New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-04-13
sHoaT HISTORY OF THE FNEI,
ssATiC sAEs EaUFOE.n

Recently, after successful tip Of one CT
| the pneumatic cars, several members Of the
company and few invited guests assembled
8. the Bienville Club rooms to partakc Of
collation. in honor OF the event. Judge
Rrice, president OF the company, il response
| 70 toast, made the following remarks.
Other gentlemen spoke, and we regret that
we eau rot End room for the speeches,
which were really interesting:
am, perhaps, not at liberty to decline, as
| 2 esident CT the company, soma &cSn0W!-
| edgment Of the toast Just gwen. We are ap.
| preaching the prairie land, and have nearly
| passed the region OF mor&s5 and swamp IN
| the happy progress OF our great enterprise.
Our labOgs have been but repeJltltOn Of
| past histories, every scientific attainment OF
note having been accomplished only after
donbt and travail. The mis- DRY OF Scence Is
! history Of sweet and trouble.
| In the development If the occult powers
OF nature by art means, difficulties arise one
| above another, like q chain OF hl!IS hidden
| in fog, and when the sun Of intellect, Oy
alternate device and experiment. clears
| awAys the cloud, all seems easy, aud We
| wonder at our tolls. Such has 0een the e&.
| perlence Of all inventors. Each III turn en-
| counters the conservative element that re-
| pes aggression, and the lncreduilty tna6 &C.
| MES Justice. Iacu III LII ny pei eiSLCANC
| and faith, which the world Will not accept,
has arisen above emergencies and trlumphed
in spite of increduity and often against en-
nifty.
The case of Captain Valley is bat another
turn of the wheel in scientific progress. his
invention is not claimed TO be OF atmos-
pheric air as a motive power, but OF It's
adaptation to the particular object contem'
plated It has beeu before attempted, but
obstacles have prevailed over every effort.
At the point where others 5ucCumOeu ne
began, and his inventions supply the means
which lis predecessors failed to devise. l
claim that his genius has been eoaai to the
requirements, Of which, to-light, we have
| offered You practical demonstration.
Captain Valleys first crest means was
| the lump for cumpre; sing the air into the
tanks The air which surrounds Us IS con-
s.ituted Of invisible elements, among winch
is caloric. or heat. 1t presses upon us WIN
d force of fifteen pounds to ;he square men;
The prevailing heat il this Toou Wouid
probably De indicated by Fahrenheit as a.
! seventy degrees, equally dis,rlou.ed. 10
| compress il within One-tWenteth o. us
present space would increase the heat N the
degree OF twenty 70 one. Combustion
would ensue, and our paper tanks De NEON
t;Dently burned. Hence, 1t was Hccessary IN
the raDid process OF compression, TO subdue
This destroying element. The admr.pli
pump Of the company does his, radlatlDg
Inc air as fast rs compressed by passing IL
| through a stream OF cod watsr.
? The paper tcnb is contribution to the
cabinet OF science not eEc=iled 10 modern
: | invention. The means ot holding the air
! was an early difficulty in the adjustment OF
measures. pressure OF 300 pounds TO e&ch
square inch of the interior surface OF the
: tank was liked upon as HeedtuI. Mat ma
I teri4l Was then to be applied? 10 speak
- | without scientific oXactneS6, az enema!
v,#,t a. n to p
> nir, nor II twotbicds steel, each being
: | porous and admitting OF escape. Cur ear
. ! hest expcrin nnts were with iron, which W.
