Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-04-15
HIS FArALsrREErCAE PATENT
a Little story oFSsw Orleans which viii
Interest New Workers.


From III Mem Yak Star.
A tall. lank Southerner was haranguing
a group ofidlers in the reading-room of toe
New York hotel recently on the subject OF
street railroads and told the following
story:
about six years ago there drifted into
New Orleans strange character whose
name, il remember, was Richardson.
Among other schemes terminating in bis
busy brain. there was one for the opera
ton OF a street railway by compressed
air. carried in four cylinders on top Of an
ordinary street car.
CHS plans provided for the erection OF
two terminal stations about eight miles
apart, at the extreme boundaries OF the
city, where gigantic compress0rs WouId
exhaust the air from receiving watts and
pump it into the cylinders. Then, 100,
ne had a new patent automatic safety
brake Of his own construction and an
elaborate drawing OF the gearing OF
driving wheel in the centre Of the car,
wnfcu was TO be operated by compressed
air fn m the cylinders, and furnish the mo-
Hyr .rt0r each Smile trip.
president Of the POydras street
railoaa took the matter up, and soon
Richardson was established in neat ut
tie workshop near the northern depot, bus
Ily engaged in perfecung bis invention.
Then a company was organized with
capital Of $4,000 divided into $1,000
shares Of SO each. The company re-
joiced in the name OF Tine New Orleans
Pneumatic Street Railway Company?
After tinkering at his car for a month or
two. Richardson announced a trial trip.
At O'Clock in the morning, after the
regular cars had gone Of duty, the new
motor was wheeled out Of the workshop
and placed on the track. A select com
mittse OF stockholders awaited the result
with GREATNESS interest. Richardson
cried All aboard ? and they piled into the
car. Richardson pulled lever, and the
car glided softly from its position in front
OF the depot and proceeded leisurely down
the street. 1t ran four blocks that
night. and then the gearing got outof Order
and the prominent citizens had to push it
back to the station. Next morning the
$40 shares were worth $40 apiece in open
market.
Then followed a series Of trial trips.
Something always went wrong. At first
Richardson said it vas the brake, then
the exhaust pipe, then the traction Wheel
and finally the cylinders. Somehow they
could never get these strong enough to
stand the enormous pressure required 10
run the eight miles which it was neces-
sary to travel in order to make the new
enterprise pay. They tried iron, but iron
was TOO heavy; then PAPER mache. but it
would not stand the strain. Finally
Richardson decided TO try Bessemer steel,
and an order was sent TO England for the
manufacture OF $ cylinders Of a certain
weight, warranted to stand a pressure of
300 pounds TO the square inch. In the
meantime the stock continued 10 jump
upward. On the day after the last trial
trip the $40 shares sold readily for $235
each.
''The eVentful night came when the new
Bessemer cylinders were to he tried. Full
~ 200 stockholders and their friends as
sembled about the depot to bear testi-
Inony to the triumph OF Richardson's in
genuity. Odds Of four to one that the car
would run the whole eight miles were
freely offered; but takers were few and far
between.
''suddenly the midnight stiffness was
broken by the din of an explosion. The
door Of the shed in which Richardson had
been locked up alone with his motor was
hurled bodily into the middle Of the
street. and the fragments OF cylinder
followed It. The crOwed surged in and
found Richardson on the floor with his
patent safety, automatic brake gear
twisted all about him like an anaconda.
They disentangied him with difficulty aud
bore him 10 the hospital"
Here the SOutherner stopped abruptly.
'Well, what happened to the motor ?"
cried his audience.
son, nawihin'." answered the South
ener, slowly; 'but II any OF you gentle
men happen to have heard Of any who
yearns TO possess 80 shares OF pneumatic
stock know some one who will sell them
dirt cheap"