The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-12-15
COMPREs0ED AIR.

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'ome mention Of investigations begun by
The Elm Grove Railway Company with q
view TO employing compressed air as the
motive power for transporting passengers
and freight over It's road, These lnyesti-
cations have tended to convince the man.
ayers OF the road that there was enough In
the proposition to warrant them In send.
ing for an engineer competent 10 express
an opinion as to the feasibility Of such a
change, and able to give exact information
concerning the cost and use Of the new
motor, and last week Mr., Robert Hardie,
OF Glasgow, an engineer employed by the
New York company controlling the com.
pressed air motor patents, came out and
spent several days In an inspection Of the
road and in preparing plans and estimates.
A reporter for this paper interviewed
Mr.. Hardie at the Mcclure House yester.
day evening, and as there Is a fair pros.
peCt that the proposed change win be
carried out, some statement Of the result
OF his investigations and what he proposes
may be OF interest to the patrons Of the
road.
Mr.. Hardie Is a clear headed Scotch.
man, an engineer Of considerable expert
enCe, and evidently understands his bust.
ness. He says the company he represents
has only been In existence about eighteen
months, and has not had time to intro
duce It's machinery generally in this coun.
try, but that enough has been done to
demonstrate It's value and efficiency for
the purposes for which 1t Ia intended.
1t consists, in brief, OF "plant," or
charging apparatus, permanently located
al convenient point OIL tram road, and
cars arranged with receivers, which re-.
ceivers, being filed at the plant with
compressed air, 1t Is claimed serve all the
motive purposes OF boiler filled with
steam, without the disadvantages OF noise,
dirt, danger from fire and explosion, and
without the necessities OF constant atten-
ton, frequent renewal OF parts and Conse-
quent expense which the use OF steam
entails. It's diflicultto furnish any intel.
ligont description Of the machinery used
without the use OF suitable diagrams.
The "plant," which varies in cost accord.
ing to the work It is required to perform,
is the most expensive portion Of 1t, and
consists OF appliances operated by steam
for the purpose Of COMPRISING air in tub.
ular cylinders located generally under.
meath the flooring OF the cars used. This
"plant' would require the use
OF a competent engineer and one
fireman, and the cost OF one machine
sufficient to charge a car every twenty
minutes would be aboutSG 600. "You can
see that the advantages would be proper
toned to the amount OF business done
upon the road, for a plant which was only
used to charge few cars would cost
nearly as much 10 establish and operate,
as one that was kept busy. Once charged,
the motor.cars, which cost about $500
each, are ready for use, and are controlled
bv single lever iE the hands OF the con-
duCtor, who can manage one readily, and
at the same time attend to passengers and
fares. The action OF the compressed air Is
similar to that OF steam in a locomotive,
to this extent. tits let into cylinders and
acts on piston head connected with dri.
vers, as in the ordinary steam engine, but
instead OF the ordinary escape, the expan.
sion OF the compressed air released, is reg.
ulated to the degree that the force is ap.
piled during only portion of tho pro.
gress OF the piston head through the cyl.
Under, and the decreasing force as the pis-
ton head travels onward, together with
the atmospheric pressure in front OF it,
regulates the escape, so that it is as noise.
less as your breathing"
elbow much noise does one OF your
motor-cars make while running, Mr.. Har.
die?"
"Not any more than a car drawn by
horses. You can see by these pencil
sketches the advantages ofthe compressed
air over the ordinary steam escape. Be-
yond that, there is nothing to make q
noise except the ordinary running gear OF
the car.
The probable noise and danger result.
ing from the use Of any other than horse
power on these roads has developed a
good deal OF opposition to any change, and
this is the reason why have shown how
this is obviated in our machinery. Again
there are good many people who think
there is great danger in being seated near
receivers filed with compressed air. Yet
these receivers are all tested far beyond
any strain TO which they are subjected,
and whereas, steam boilers are surrounded
by dangers, such US result from stationary
or increased pressure while in use, over
loading or arrangement OF safety valves,
low water, incruststion, &C., &C., these
receivers are constantly being exhausted,
and the pressure on them while in use is
constantly growing weaker, while they
are subjected 10 none OF the weakening
influences OF fire and water above re-
ferred to.
SIS 1t true that your motors when NOV
ing down a grade can pump back COM
pressed air into the receiver2"
Eyes, but not as much as was expended
in surmounting it. II it could we should
have a perfect engine. II will restore
forty or fifty per cent, however, and will
show you how it is DONE" Here fol-
lowed a further reference to diagrams,
whereby it was shown how by changing
the position OF certain valves the result
sought could be accomplished.
"Has your system been adopted by the
Second Avenue Railroad in New York, as
reported?"
'.No, sir. We have only had our mo-
tors on trial on that road. It would take
several hundred thousand dollars to make
complete change there, and until we
can demonstrate thoroughly that our plan
is the best, that company is not going to
incur the necessary expense. So far as
such demonstration is concerned, would
much rather make 1t on road like yours,
where it could have fair trial, than to
have to test it where the system is mixed
up with other methods"
"Nhat do you think OF the Elm Grove
line so far as your plan is concernedw
81 think it could be adapted to it with.
out much difficulty. There are q few curves
that would probably have to be changed,
but the grades are none Of them too steep
to be surmounted, the iron Is heavy
enough and the narrow guage is no OBJ.
lection. We have surmounted grades ex.
ceeding four hundred feet to the mile
without difficulty, and there are none on
your line as heavy as that. All our motors
are powerful enough to turn their wheels
on the rail when the car Is held stationary.
There would be no use in any increased
power where the wheels failed to take
hold. The Car.motors can also be used