RUSSELL LEFTRIDGE'S AMAZING IDEA

     SOMETIME IN MY FATHER’S LIFE AND I DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN, THOUGH IT MAY HAVE BEEN IN THE 1950’s, HE HAD COME UP WITH A VERY GOOD IDEA FOR A METHOD OF TRANSPORTATION. OF COURSE, IT WOULD TAKE OTHERS TO FULFILL THE IDEA AND MAKE IT WORKABLE, FOR THIS WOULD BE A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING. HIS IDEA WAS, TO BUILD A LARGE,LONG TUNNEL AND PUT A VESSEL OF SOME KIND IN IT. IN ONE END OF THE TUNNEL, THE VESSEL WOULD BE PULLED BY A VACUUM; BUT FROM THE OTHER END OF THE TUNNEL, THE VESSEL WOULD BE PUSHED BY COMPRESSED AIR. THE MACHINES ON THE END COULD EITHER DRAW A VACUUM OR PUSH COMPRESSED AIR, DEPENDING ON WHICH WAY THE VESSEL IN THE TUNNEL WOULD BE PROPELLED.

     ORIGINALLY, MY FATHER’S IDEA WAS TO PROPEL PEOPLE. MY IDEA IS TO USE SUCH A SYSTEM TO PROPEL SHIPS; FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN TO THE GULF OF MEXICO.     ABOVE IS AN ILLUSTRATION OF MY FATHER’S IDEA. ON EACH END OF THE ILLUSTRATION, THE TWO CIRCLES REPRESENT THE COMBINATION VACUUM-BLOWER(AIR COMPRESSOR).

     THE COMBINATION OF THE VACUUMING FROM ONE SIDE AND THE BLOWING FROM THE OTHER SIDE FROM THE COMPRESSED AIR WOULD GIVE THE VEHICLES THE STRENGTH TO GO UP HILLS AND MOUNTAINS AND IN AND OUT OF DIPS.

     ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF SUCH A SYSTEM, IS THAT IF IT WAS TO BE BUILT ABOVE THE GROUND, IT WOULD BE A NATURAL WALL AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION; ESPECIALLY IF A WALL WERE TO BE BUILT ON EACH SIDE OF IT, WITH THE TUNNEL RUNNING ABOVE GROUND IN THE MIDDLE.

THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT WE SHOULD NOT TRY TO GET THE PANAMA CANAL BACK OR BUILD THE TUNNEL FIRST, WE SHOULD TRY TO GET THE PANAMA CANAL BACK; AND IN THE CASE OF THE TUNNEL, WE SHOULD BUILD IT SECOND, SINCE IT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME TO BUILD AND CONCENTRATE ON BUILDING THE OUTER WALL THAT’S CLOSEST TO THE BORDER FIRST, TO KEEP OUT THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND PROTECT AGAINST VANDALISM. THE OUTER WALL AT THE MOMENT, THAT IS CLOSEST TO THE BORDER, IS WHAT IS MOST NEEDED MOST IMMEDIATLY.

     THE STRUCTURE WOULD BE SOMETHING LIKE THIS SECOND ILLUSTRATION:

     IN THE ABOVE ILLUSTRATION, YOU SEE THAT ONE WALL IS FARTHER AWAY FROM THE TUNNEL THAN THE OTHER. THIS IS THE WALL THAT IS FARTHEST AWAY FROM THE MEXICAN BORDER;

FARTHER AWAY FOR TWO REASONS:

     THE FIRST; TO ALLOW A SECOND TUNNEL TO BE BUILT, THAT WILL TRAVEL IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, SO THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO RUN SHIPS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.

THE SECOND; TO PREVENT TUNNELING UNDERNEATH THE TUNNEL FROM THE MEXICAN SIDE OF THE BORDER. I’VE ALSO CONTEMPLATED, HAVING THE TWO WALLS PERHAPS A MILE APART AND HAVING KIND OF A TUNNEL ZONE BETWEEN THE WALL WHICH COULD INCLUDE BUILDINGS AND JAILS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

     IN THE CASE OF THE PANAMA CANAL, PRESIDENT CARTER’S STANCE WAS THAT OF A TYRANT. HE SAID THAT WE LEASED THE LAND. ACTUALLY, WE BOUGHT THE LAND AND BUILT THE CANAL BY HIRING FRANCE TO BUILD IT. IT WAS OURS TO KEEP FOREVER. IT HAS NOW BECOME A DANGER BECAUSE CHINA IS MOVING INTO THE REGION: BUT THAT’S ANOTHER SUBJECT.

