The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-13
MAKING AIR POWER USEFUL.
NEITHER HORSES NOR NOISE ON THE
SECOND 1TENUE LINE
Chr. from Harlem 90 the city Hall mt the Rate
OF Forty Miles sn uour-No More Of the
Dangers of stenm-No More Ruunwnys

Chr. from Harlem 60 the city Hall mt the Rate
OF Forty Miles uour-No More of the
Dangers of steam-No More Ruuawnys
While Prof. Edison is working out his pho
nautoeraph. and studying the effects there
from. tho Second Avenue Railroad have been
perlectng means OF obviating the difficulties
of the Metropolitan Elevated Road. A month
or two ago the officers Of the Second Avenue
Company successfully experimental with
car made under the auspices Of the Pneumatic
Engine Tramway Company. This system Is
bascd on the fact that atmospheric air is capa-
bic OF being compressed into very small com
pass and giving reservoir oil energy repre-
scnting the mechanical force employed in COM
pressing IT, This being liberated and applied
10 an improved engine the force can be used MS
n motive power. and be under the perfect com
mand OF even an inexperienced driver after n
few trials. SO satisfactory were the results OF
the experiments that in n few weeks half n doz-
en- cars will DO running in Second avenue from
Ninety-sixth to One Hundred and Twenty
ninth street without visible means Of motion.
The car used for the experimental trips last
April has been rcmodelled and will start again
with passengers regularly next Monday. IA
fast IA possible the whole line OF railroad will
be supplied with rapid transit. Mt n speed OF
forty miles an hour II necessary from Harlem
10 the City Hail. The old cars will he utilized,
and the horse service and the dangers attendant
on steam done away with nj n small cost and
Al Kerr's machine shop. Ffty-nfth street and
First avenue. II u working model Of the car.
The foreman Of the shop. in answer to an in
quiry. said: Ropcrt Harde Of Glasgow, and
John James OF Edinburgh are now employed
by the company on tho utilization OF tn" old
street cars. A citizen Of New York mot .hese
two engineers in Glasgow last ycnr, and on his
representations they came to this country.
They intended to give scotland the benefit ~
frst reap the aIyantages. In December last last
they built their first car Mt the depot oi the Sec
ond Avenue Railway Company and 1t was pro-
Does it make much noise in trnnsit?" was
asked.
pnratively nolselcss II the Metropolitan line
were to run these carriages on their road the
doctors and the Sixth avenue residents would
not have much to complain OF. Besides. MS
each car has its own motor. and Us the Elevated
runs three carriages and an engine seventy
flve per cent OF the noise would be at once obvi-
nted by one car running at time. That is. OF
course. granting that the noise arising from
each was equal to what h on the Metropolitan
now. Cars then could casilybe run one at time
every half minute instead OF every three min:
TO carry passengers by wholesale before. IL
has, however. been found OF great service in
England. Bya tubular application the General
Post Office. London. transmits its mai bags
from place To place These heavy weights are
a1s along tnDrs s on .ne az Inc ar gnn
to be transported by this MEANS"
Will you explain the workings ?" was the
Taking a small tin model in his hand. the en-
gneer pointed out two long compressed air re-
ceivers Of stee'. that are placed under the seats
oil the car. and six for illling under the end
platforms, The eight" he said. are con-
nected cylinders and are fixed inside Of iron
frames between the wheels of the ear. These
are connected 10y an engine situated beneath
the ear between the crank axles and wheels.
The air is pumped inside the receiver by n
rubber hose attached TO n COMPRISING engine
at the depots. Anew 5OO-horse power engine.
especially made for the purpose. will take about
one minute to give each car its supply of motive
power This will be less time than is often
the same position M at present to work the
starting. reversing and brnking gear that II of
be handled By any one. and not necessarily an
engineer. In running down an incline the on
CINE Uniformed into AN air pump and creates
new power"
Will there be any pecuniary saving"
Considerable. Mr.. Hardie, the Chief Engl-
that the present cost Of horseshoeine, feed. har-
ness repairing. stable expenses. and replacing
OF horses alone mount NJ in New York TO over
two millions of dollars per annum. To run a
two-hotse street eur II costs on iln average. all
told. $1,000 day. To run ths 500 horse cars
now used costs nearly s6.OO0.O0O. The entire
expense OF the pneumatic system would be- q
little over s20OO,0Oe,, The total saving would be
calculated that the pneumatic system can be
WORKED at least 80 per cent. cheaper than
What, other advantages will there be in tho
Very many Animals would not be excited
on the road By the whistling and putting OF the
steam cars. The guys. pillars. and other para
pHeTulllu OF Tue "ltNdt'u rphls Wouli De n"Nt-
less. Where these now exist they could be ut-
lied, rs well as the surface street rails. There
would be no vcape OF hot steam or blazing Gin
ders to set awnings on fire. 1t would do away
with the aroma Of the horse railroads md ot
coal gas with It's suiphuric vapors. Tho terrible
catalogue If Diseases cited 10y the physicians ms
probable to result from the noise OF the Metro
poitan would be entirely obviHted. After all.
nifty per cent. saving on horse power and thirty
on steam would be tho most important advan-
tage TO he derived from the pneumatic tramway
system"