The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-03-23
THE ENGINEEWs CLUB.
An Evening Spenttn Discussing the Sou
dan Hallway,

RF'HhNh DAbNhrhiuk kut SOU
dan Railway.
AT tho meotin Of the Engineers Club
at the Mercantile Club last night, the
paper was read by Prof. j. b. johnson,
whose subject was, "Theory of Car.
Starters" He showed by a mathemat.
zeal demonstration that II was impossi-
bic to store the energy of loaded
car in steel springs OF reasonable di.
mensions, 1t requiring 3,400 pounds OF
steel springs t0stor0 tho energy of a
two-horso car, with 65 passengers, mov-
ing six miles por hour. Tho object
could DO accomplished by means OF
compressed air, the apparatus not weig h.
ing more than 800 pounds. IL was
shown however, that with comnressed
air the saving could not be more than 2
per cent OF the present annual expendi-
ture, so that IT Is probably not worth the
cost.
At tho conclusion OF the paper a COM
municatlon was read from Howard Con-
stable on the "Wator Limo 10 the Sou
dam
The pipe line or system OF water
works, the paper explained, Is TO sup
ply water along the route between Sua-
KIM on the Red Sea, and Berber ON tho
Nile. This will enable Gen. Graham's
army TO mako tho journey across the
desert country TO Join Lord Wolseley
and also enable the railway 10 be con.
slructed botwoed Suakim and BORDER,
which latter point Gen. Wolseley seems
desirous of taking tho new base or OPP
eretions. The wateiworks between
Cairo and BORDER, Is | POO miles and by
no means an easy or rapid line OF com
municatlon, as We have all been made
aware The route from Suakim TO Der.
Der Is only 200 miles, but the country is
rough and broken, and entirety desti,
| tute OF water. The war Office after long
| consideration and consultation, sane.
| TONED the plan of laying pipes the
whole distance aud establishing pump
ing stations whore necessary. There
are TO ho two mes of i-inch pine, two
pumping engines at each station % to 30
| miles apartiaud each station will be made
a military post. The distance between
tho stations will vary considerably 40.
cording To the profile of the line, aud
tine best sites for military posts. There
are no nigh mountains, and tho rasis-
lance to be overcome 10y the pumps IL
principally that duo to friction In the
pipes, In most cases this will be about
LOO pounds per square inch. Whil0 we
have pumped oil unbruk6n over 100
miles, shorter distance is botter adap-
tod To making ths best combination OF
tho various conditions that must be con-
sldored, The quantity OF water IN ABOUT
100 70 200 gallons per minute, equivalent
20 2l6,OOO gallons dav. The engines
VIII ha oftte wording duplex form
used In the waterwOrka Of this country.
AZ least one pump week will bo ship
ped. Several have already gone.
Tho pipe Will DO of wrought.irOn, 4
inches in diameter, REINFORCED at the
ends with long screw thread. They will
be Joined bv long wrnught-iron screw
sleeves. The pipe will be buried, and
any tamporing with 1t will DO known at
the pumping. station, by decreased
pressure. Tho order COR pipe will
amount TO $4,000, and may possibly be
placed In this country rs our English
cousins have had little experience in
this class OF pipe and are not so we'll pre-
pared ~ our manufacturers with ma
chinery for tho special connections.
About ~ miles day Is required, tho
whole amount needed being about $50
miles From the oil belt In Pennsyl-
vania northeast. radiating from Pitts
burg, there are miles of oil pipe a
line OF which Is carried TO New York
eigt feet under the river. The Waters
liiefce OIL company have two
Mississippi TO st Louis. So II will
be seen the project Of pipe laying In the
Soudan presents no insurmountable
difllcultiee.r
$, II. Lockott, visiting engineer,
was introduced ut the conclusion Of the
reading. He said he was Of party of
American officers IN tho service Of the
khedive IN Egypt in ls7i.75.7G, and was
chief engineer oftho Typographical sur
voy OF that rulor. He was familiar with
the country through which tho plpe limo
Is projected and did not doubt It's sue.
cessiul construction was assured. lie
had not the slightest doubt hut that the
railroad projected could be built, as
there were no impossible obslruo-
lions TO such work MS were ofton spo-
ken Of Tho pipo line would aid such
construction aud would be absolutely
necessary To its maintenance. The ell
mate was no bar TO its settlement, for
not considering tho lack OF water, there
we're no features OF tho climate against
which objection sould be brought. To
obViate the lack OF water the expedi-
tions OF typographical survey with which
no was connected, made drive wells
from which good, constant supplies Of
water were obtained. They thought OF
many oNpedients, and this seemed the
best, They mover thought of the pipe
line which seemed to him even better.
Prot. johnson exhibited n French
calculating machine, which excited
discussion as 10 methods OF meohan-
zeal and "lightning" computation, con-
tinuing until OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Democrat.