Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-01-30

| the ball is made perfectly circular, rolls
on rail at the bottom of the tube
groved to it. and perfectly smooth. SO
there would be almost no friction to
overcome in propelling the bali, and
, that it must roll very easily in compari-
son with other methods of moving the
same weight. How cheaply the air
can be exhausted to obtain such results
remains to be seen still it ought not
to be very expensive. The cost of
building al eaiupping such line, Of
large capacity, over the surface of the
country, cannot certainly be more
than half, if it is that, of building and
equipping railroad. Much sleeper
grades can be overcome than by rail
roads as will soon be seen.
We now come to speak Of the pros
poets of a development of this plan
Mr.. Brisbane went before Congre3. last
winter, and such was the strength Of
the conviction as to the practicability
of his scheme which he wrought in
the minds of the Committee on APP
preparations by small working model
that bill appropriating $4,000 was
passed to test the principle by a tube
to be built from the Capitol to the
public printing house in Washington,
distance of $3.50 feet (three-ffths Of
a mile), and for the purpose Of trans
porting all their packages, manu-
scripts, proof, printed documents,
books, etc, etc, back and forth be-
tween the two buildings. He then
: took the contract, in order to have the
construction under his own superv:s-
ion, remembered Buffalo and It's inter-
ests, and came here and purchased all
his materials for the tube, and has had
them manufactured here and forwarded
to Washington. The tube is to be
thirty-one inches in diameter inside,
length as above stated, ard the bali
thirty inches in diameter outside, thus
allowing one inch space between the
/ two for the free rolling of the latter.
Mr.. T. R. Plumbly, 5S Washington
street, has the contract for prep airing
the material and has erected section
Of the tube, full size, twenty-four fec.
: in length, at his works, to see if the
t different parts fit together properly.
and in an imperfect way to test the
princi pie. We have visited Mr. P.'s
place Of business, and seen the expert
ment of drawing or rolling the ball
through that length of tube by ex-
! hausting portion of the air in the
front ; and if everything can be known
by results from sach a crude and i'm
perfect trial as the circumstances ne
cessitate in this ease, there would
| seem to be foundation for
strong hopes that the invention will
prove to be marked success but
whether to the extent the inventor
claims remains to be seen. We saw
| the ball-cne Of those to be used st
Washingtou-irawn rapidly through
the tube by e1haus1ing probably not
more than one-fourth to one-third Of
the air from the tube. This was done
with the tube lying on the level. One
end Of it was then raised one foot,
making grade of half an inch to the
foot and the ball rolled up this incline
almost as rapidly, by the same process
and power, a. it passed through be-
fore. Be it understood that it was
, only the power of one man, very
rudely applied, that brought this re-
: suit, as against twenty-five or thirty
horse power engine that it is intende!
to use to work this tube at Washington
when ii is completed.
The tube, as above described, will
contain about sixteen thousand cubic
feet of air, and we are informed that
Mr.. Brisbane has purchased Sturte-
want exhaust fan that has a capacity
for exhausting thirty-two thousand
cubic feet Of air per minute, thu. EMP
tying the tube twice minute. which
must certainly give great speed if work
ed to its full capacity. On an extend
ed line, exhaust stations, connected
with the tube, and Of still much great
er power are to be established at inter
walls of five or ten miles, as may be re-
1 quired.
AZ will be seen, this system, if
success, will be limited to certain kin Is
of freight. bat it curiouslv enough
happens that these Will be such as it is
of the greatest Importance to be trans
ported cheaply, VIZ: All, or nearly all,
the necessities Of mans existance, IA
grain OF all kinds, -four, meat, milf,
rc:::.ce--, IT, harder kials of fruits,
etc. e5o +; and much of the raw maeerf>
ais for mang facture, a. coal, ores, oils,
etc. All small manufactures article.
Of the Grnier kinds can be carried "a
this way; ard also ne mails, tie more
rapid transit Of vhich Will be Of -
! slight conseque',cc to the worth in the
presen! III IT ID Of da:t.s business,
Mr.. Pl' ably leaves for. Washsagton
this We' t. commence the erectton Of
the tubes there, and hopes &c have it
corlpleted by, OF soon a!tor, the 1st Of
..anuary.-We wish him aad all con-
cerncd the highcst success in the iua-
portant undertaking.
THE Local PArss-He n. y.
Times says of the local Paper <sYou
owe it to yourselves to rally literally
to it's support, AMI exact from it as
able, hig }ztoned a character as yos do