New-York tribune., 1867-09-24


ar TuF FxHIBITION-THE ART DEPARTMENT
GENERAL SUCCESS OF THE EXHIBITION.
Tho Exhibition of the American Institute has
tbIs time almost reached its eliminating point Nearly
an the departments perfect and the efforts Oh tno
Beard Of Managers are beginning to show their fruits III
fbe spcudid display which is offered to the pupiio'
Inward of visitors must have attended the ia VI
70 the present time, and the interest naniesteu " "
many interesting and instructive features "i0 ~
Increase daily one of the principal features " w
gxhibitiOn-and indeed which mas occasione" q" VOC
amount Of interests the Pneumatic Kali"ay nouo u
which has for some been IN the course oi eieoon
oonletion ON the east side of the buildng and the I'M
portance OF this invention, together wlth tie
professions of its projectors and promoters III S cou
try demand brief historical and descriptive sKetcn'
The first attempt to atmospheric pressure as ooo
motive power was made in 1910 by Herr Medhurs'
Danish engineer who is said, then projected theoly
for carving mail matter through ppe ana tnus H u
trbuting it large city, or through v6bited
nIans for Pneumatic Dispatch and also Tor r;iMS ~ s
arrvinC Messengers on the same principle; but III was
@ M ne wear IsS2 that plans nlatured that me
pubic were interested in their faVOr lhe sorn that
nrincipe was thoroughly canvassed III bhgdnu - IiV UIr ~
time unto 1888, when patents were granted oiSerd W
Clegg samuda, upon models "moh "oio '0NS'D'i''
The first railway constructed this principle was an
soh in Ireland near Dublin. Another near Croydon,
England six miles in length folowed ana n diS wS
and Nautienes Paris, distance OF Two lhles, I
main difficulties in these experiments were thoSe aC~ @ %
e1se in w9rkne|and they were conducted with vary
Ing The ongesthved OF theSe & eApSrers M go
being suppanted by better.undeTstood locomouon ny
steam. The principle in use IN ts Scre S he
ears pass through the tube In the former case te IuDo
iav between the rails and below the ears, which were
cnpeced with the interior of the by iron rods pass
Ing from the bottom OF the cars through an open sh. w "a
the below This slit was closed as lst as 5no & U
cut its way through by sefcosing hanges when @ wei9
brought down firmly as the vacuum was pIo%uucTu %
inside the tube. The tube was closed at each u, ~eIo
the engines and arpumps were situated py waves "
culiar construction which allowed the sliding r9d TO pass
IN and cut freely and smoothly without letting IN the % an
But it found that the air could not be be- 5ept & sum nm,
6ienty confined within the tube by this method anu tne
experiment was gradually abandoned. -
But enough had been demonstrated by the above men
matte locomoon was feasible, and the matter obtained
the study of both inventors and capitalists f t %
pneumatic principle to theword at large In 1861 te faeu
matte Dispatch Company Was Ornieq in on The south
side of the Thames III the southwest suburbs. AN iron
tube quarter of mile long made Of iron, was laid
nlong the river bank and maibags parcels, and even
workmen carried through at great rate OF seeu
The tube not circular in FORM but re-
sembling that of an ordinary railway tunnel the inter
nal hight being feet nine inches and the breadth AT
the spring Of the arch two feet SIX Inches anu anu & wo
inches at the spngmg OF the nyert Inc tu3e was
made in lengths of nine feet eaeh each welghng aD9u
properly packed At the lower angles OF the INTERIOR
% on fas for the Wheels Of the dispatch truck to
en- The truck formed that its external shape,
tnbe though not fitting closely this found to be
necessity and freedom Of friction beyond that oi the
near one end of the tube by means of great exhausng
fan, from which air obtained by the suction was dis
charged by centrifugal power.
