Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-01-05
Running Street Cars with Tanks of
Compressed Air.

A company organized in New Orleans to
utilize several inventions which Mr.. Wha-
ley has devised for the application of con-
densed air as a motive power for cars on
city railroads, is soon about to bring the
design to test.
In company with parties interested in
! the iuaprovement, we visited the foundry
cf Captain f. Roberts, at the corner of Ju-
LA street and the levee, where the appa-
ratus is being constructed. Captain Rob-
erts explained the plan of the apparatus.
The idea is that each car shall have two
cylinders, or tanks, to contain the fresh
air, which is to be used as a motor. These
cylinders are to be on the top of the cars,
and are to be charged at the depot, by an
engine worked with steam. Metallic cyl
iuders were first tried, but they were found
to be too heavy, and the difficulty of the
company has been to find lighter mate
rial, available for the purpose. Paper CYL
inders have been determined upon, and
Captain Rogers is engaged in making four,
to be used on the cars, two on each. They
are made Of strong sheets of paper, lemin-
ated to thickness sufficient to bear the
great pressure required TO contain the air
condensed into steam. The several lamina
are adhered with glue, and the paper fab
rie is strengthened with an envelope of cor
dage. In connection with these cylinders
there is to be an engine, Tor which a special
patent has been taken out, and which is
otherwise valuable in its applicability to
steam machinery, to receive the condensed
air and rotate the wheels of the car.
One Of the cylinders was finished. 1t has
been subjected to o trial of 800 pounds to
the square inch, and had not yielded.
Three hundred pounds to the square inch,
he observed. would suffice as a motor. He
had, with q platform car, experimental on
street railroad with far less power than
that, and the experiment resulted satlsfac-
torily. He used two old iron cylinders,
weighing sixteen hundred pounds, which
leaked through the riveting, and there
were twenty-eight persons on the car.
| Starting with but ninety pounds of pres
sure to the square inch, and with the
weight of cylinders and men mentioned
he made three miles and half in sever
minutes and fifteen seconds. And as tC
curves, when the motor was reduced tx
| fifteen pounds, to use Captain Roberts Cwr
words, he went around the street corner
''as smoothly as ball would roll on bill
hard table.
| Dividing the whole expenses of the city
railroad companies of New Orleans, accord
| ing to the number of cars used by each
the lowest current outlay of any of tht
companies is from So to So, so per car eacf
day, and the highest from SO to SO. Th'
greater part of these expenses are incurred
in the wearing out of mules, feeding mules
FIVE of which are required for each car, ant
paying hands in the stables. The other ex
penses consist of the salaries Of officers ant
the wages of drivers, which are but a small
modicum of the sum total. If those pos
sessing the patent charge half a dollar
car for the royalty the expenses of no com
pany will average over So per day a car
Therefore, take as an example the Git.
Railroad Company, the capital stock 0
which is 81, 900, 900, and which runs IL
cars, there will be with that company
saving of Sc car every day, total Q
$3.50 day, and for q year, $241 ,26O, or 2
per cent upon the capital stock.
This is giving the Pneumatic company
royalty OF S1S2.50 year on each Car.
is computed that there are 10000 cars i
use on street railroads in the cities an
towns of the United States If the appa
ratus proves available, and the right of us
ing it is sought by all, the patentees wi
have an annual income Of $3.50, 900.