Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-06-28
PNEUMATIC TUBES.
a Novel Enterprise for Laying Them
Between Chicago and New York.

a Novel Enterprise for Laying Them
Between Chicago and New York
Az interesting enterprise was last
week brought TO light through the
medium Of New York civil engineer,
who Is here in connection with the es-
Enlistment Of a rheumatic pipe line
between New York and Chicago. The
plans, as partly developed, are to lay a
four-inch iron pipe for the purpose Of
transmitting letters, messages, grain
samples, diamonds, jewelry, or Other
small and light parcels, at maximum
tariff of 10 cents for packages and .
cents for letters, etc. Way stations
will be established at Cleveland, Buff
falo, and possibly one other point.
The pipe will be the ordinary round
kind in common use, similar to gas
pipe, and the entire length of the line
will be made air-tight with brass sta
tons at the points named. The boxes
| for the conveyance of messages, etc,
will be made OF sole leather, with wool
air-registers as used at the present
time IN short pneumatic tubes. En-
gines of twenty-five horsepower TO
drive the air-pumps viii be placed at
the tsrmini, and smaller engines at
the way.stations. Seventeen patents
| for various improveme nts have been
secured by the originators Of the
scheme, and no doubt some OF them
will be made available in working the
| line. The plan of operating as far as
revealed ut present will he about -
follows: Commencing at o'clock IN
the morning, Washington time, the
boxes containing through messages,
ETC., will be fed into the tube at Chica-
70 and "blown" toward New York
while the Chicago pump Is charging
the tube and the New York pump
is exhausting the air. The last
box, started at Chicago at $3.50 81, m,
will be provided with al electric signal
attachment which will automatically
announce its arrival at Cleveland,
where the local quota OF boxes are in
serted, and later on the same at Butfa-
llo. The last box will arrive at New
York at 10 o'clock, the trip being made
in about four hours. Then the line
will be occupied with the west-bound
traffic for the succeeding four hours
and 80 on alternately day and night
However, when the second pipe shall
have been completed one will be used
for west-bound and the other for east
bound business, thus obviatiug delays
and doing away with the alternating
lsystem. With only one pipe it Is ex
lpected that during each four hour pc
lIiod / 600 boxes can be transmitted
each earning about 50 IN freight, or 8
total of So during the tweaty'toui
houre, being aggregate earnings 81,
600 per day for the line. The tota
cost Of operating the system is esti-
mated at 81, 125 daily, which includes
800 pipe section men (repairers) fifty
operators, and 100 delivery and colleG
ton messengers.
The cost of erecting the line Will b,
something less than 81 600 per mile
and tho entire plant, including engines
ETC., will not exceed 81, 100000 Tht
most serious obstacle to the immediate
contamination of the strange scheme
is the right of way, but it is said the
: parties have been working successfully
to obtain this. The pipe will be place.
underground in the cities, but the hulE
Of the line will extend along the tracks
of certain railways, the pipes in some
instances being attached to and swung
, | from the ends of the ties. For certain
, short distances, for connecting links
the pipe will be laid through field
) and along country roads, where 1t wll
= be placed on jacks and pedestals, o
swung along the base of the common
=, board fence. In crossing country road
( it will be elevated upon short poles
' Three telegraph wires viii also be at
e tached to and extend along the pipe t.
Y Ice used for electric signaling between
. stations. At least one engineer belleve
II the scheme a feasible one, and shoul
il prove a success IL is thought anothe
nine line will be added for the excldsiv
transfer of grain from Chicago to Ne'
. York, by which $4,000 bushels could b
Is carried daily for 10 cents per bushel, d
e p proftof 81, 500 per day. Grain I lace
II in the tube here would arrive IN re1
d York in about five hours, the transte
e time being somewhat slower than tn
message line. Appliances are now bi
II ing experimental with 10y which, VIII
Is the aid of automatic attachments, To
81 grain pipeline would be continual
. tQAfBCu lEOli tue pms es nav bA4AA ,
!, elevators here and delivered at ger
eral central elevator in New York. Ih
grain, it is claimed, would be improve
re by the passage. The capacity OF n
% grain Inns being only about lo,0O0Ot
: bushels annually, it would not serious
:. IL interfere Sitn railway traffic As
.. present established unless half doz.
or more pipes should be laid. The pr
q, iectors OF the enterprise state that a
: the money is pledged Necessary to ca
s. ry out tie plans expediuously, and
r.. l. conference to be held here on Il
Is, 26.n inst, the full details will probah
Ct lie made uubic.-Chicago Tribune.
Beney0leuee and Flowers.
,l- In the culture of flowers there csi
il. HHHE q f