Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-06-26

A Pneumatic Tube from Chicago Ga
New TOYk.
From the Cleveland Herald.

From the Cievelano Herald.
A novel and interesting enterprise was this
week brought to light through the medium of
a New York civil engineer, who Is at Chicago
in connection with the establishment Of a
pneumatic pipe line between New York and
Chicago. The plans, as partly developed. are to
lay four-inch pipe for the purpose of trans
hitting letters, messages, grain samples, jew
elry and other light packages at a maximum
tariff of 10 cents for packages and 5 cents for
letters, etc. Way stations will be established
at Cleveland Buffalo and possibly one other
point. The pipe will be the ordinary tubular
kind in common use, and the entire line will be
made perfectly air-tight, with brass stations at
the points named. The boxes for the convey
ance of messages will be made from sole leather
with wool air registers. as used in short pneu-
matte tubes. Engines of 25-horse power, to
drive the air pumps, will be placed at the ter
mini. and smaller ones at the way stations.
Seventeen patents for various devices have been
secured by the Orignators of the scheme. and
no doubt some of them will be made available
in working the line. The plan of operating. as
Tar as revealed at present. will be about as fol-
lows: Commencing at q O'Clock a. m, Washing
ton time the boxes containing through pack
ages will be
FED INTO THE TUBE
at Chicago and blown toward New York. while
the Ch;cagopump is filling the tube and the New
York pump is eXhausting the air. The last box
started at Chicago at $50, will have patent
signal attachment which, at Cleveland, auto
matically announces its arrival The local boxes
are those inserted there. and later on at Buffalo
The last box will arrive at New York at 10
o'clock, the trip being made in about four hours
Then the line is cleared for west-bOund traffic
for the following four hours. and so on. alter
nately, day and night. 1t is expected
of
1000 boxes can be transmitted, each
earning about 80 in freghts. or
Sl2 during the "a hours being an aggregate of
Sl2 GOO per day for the line. The cost of Ope-
rating it is estimated at only 81 1875 daily. which
includes 800 pipe-section men (repairers), so
station operators and 100 delivery and collection
messengers. hence the net earnings can reach
the enormous aggregate Of So, 600, 900 annually
at least it is thus figured out on paper. But
even allowing very wide margin for errors and
omissions, the profit of operating the pneumatic
pipe line promises to be very large. The cost of
laying the line will be something less than 81 600
per mile, and the entire plant will not exceed
900. The projectors confidently antici-
pate an immediate
PROFIT OF 20 PER CENT
on the investment. The next serious obstacle
to the present consummation of the singular
scheme is the right of way but it is said the
parties interested have been secretly obtaining
this at little cost. The pipe will be placed under
ground in the cities, but the bulk of the lines
will extend along tracks of certain railroads,
the pipe in most instances being attached to and
swung from the ends of the ties. For certain
short distances for connecting links, the pipe
will pass through fields and long country roads,
where it will be placed on short lacks" or
pedestals, or swung along the base of fences
In crossing country roads it will be swung on
short poles. Three telegraph wires will be
attached to and extended along the pipe,
to be used for electric signaling between
stations. At least one engineer believes the
scheme feasible one, and if it proves a success
1t is thought another pipe line will be added for
the transfer exclusively of grain from Chicago to
New York, by which method $4,000 bushels
could be carried daily for ten cents per bushe
at profit OF $4,000. Grain placed in tube
here would arrive in New York in about five
hours. the transfer time being somewhat longer
than by the message liue. Appliances are now
being experimental with by which, with the aid
of automatic attachments, the grain pipe line
would be continually charged from the bins of
the principal elevators here. and delivered at a
general central elevator at New York The
grain, it is claimed would be improved in tran
sit, as it would pass through patent dust fan
upon its discharge into the New York elevator
The capacity of the line being only about
100000 bushels annually, it would not Sc
riOusly interfere with railway traffic
The projectors Of the enterprise state that the
money necessary to carry out the plans expe-
ditiously is pledged, and at u conference to be
held on the 26th instant the full details will
probably he mado pnlilic