THE THIRD ADVANTAGE WOULD BE THAT THE TUNNEL WOULD HAVE NO WATER. VEHICLES CAN TRAVEL MUCH QUICKER WITHOUT HAVING WATER TO TRAVEL THROUGH.

     IT IS ONLY NATURAL, THAT IF THEY BUILT SUCH A STRUCTURE AS ONE CONTINUATION, WITHOUT ANY STOPPING POINTS, THAT THIS WOULD CAUSE PROBLEMS; SIMPLY BECAUSE, IF SOMETHING WENT WRONG WITH ONE SECTION, THE WHOLE TUNNEL WILL HAVE TO HALT. TO PREVENT THIS, STOPPING POINTS WOULD NEED TO BE ADMINISTERED; PERHAPS EVERY THREE TO FIVE HUNDRED MILES, TO ALLOW MAINTENANCE TO DEAL WITH PROBLEMS REGARDING ONE PART OF THE TUNNEL. IN OTHER WORDS, EVERY TUNNEL STRETCHING FROM THE PACIFIC TO THE GULF, WOULD ACTUALLY BE SEVERAL SHORTER TUNNELS LINKED TOGETHER BY BREAKING POINTS BUT STILL REGARDED AS ONE TUNNEL OUT OF NECESSITY OF EXPLANATION.

     BELOW IS A MAP OF THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES, SHOWING HOW THIS COULD BE DONE:

     THE BLACK LINE IN THE MAP ABOVE SHOWS THE LOCATION OF THE TUNNEL: THE RED COLORED DOTS SHOW THE STOPPING POINTS. UNDER ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION, THEY MAY BE LOCATED IN DIFFERENT PLACES. THIS IS JUST AN ILLUSTRATION.

     HERE YOU HAVE A SHIP ON A WHEELED CAR ON A RAILROAD TRACK INSIDE A TUNNEL, WITH WINDSTOPPERS ON EACH END, REPRESENTED BY THE WHITE OVALS. OF COURSE, THIS IS JUST A MODEL TO GIVE AN IDEA HOW THIS WOULD WORK. IN REALITY, THE ACTUAL WHEELED CAR MAY BE VERY DIFFERENT. THE COMBINATION OF THE VACUUM IN FRONT AND THE COMPRESSED AIR FROM BEHIND, WOULD GIVE THE WIND IN THE TUNNEL THE POWER TO PROPEL THE SHIP ON THE CART UPHILL.

     IT SHOULD BE NOTED HERE, THAT THE FASTER AN OBJECT(OR OBJECTS) TRAVELS OVER A GIVEN SURFACE, THE LESS THAT SURFACE WILL EXPERIENCE THE WEIGHT OF THAT OBJECT.  THIS MEANS THAT THE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON THAT SURFACE WILL BE LESS.  SHOULD A GIANT SHIP IN A TUNNEL TRAVEL OVER A CERTAIN SURFACE AREA, THAT SURFACE AREA  WILL FEEL THE WEIGHT OF THE SHIP FAR LESS, IF IT IS TRAVELING 300 MPH INSTEAD OF 15 MILES PER HOUR.  THIS IS IMPORTANT WHEN SUCH MASSIVE WEIGHT IS UNDER CONSIDERATION.     

     THIS IDEA OF MY FATHER, SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY; FOR MY FATHER WAS NOT YOUR AVERAGE MAN. MY FATHER KNEW PROBABLY ABOUT TWENTY DIFFERENT SKILLS. SINCE HE LEARNED THEM WELL, THE MYTH ABOUT THE “JACK OF ALL TRADES”, THE IDEA THAT A PERSON CAN ONLY LEARN TO DO ONE THING WELL, IS BLOWN AWAY.