The invention OF the above described apparatus was
due 10 Mr. T. w Ramme1 a civil engineer who became
the Secretary Of the company, which organized
under the chairmanshp OF the Marquis OF Chandos ana
obtained from the outset generous support by the
advance having established neees m eon
and London Railway and the District PostOIhce III
an me mail matter brought into London the
North and NorhWestwas transported with great saving
In 1854 tube Of similar construction, COO yards long
the carriage Of passengers was built d IA e gT0Hnd
passengers carried through this in long, roomy
car, by current of air generated by an Immense faD
and again drawn back by vacuum created by the
instrument. This journey OF COO yards was performed
tither way, in fifty seconds, with an atmospheric pres
sure of only and half ounces to the square inch.
These successful experiments have been productive of
fruitful results The extensive pneumatic dispatch line
(which was opened last year from Eustons4uare 10 Ho
Dom two niles has been successful and has since been
eyendeg 70 lhe General PostOhee, ANOTHER mile east
ward. ...-.
Ished this plan is the Waterloo and whitehall Pnen
matte Railway which proposes TO connect tne tTo sec
the Thames the pneumatic tubular system The river
will be crossed by four engths-each 2l feeo wrought
The length Of the tubes including the shore ends viii be
fveeightls Of mile. The nrst OF these lengths VIII
soon be completed when il VIII he fOated from the
workshops OF tile contractors esss Sanuda OF the Isle
ofDegs) down the Thames to the place OF sgbmeTsion
this great enterprise should be fairly accomplished the
subtubng of the Straits OF Dover forming railway be
tween England and the continent may be considered
We to a intimate interest when We consider
the model Of the pneumatic railway, exhibition at
the American Institute Fair Charters for the building
Of such rayays have been granted by the Legislatures
of Massachusetts Copnectcut New-Jersey, and Penn
syvana; and 1t is understood that two bills Will again he
presented ~ The next session OF the Legislature OF tins
State, tine matter Of underground railways having
already been placed before that body than
erected near the east wall Of the American Institute Ex.
bbion, and which has already been IN partial operation
Is the project of Mr.. Alfred f. Beach, Of Tie Scientific
American Beside the great tube for experimental pas
sengor conveyance, Laere is fulsZed model OF PDeu
ma fie
The tube of the passenger railway at the Exhibition
from gallery TO gallery and is lO7 feet In length IL
Is six feet long, and 10 constructed Of wood, the shell
being composed Of fifteen layers of broad hoops, Joined
but capable of great resistance Tue peeuarty of this
construction was an invention by Mr. j. X Mayo patent
ID time since. The for passenger convey
at the TOP and sides the latter rising suf
cienty high 10 protect the passenger backs from rub
bing against the sides OF the tube the whole having
capacity 10 seat ten persons on either sd The door
placed in the Of the Oshaped end which forms
The valve or piston when the door is closed. The four
wheels Of the rest rails laid along the bottom of
the tube, and project through the bottom few inches
only The carriage is just as free from the bottom as
from the sides Of the tubes.
end Of the tube consists of fam ten feet IN diameter
which is indeed with eight blades 80
twelve inches This fan, driven by an engine almost i'm
minute Turning in direction, 1t produces vacuum
by exhausting the air from the tube and throwing it off
through n the chamber thus drawing or rather
smoking the at the other end rapidly toward IT, OF
the motion when reversed produces the opposite
result the volume Of air then taken from the surround
Ing atmosphere being poured resstless against
the piston hange OF the car which immediately rushes
back its starting place Mr. Beach is also the inventor
of tins construction Wheel which entirely novel, and
which has for the first time been put 10 practical
test large scale The construction OF this appa
ratus, we'll the Postal Dispatch, was done by the
Hoske Machine Company. and was superntended by Mr.
W. +. HolSke and Prof. Beach personally
Mr.. Alfred Beach also exhibits at the Fair section OF
postal dispatch. through which truck for the convey
Of mail matter is drawn or propelled In the
manner explained The tube itself Is square the
trucks which pass through it. In connection with the
apparatus is ingenious automatic arrangements show
ing how mail matter received at different postal depots