| demonstrated to be futile 4 contract WAS
! subsequently, made with the celebrated
, Bolton Steel Works, Of Dudley, E9Sland, Tor
Q tanks to be fully guaranteed. I2ey we're
MADE. md paid for at Liverpool, aud on
apDlictioD Of the test By the makers. WeIe
found inadaQuale, ana our money VAS re-
8 | funded. Ia the meantime, Captain MHey
began experimeutng With paper. ihles
| things were indispensable: hgLtness, so az
: MOTTO produce eDcumbrauce; sirengsl ~
contain the air; aud ComPactness OF mere
g so SIS TO retain it under tne Pr ssu,e 1e
0uired. During & VIII, lie year repeated et
> forts only multiplied into failures. Al oih1
+ 0betacIes were lost TO sight. The d9uote1
Ialghe J, and the bell Ver q1aIitC. But va
= tan Wal ey, and that i'm mar, tFaLkiil
Roberts whose faith and perseverance, knew
no doubt or STOP were never dauu ed. Out
+ the combiued abilities and labors sof tnest
- ! gentlemen, came at last saccesss. The pa;
| per tank Was constructed, comoInlns al
needful requisites.
Il In the meantime the air engine had beer
. patented and constructed, Illustrating Ia
II genius OF Captain VALLEY IN moVernep
designated as the cutoff valve, 5or Whlci
We claim supreme merit. lis effect ID u
~ husband the air under high pressure, en-
n blowing all for use expansiyely. 1t IS no
81 with our motor rs with steam, which Is gen
Grated on It's way. The full supply OF til
tanks is preliminary to our trip, ahd IN
le power must be preserved. just mere, De
u fore arriving at the obstacles re!s'eo, pre-
n. yious inventors had failed. Il had bee
80 considered that herein lay all the dithcult
d. in APPLYING common air as q motor tor pre-
r pelling street cars. The genius OF Captain
s, VALLEY was tested In this movernen
e. Theoretically, Lis valve, OF cut.ol
- is q piece OF perfection. IN our tr9s engln'
e it worked faultlessly, and that it hs
not done so in this, is the fault of the me
I'd | chanical worker who built the engine. An
Ct cause Of the depressing incidents lat:
occurring lies in this: the whole air engli
was simple Imposition upon the companl
'h II matters not now who IS TO olaiee, I'll
n consequences have been borne by q
10 | Since the disasters OF some weeks ago, u
| engine has been almost wholly rebuilt ;
iAS our own works. The ind6iatig Able Captal
l Roberts has not tired, Gay time nor nig
ID | time, in the iabors incident to thls ere
The running of our pneumatic car we ha'
shown YOU tO-nighs TO be without laul
~ We are engaged upon the valve movemen
ID, and will speedily have success; but lts pc
fiction may require TO pe demonstrates
new and improved engine.
Let ME pause here 10 lock BACK Tor q II
vi ment upon the history OF valves. IL Is n
Of the steam engine, and staudlng doWa,
O. perhaps up, the ladder OF tlme ore hUnaf'
wears, it becomes ID matter or Wonorr!ie
or that Watt should have thought out 6ucn
hit crude thing as his automatic valve OF lo9
a. vay cock, that could only open or close !
~. the alternate movements of the beam. II
at gave place 10 Murray'5 side valve" up
Ia. Which Murdoch improved. The eccen;I
he valve vas brought into use in the beglnnll
a. of this century, modified by HeckWor'
% the brothers Carmichael, the haWth0r
= and others. Not one Of these Inodlfca1lo
secured or looked to the use OF steam t
ha pausiyely. The spindle valve Of Watt "a
o. small degree had done SO, but It v
". sacrificed to the smooth working 81
,n.. valve, and to eccentric motion.
~ Ie26 John Gray, an engineer
~ Iiverpool, discovered the detect. up
" inst lime cost of fuel had been 60 grei
81 high rates of speed, as even to endane
railway enterprise. Gray conceived that
tor dificaIty lay in the valves; that steam y"
nermi,ted to esca pc before Ii mad perform
al rs office-,he exhaus. valve opening as
* receiving valve closed. The need occurI
as To his mind that time must be allowed .
for tween these valve movements 10 use
,, steam expansiyely. He saw the loss Oh pow
CD and consequent waste OF iuel, ano conoG