Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-01-21
Foreign Correspondence Of the o. s. Journal.
a Successful Atmospheric Railroad.

| O..
PANS, Thursday, October 7, 1S52.-One OF the
greatest curioSitieS in mechanical way which /
met Ill my travels is that of the Atmospheric kail-
way at St GERMAN, about fifteen miles from Paris
Atmospheric pressure has here been adopted to pro-
pei trains of for short distance of five mil G
aud nearly half-the last half of which has n n
ascent OF 81 per cent. The object in adopting this
system was to bring the terminus of the road UP in
to the city of st. Germin, which IS located on hill
| forming the south bank of the Seine. The. ascent
was too great to be overcome in all weathers by n
locomotive, and indeed only one locomotive, has
been found sufficiently powerful TO draw a train
| up at any time. ..a +
The system in use in the Unite States ON in
c!lned planes of drawing trains up and letting them
down by means ofa rope has been found here, as
elsewhere too troublesome, too slow, and attended
with too many accidents, 10 be found available on
suburban roads where the travel is so great. 1t is
so rare to meet with any thing in these old coun-
tries in advance of America in real practical utity
in The inventive genius which has an utlitorian
end-that we have deemed short description of
TINS most admirable and really interesting invention
might prove acceptable to our readers; most OF
whom are by this time no doubt either directors,
stockholders o. employees of railroads
Being fortunate enough to have for q cicelone
on this occasion an American lady, long resident
IN france, we were enabled to obtain from the
gentlelnanly superintendent, through the medium
OF our interpreter full knowledge Of the mechan-
ism and the operation of this admirable machine
An iron tube is laid down in the centre of the
1iuSA HlCH 1SSunk ABOUT One-thrI OF Its diameter
IN the bed If the road. For a distance of abort
live thousand five hundred yards the tube has n
diameter OF only one and three quarters feet, the
ascent here being so slight as not to require tn.
sane amount OF force as is required on the steep
grade ascending to ST. German, where the pipe for
distance OF three thousand eight hundred Yards
IS two feet enc inch in diameter.
The manner of applying the atmospheric pres.
sure to the propulsion of the train is exceedingly
simple. The air is exhausted f:om the entire
length of the tube, so 10 produce perfect vacuum
just before the arrival of each train which is every
hall hour, by means of powerful and beautiful
engines, somewhat resembling those at Paramount
These engines are placed, two, of two hundred
horse power, at st. Germain, and one each at The.
towns OF Nauterree and Chaton, in the valley to-
warts Paris. To each engine is adapted two large
OFFENDERS which exhaust fourteen cubic feet of air
per second. The pressure in the large air caldron
(chaudiere) attached to the exhausting machines
is equal to six absolute atmoSpheres 1t will be
readily understood that when this long tube is COM
pletely exhausted of air, if piston so nicely ad-
Justed 10 the size of the tube to render il air
tight, is allowed to go loose at one end, it will
rush through to the other end to fill up the vacuum
10 apply the motive power, therefore, to the pro-
pu sion oil the train II is only necessary that this
piston be attached to the train of cars in such
way as TO drag them along after it. This was the
great difficulty to encounter; but so admirably and
SO simply was this overcome that the engineer as
Sured us that an accident of any kind seldom or
ever occurred. Throughout the Lntire length of
the tube section is made in the top, leaving All
open space OF about five inches. In each cut
edge of the section there is Offset to catch the
edges OF valve which fits 4 own upon 1t.
This valve is made off piece of sole leather half
an inch thick having plates of iron attached to it
on both the upper and corresponding under side
TO give II strength to resist the suction of the vac
UNI, which are perhaps one-fourth of an inch in
thickness. They are not quite as wide as the lea
ther, but wide enough 10 touch the offset in the
the section. The plates are about nine inches
oil nt.a a11h
three-quarterS of an inch apart, rmine ioists so
as to give the leather valve pliability and at tn.
same time flrmneSs to resist the powerful atlnos-
pherc pressure which is brought to bear on it
when the air is exhausted. The entire length of
of the valve, from end of the tube to the other
is attached to one side, like cellar door for ey
ample: From the back side of the piston a strong
IRON rod passes up Though the aperture, which IS
made by rising up the edge of the valve and is At
tached to the bottom of the foremost car As fast
as the piston passes along, the valve is released
from pressure behind it, the loose edge is liberated
and the bar of iron which is attached to the car
foot or more behind the piston meets with no oh
struction to lis passage. rl ....sa W
The pressure ofthe atmosphere on the valve in
front OF the piston, where the vacuum still exists is
so great, that there is danger OF the bar of iron
eXerng pressue so far forward to loosen the pill
able valve; but to render the matter more certain
and to obviate all doubt, slide or the bottom Of
the car slips along on the non plate of the valve
over and in advance ofthe piston and presses finn
~ down. Every part of the tube is kept well oil
ed The rate at viii CHI trains ascend, varies from
fifteen to twenty miles the hour, according to the
lead. When we wentup, there were six cars We
ny well filled with passengers. After the ascent
commences, two bridges across the Siene, and via
duct of twenty feet high, and wide arches.
are crossed, and one lorg tunnel through
the brow OF the hill, and under the Kings ter
race is passed, where the road is parabolically
curved. The road has now been in.operation five
years, and so safely and well has it worked, that
the experiment is regarded as entirely successful.
Ire cost of the entire machinery, was eleven mil
lions oil francs. The cost Of working ii, the div
Found DEAD-PRoBABLE SuIcIDE.-The Zanes
vile Courier says: Mr.. THos. J. VAN Busx1Rk was
found dead in his bed, at HowARrER's boa,dlne