New-York tribune., 1878-09-28
COMPRESSED AIR AS A MOTOR.
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS on TIE SECOND AvEN

SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS on TIE SECOND ANENt
RAILROAD.
The problem of using compressed air for
street car propulsion has apparently been successfully
solved cOmpesscdair car has been running on upper
secondavc. Tor month, and gives such good results
that the horse railway company have resolved to dis
pense with horses the Seeond-aye. above the new
depot at Ninety-seveuth-st. as six OF
the compressed-ar can DE built The car nos run
ming makes regular trips daily between Ninety
and ed-and-twenty-seventh-st, from 10 TO
~ in tho morning and 10 In the Afternoon @ieam
engine for charging the has been erected in tue depot
al The boiler which
generates the steam on one side OF the track and TIE
stationary engine on the other While being charged the
car stands track between them. and connection DC
tween the air cylinders OF the carand the air chaor OF
the engine Is made by OF very thick clOnwoNen
rubber hose.
The car resembles an ordinary street car except that
the wheels are almost hidden by sheet-ron sheathing
SIX strong wroughtrOn cylinders, two feet n diameter
and six fee long are placed under the aOor Of the car
three at each end Two smaller cylinders are placed
under the seats These connected by iron pipes and
form the magazine OF compressed air. A double cyl
inder engine is used TO pump the air into the car or
cb rge It, The AR Is sucked into the first cylinder
and on the backward stroke receives pressure OF about
forty p0unds which heats she air Then passes into
coopg chamber. whore the temperature Is reduced b
water TAis air thea being forced into the second cy
der receives pressure between 300 and $50 POUNDS
TO the square inch, whence II passes through ecOuu
coone chamber into the receiving cylinders I'm the ear,
where the pressure is the IN the cylinder Whefe
After five min tes the car pronounced charged for
its three-mile trip Nnetyseventh st. and return IN
Indicator on front platform shows pressure IN me
Cylinders OF 32O 2GnnGs; III se[ra o t Inromoon
Two emall nrchests each side resemble steamc1ess
aXie crnnKs all being much the same as a
locomotive crank axle and its connections, lug
two Things necessary 10 apply compressed air
ef,,llv urarp 4.
Mr.. James. One is special INK nOtlOh lOl
thp valves so that movement reyerses bOt1 lie
main and expansion valves cutting OFF the power at any
part OF the cylinder stroke anu maklhg Tue car
i The tse Of air k an equilibrium valve between the air
chest and the tube, which pfings ihe F~'selsSu ~
son drives back and forward the which turns the
crank axle. An equilibrium waive ~ nJce7tS s ~
chest or cylinder I'm an engtne boiler may
he kept nearly at the same pressure anu II Is oOhsa
furce but tue force bottled up IN the AIR chamber OF
thecr is constantly decreasing power as the ar lOs
some energy with each charging OF the arr cnesI ~
when the car starts with $50 pounds OF pressuiigg
ahnard a small admission OF air To tne caest VIII
et loose expansive energy enough 10 move the piston au
crank When the pressure Is reduced 10 wv pouU,,'J
prOpOrnOnally greater amount OF arr must DC u1ntsu
TO produce the same expansive energy The eqnln9nru
valve which secures an amount or AIR IN tue oy nSi
chest nyersey as the pressure consists OF couple on
disks connected by buckle rod, the reaction Oi 'H0
the motion OF the car is controlled the front plat
form by levers Ike those used on locomotives Su
ohinery being very simple One lever Op.is the IN
Another with notched guard determines the dIo.tom ,f
which the ear shall move, and when brought 70 @ tno 80
dle notch shuts on the power bringing the ear 20 .
smooth quick stop. slot and hngerserew aeteIttn
tbe oucknesa OF the stroke and rapdlty OF msSss
has1 levers are on the )nt PLATFORM so the ehS,
NAV look ont the more readily for obstacles ME Es
lanes one of the inventors handled tue car, -.
started an with a grnnt az horse rot speea ,.e
mile I'm i've minutes was obtained when ady W., aed
for passage the car was stopped nsee 0i d s3o sol
staFted on again. There no cinerr OF ,hssf
only the putting sound OF the exhausuhg a"7r ,sers
and of the wheels Several EGsssRseTs
where the car turned itself ON sw,ten, w. M,tes,.oiDsa
hundred hounds OF pressure were expendeu n
n,iic and q b,lI thirty-pOunds pressure s ns,1
to drive the cor During the German festival a
park an ordinary ear was attached 20 tbe l anda
ar car and 100 perscns were taken over thP s @ W sp
haif course in six minutes The inventors hVs claim
their introduced on the eleVa,eu lle nalf
| ingIhat A IA cheaper than steam and Vpfle'0s So
| ance OF smOke aud einders.