Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1878-09-03
COMPRESSED AIR as A MOTOR.
From the New York sun.

is the inventor and constructor Of
new compressed air motor street car
the chief popularity of which is tha
he is able to force air into his recciv
ers until his gauge registers the enor
nous pressure of more than 1900
pounds per square inch. His receiv
ers are tubes, the largest Of which arc
twenty feet long, and only eight inches
in diameter, inside measurement
There are four of these, two lying side
by side above the axles, and next to
the wheels on either side Of the car.
Between them at one end are four 9th
er tubes, each six feet long and six
inches in diameter, inside measure
ment The material is wrought iron,
three-eighths of an inch thick lap
welded The heads OF the tubes are
one and half inches thick. and are
welded in. The double cylinder en-
gine which utilizes this air in turning
the wheels of the car does not differ
materially from a steam engine, ex-
cept that IFS two cylinders are only
two and three-fourths inches ia diam
oter, inside measurement The ma
chine built by Mr Bushnell to com
press the air consists of three steam
air pumps. The first and largest is
merely feeder to The second. Thei
air that comes from ii is condensed toll
a pressure Of about six pounds. Thel
denser air is more worthy Of tire pow
ars Of the second pump, which in turn
cruslcs it into greatly smaller com
pass. The third pump gives the liuaI
pressure. The gauge on The compress
ng machine has registered $500 I
pounds per square inch The plum
gers of the second and third pumns
lave no heads. They are merely rods
II steel forced into vessels containing
Ill. As the pluugers move ont and il,
he surface Of the oil falls aud rises.
ldniiiing the air through one valve
md forcing it out Of another. 1t is, /
necessary to have the pack
NJ Of The plungers only oil tight, not
lir tight, under the tremendous pres-i
ure. All, like all other substances.
sives ont heat while being compressed,
md IT Is necessary to cool the cham
'er that first receives the cir from the
bird pump by a covering Of cotton
waste saturated with water. On the
ther hand, the expansion Of the air
$ it gives off at each half revolution
4 the car engines, absorbs heat. and
fter running the car for a short time
be engine cylinders and escape pipes !
re whitened with frcst. This cool
cSs destroys, in part, the elasticity OF
ne air as It enters the cylinders. To !,
emedy this Mr.. Bushnell will sur !
ound the cylinders with stout metal !;
ackets, beneath which he will force j
II with the aid of a small pump I
cared to the machinery of the car. !;
his newly compressed air, he SAYS,
nil supply heat enough TO keep the !,
ylinders warm.
The writer rode, recently, on the c
ew car as far on the Whitneyville q
'ad as Mr.. Bushnell could go with Il
ut interfering with the trips Of the G
orse-cars. The motion was easy, and b
times about twice as rapid as that 5
o horse.car. The new vehicle $
oeyed the engineer promptly in start I
g and stopping. The distance trav- v
ed in going and returning was lit a
over mile. At the start the 0
luge registered 1900 At the re- |,
rn the pressure indicated was 1900 p
,ul,ds. When the air was allowed :
escape from q turned cock the roar !, !,