The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-26
BY COMPRESSED AIR.
HOW THE COMPARATIVELY NEW
POWER Is USED.

Men began long ago 10 use ar as q ulOtor'
They made it drive their ships across the
seas. They built mills and compelled it TO
grind their corn and draw their water.
But it was a capricious servant.
isin comparatively recent times that
they learned how to put a harness on the
air aud 20 use its power not when it
would, but when they would. The qualities
OF which they awaited themselves in thus
gaining control Of the motive force OF air
were first its compressibility and secondly
its rapid and powerful expansion when
freed from compression. However. it was
only after long experiment that they
learned how to use the power thus gained
so as to put It 70 practical service in indus
| try.
The first noteworthy success was In con-
structing the Mount Gents and the Mount
| st. Gothard tunnels. The great machines
used for opening up the mountains were
worked by compressed air, which was con-
| veyed to them by pipes from compressors
| located outside OF the mouth Of the tunnels.
| For many years compressors have been
used in the mines Of Europe and in carry
| ing on constructions under water. But in
all these adaptations there has been much
dissatisfaction. It came from the imper-
| feet machines used.
EARLY CoMPREssoRs.
All the early compressors caused the loss
Of nearly as much force as they produced;
indeed the machine used at Mount st.
| Gatnard wasted more than was
| gained. The manufacturers until re-
Gently did not know that they could
| increase the powered compressed
air by warming It, neither did they know
| how TO overcome many minor annoyances
such as the accumulation on the stopcock
Of frost aud ice. In recent years all the
| early difficulties have been overcome and
the awkward and wasteful compressors of
| the mines and tunnels have been perfected
until they produce motive power which
to-day in Paris is used for the greatest and
the least of machines, by the largest fac
tories and by the independent craftsman,
for the heaviest and for the finest manipu-
| lations.
The success Of compressed air IN Paris is
due largely to a gentleman Of Vienna, NJ.
| Victor Popp. Years ago Mr.. Popp became
impressed with the possibilities Of this force,
but his applications received little en-
couragement at Vienna. In 1873 he dis
played at the Paris exposition. His work
| attracted attention and he concluded 20
establish himself here.
NJ. VICTOR PoPP's INVENTIONS.
His first plant was very small, consisting
| Of two small compressors run by two mo-
tors, each Of 6-horse power. The first APP
| plication was to what Is now known far
and wide as the pneumatic CLOCKS Of Paris.
lt u now twelve years since these clocks
were introduced and there are fully 10 900
| Of them, public and private, in the city.
| One hotel alone has 600. They require little
or no attention, they do not get out of or
der, they are not expensive-recommenda
! tlons enough In a city where public clocks
are as essential as newspaper stands and
bootblackA
The 12-horse-power factory succeeded so
well that one of 120-horse power followed.
This was enlarged to 5,00J-horse power and
last December there was inauRurated a
second mandatory of compressed air,
| which to-day has apparatus for producing a
force OF S,OOO-horse power and which looks
| forward to the day when 1t will give three
| times thar amount The feeble undertake
ing which began a dozen years ago by turn
ing the hands of few clock dials il to-day
capable of furnishing the city Of Paris a
force OF 3,000-horse power.
The most favorable place for studying the
process Of manufacturing the power is in
the new fantory. Through the courtesy Of
the secretary Of the Popp Company, NJ.
Louis Hartogh, / was enabled to examine
In detail this enormous plant.
AN ENORMOUS PLANT.
IL Is situated in the outskirts of the city
| on the Seine and is connected with two rail
way lines. The buildings are In iron and
brick and covers space of about 2S0xl70
| feet.
| The machinery b all is Of course the point
OF interest. for here the air is compressed
| For this operation four compressors. each
Of 1000 horse power, are employed. They
are run by vertical steam engines of Cor
| liss distribution and triple expa lsion The
COMPRISING cylinders are placed directly
above the steam cylinders in the factory.
The air Is drawn from the exterior by the
pistons OF the two low pressure cylinders
and is collected in an intermediate reser-
voir. From there it is drawn by high
pressure cylinder and driven into the reser-
| voir, from which 1t passes into the pipe
which distributes it through the city.
The engine house, situated at the side of
machinery hall, is furnished with twenty
boilers, arranged in groups Of Ave. They
| bear American names, Babcook and Wilcox.
The compressed air is conveyed around
the city by means Of pipes, the diameter of
which, in the case OF the new factory is "a
feet. of the old a trile less than a foot. 1t
is ordinarily said In Paris that all these
pipes are carried through the sewers.
IN TIE SEWERS.
A portion Of them are, and the initiated
may easily detect them among the multi
tude Of wires, small lead pipes, OF huge iron
conduits, of all varieties of conductors
isiau underground promenades. The greater
part Of the pipes are, In fact, laid In the
| ground, and the company claim that pipe
age in the sewers is neither as simple nor as
satisfactory as 1t is supposed to be. The rea-
son is evident, IL we remember that the
pipes must follow the cuts of the sewer,
must adapt themselves to its accidents and
demands, and must not interfere with any
of the numerous other conduits lodged
there. Placing the pipes underground is
also less costly than putting them in the
sewers.
| The application OF the force are number
less. Probably the one at present of greater
interest to Paris is the production OF electric
light. The city is for the most part still
lighted by gas, bus large experiments have
been made with electricity and, slowly but
surely, 1t is winning the way here which it
has already In most other large cities
All that is needful TO obtain Immediately
force to run an electric motor at any speed
Is compressed air attachment.
THE APPLICATION FOR MOTORS.
This may be put in a space so small that
1t need not be considered, aud 1t requires no
more manipulation than turning the stop
cock. The space required for a steam en-
CINE, the work and dirt aud danger are all
done away with When it comes to secur-
| ing force at no further trouble than turning
/ q StOp-cOck the problam of running a ma