, 1890-09-11
USE OF AIR AS POWER
The Pneumatic Tube in the
Postal Service.
THE RAPID COLLECTION PROBLEM
A Proposition to Introduce a
quicker Means of Transporta-
tion of Mails.

A great deal of surmise and com.
ment Is taking place In engineering
circles about Postmaster Van Colts
remark that the only solution Of the
problem of the rapid collection and
distribution of mails lies In the
adoption of the compressed air sys.
tenn. A New York Tribune cor.
respondent thinks that this system
could also be adopted with advan.
tage for the transmission of samples.
packages, ETC., which are frequently
subjected to many delays with the
present express facilities. Some
officials seem to regard such articles
us of little Importance, whereas 1t Ia
often of great moment to have sam.
Piles forwarded with all possible dis.
patch.
The possibilities of compressed air
are as yet not fully realized in this
country. The pneumatic tube sys-
tenn of communication Is of course
in use in many of the big down.
town stores, In newspaper offices
and to some extent between West.
ern Union offices; but there exists
great deal Of ignorence about the
use of compressed air, even among
engineering experts. OF course the
principle of the system is we'll under
stood, but except for mining opera
tons and for sending articles from
one part of building to another 1t
Is not In general commercial use In
the United States.
a leading engineer said to re-
porter the other day: "This COM
pressed air system, of which there
Is so much talk, Is financially well
supported, but it's all humbug.n
This expresses the opinion Of great
many who are supposed to be thor.
oughly acquainted with the most re-
cent developments of mechanical
science. But as many whose occu-
patton does not lead them to make
strict investigation into the feasibil.
ity of all the mechanical contriv.
ances that come into public discus.
sion are beginning to think that
the use of compressed air would
solve many postal difficulties and
aiSo iDiiEuts WIG hulSuDtt,
brief summary ON the subject "
given here.
THE SYSTEM USED IN PARIS.
It Ia generally believed that the
system, now In actual use In Paris,
has solved the question Of the speedy
transmission of letters and parcels.
But this system was first adopted
for the purpose of regulating tho
clocks Of the city on the pneumatic
button principle, to obtain a uni
formity Of time all over Paris. A
large number of capitalists became
interested In the scheme, the COM
pany extended Its operations and
the principal business of the COM
pany at present Is supplying the
power to manufactures In different
parts of the city.
The power Is transmitted from
the works, which are situated just
outside the city limits, In pipes
through the city sewers. One ad-
vantage of this system Is that there
Is no escape Of steam I'm the factories
where II is employed, and 1t does
not vitiate the atmosphere In which
the workmen spend 30 much of their
lives. In fact, the escape of air into
the rooms is beneficial, ms II helps to
cool and ventilate them.
On the other hand, the fact that
up to the present time II has been
found impossible to deyiso any
means which would entirely obviato
the continual leakage of air makes
the commercial utility of the system
doubtful IL has been found that in
transmitting air for mining pur-
poses 80 per cent. of the power Is
lost. OF course In transmitting the
air TO great distances through the
ramifications of vast city the loss
of power by expansion Is vastly
greater. 1t is possible that the per-
centage of waste allowed by the
company in Paris would frighten
American capitalists, and make the
adoption Of the system here COM
mercially impracticable. Indeed
the system In Paris, although In.
dorsed by generous capital, Is still
In an experimental stage.
TRANSMISSION OF LETTERS.
The system has conclusively
proved that the scheme is quite
practicable physically. although the
inevitable waste of power IL dlamet-
really opposed to the generally ac-
cepted ideas of mechanical eco
nomics. Such service Is practi-
cable If the public can afford to pay
for 1t at such rate as will insure
revenue sufficient to cover the loss
of power But that loss of mower
makes all the difference between
profit and loss, and it Is entirely
possible that In New York, at least,
compressed air will never become
serious rival to electricity.
The pressure kept up throughout
the system varies from seventy'five
to eighty pounds, sufficient to tear
letters or packages all to tatters.
1t Is strange that the transmission
of letters should not have attracted
the attention of the company II it
could he done profitably, as for this
purpose about three pounds or four
pounds pressure is amply sufficient.
And tho fact that they have not
made use Of what seems such an ad.
vantageous system is an argument
In favor of the statement that the
service the public demands must be
SO cheap that this system could not
NIL the requirements without
financial loss.
There are, however, other uses TO
which scientific ingenuity is begin-
ming to apply compressed air. II ID
rumored In Paris that a company
will shortly supply compressed air
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