Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-12-17
Street Car Soda Engines.
Chicago News.

Mr.. Zimmerman, as the represents
tive of Moritz Honigman at Aachen,
Germany, is in the city to introduce a
new chemical motor, the soda locomo-
tive engine, which is to revolutionize
the mode OF propelling street cars.
The propelling power which is soda
In solution, the capacity Of which is to
absorb large quantities of steam and
its contained heat, without giving off
vapor and.thus storing UP large guam
tity of power IN the form of heat, was
discovered accidentally By Mr.. Honig-
man, caustic soda manufacturer in
Aachen, in May 1888. The sUda loco
motive is already used on street rail
ways IN Augsburg and Aachen in Ger
many, and in Copenhagen, Denmark
Negotiations have been concluded by
which, in a short time, the soda loco
motive esgine will be tested on the
Adams street line or street
cars. The engine itself is now
on the way from New York.
The process of propulsion by the
soda locomotive engine is, as explain
ed by Mr., Zimmerman, by placing
quantity of disoluted soda lye, rails
ed to a boiling point, in closed tank
in intimate contact with the steam
boiler of the engine filed with steam
and water in the usual proportions
and at the usual working pressure.
Even where the water is put in cold,
steam is raised by the heat of the dill
uted soda I've. Upon opening the
throttle steam passes into the cylinder,
does it's work and then passes into the
soda solution through the exhaust
pipe, which ends In perforated tube
extending through the soda, the re-
manning heat being absorbed into the
latter. The increase of temperature
in the soda represents the work done
ia the cylinder making the machine
an automatic heater, responding by
greater heating to the larger amount
of work called for. By reason of this
after long run with crowded cars,
the temperature of both steam and
soda may be higher at the end than
at the start. When however the pow
er stored in the soda and steam together
by its steady diminution, no longer
maintains the necessary difference of
temperature, the soda I've is discharg-
ed and new charge of hot condensed
soda is taken in, which takes place at
the company's stations.
MIR. Edward Koch of this city who
visited Germany last summer and
saw the operation OF the Hon1gman
cars, said to a Daily News reporter
yesterday that in Germany the engine
was usually placed in separate car
and drew as many cars-one or two
or rnore-as were required for public
accommodation. They could be made,
however, so IS to accommodate passen-
gers in the car itself where the ma
chine was, as IN case of the cable cars.
It was built like a railroad engine,
only that It was charged with heat
before 1t went out, and therefore emit
ted no steam, or fire or smoke. 1t did
not make any heat. The machine
took 40 little room, and as it furnish
ed the motive power no difficulty could
arise such as resulted sometimes from
the breaking Of cable or machinery
on cable road. Street railroads
could be operated with such engines
at so per cent. less in operating expen-
ses than with horse power. The use
of the eng ines would save both time
and money,