamps for one mile ahead and one mile behind every car while running. It will be built in a practically straight line, and as far as possible will avoid grade crossings of other roads. At all grade crossings, whether wagon or railroad, a red electric light will be displayed and an electric bell rung for two minutes before it is time for the train to pass. It is intended to ultimately construct four tracks--two outside tracks for local traffic and high class freight, while the two inner tracks will be used exclusively for through passenger traffic, mail and high class express.