     MY FATHER, “RUSSELL VERNON LEFTRIDGE”, WAS DRAFTED INTO WORLD WAR TWO BECAUSE HE WORKED AT AN AIRPLANE FACTORY AND KNEW HOW TO BUILD AIRPLANES. HE ALSO WORKED AT A TRACTOR FACTORY AND KNEW HOW TO BUILD TRACTORS. HE WAS A FORMAN IN TWO SMALL FURNITURE FACTORIES AND HAD WORKED IN A NUMBER OF CABINET SHOPS AND COULD BUILD FURNITURE AND CABINETS AND ANYTHING OUT OF WOOD. HE WAS AN ARTIST AND COULD DRAW, PAINT AND KNEW THE SKILL OF SILKSCREEN. HE KNEW AUTO MECHANICS. HE KNEW THE SKILL OF LAPIDARY JEWLRY MAKING. HE ALSO KNEW A NUMBER OF OTHER SKILLS AND WAS BROUGHT UP ON A FARM AND KNEW FARMING. HE ALSO HAD THREE MINES WHICH HE NEVER MADE ANY PROFIT.

DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, HE LIVED ON THE MISSISSIPPI IN EAST MOLINE, ILLINOIS IN THE QUAD CITIES. HE LANDED A JOB ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER, A MILE ACROSS, IN A CARROT FIELD. THE NEAREST BRIDGE WAS MANY MILES AWAY AND HE HAD NO VEHICLE: SO HE BUILT HIS OWN ROW BOAT AND ROWED ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI EVERY MORNING, TO WORK IN THE CARROT FIELD FOR A DOLLAR A DAY. HE ALSO STARTED BUILDING WOODEN BOATS AND SELLING THEM.

RUSSELL LEFTRIDGE HAD ALSO SOLD INVENTIONS FOR ONLY TWO TO FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS.

     MY FATHER WHO IS NO LONGER WITH US, WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO HANDLE SUCH AN ENORMOUS TASK ON HIS OWN IN BUILDING THIS TUNNEL. IT WAS FAR TOO BIG A TASK FOR ANY ONE MAN. NOR DID HE HAVE THE CONNECTIONS IN FINANCE AND INFLUENCE. HE DID HAVE A LAWYER WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP HIM HANDLE IT; A NINETY YEAR OLD MAN WHO STILL HAD AN EXTRAORDINARY INTEREST IN MONEY, IN SPITE OF FACING THE GRAVE, WHO ENDED UP BEING A MONEY DRAIN WITH NO INTENTION OF DOING ANYTHING AS FAR AS HIS IDEA WENT.

     I’M NOT DOING ANYTHING WITH IT EITHER AND HAVE NO PLANS TO TRY. I WOULD RATHER PRESENT THE SUBJECT TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AND SEE IF ANYONE AMONG OUR OWN WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THIS MATTER OF BUILDING SUCH A STRUCTURE; A TUNNEL FOR TRANSPORTING SHIPS FROM THE PACIFIC TO THE GULF.

      I HAVE NO LEGAL CLAIM TO IT, NEVER WANTED NO LEGAL CLAIM TO IT AND IT IS OPEN TO ANY AMERICAN WHO THINKS HE CAN HANDLE IT.

     THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME;

DWAYNE RUSSELL LEFTRIDGE

SON OF RUSSELL VERNON LEFTRIDGE

WHO WAS THE ORIGINATOR OF THIS IDEA.

SUCH

STRUCTURES

CAN BE BUILT:

THE DIOLKOS

OF

ANICIENT GREECE

AND THE

GREAT WALL

OF

CHINA

WERE BUILT BY

FAR LESS

TECHNOLOGY

AND

INDUSTRY

THAN OUR OWN.

RUSSELL

VERNON

LEFFTRIDGE

WHO WAS BROUGHT UP

ON A FARM IN ILLINOIS,

WHO WAS BROUGHT UP

ON WORK, WAS ONE

OF THOSE FEW INDIVIDUALS, WHO WAS ALWAYS IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME,TO LEARN A NEW SKILL, THOUGH HE ACHIEVED NO WEALTH DUE TO FAMILY AND MARRIAGE PROBLEMS, THE DRAFT AND ALCOHOL; PROBABLY THE RESULT OF THE DRAFT.