San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-08-17
A NEW POWER RAILWAY.


Cheaper Than Electricity and Does
Away With the Deadly Wires.
The above is taken from that STAN
dard scientific and valuable paper the
Scien tific American, and will prove
very interesting reading TO all classes:
"In view of the serious objection TO
the trolley electrical system for pro-
pulsion of cars on surface roads in
cities, the annoyance from tearing up
streets and the cost of plant aud main
tenance of cable lines, the expense OF
horse power, with the sanitary evils
resulting from the location of stables
In populous cities, the tact that pueu-
matte motors, after a successful de-
moDstration of their superiority, have
been overlooked seems inexplicAD!e-
These motors are not only entirely
free from the uuj ecLiou able teaturrs Ut
Tie other SYSTEMS, out they furnish a
mode. o; propulsion which ~ more
safe and also more economical than
any other, with eqlal velocity of
Iravei!S
rne-e assertions are msde advisef-
iv AMI are based on actual drmOuslra
u"u. II 1878 aud 1879 five pneumatic
motors We're constructed upon the
y AIS aud uuder the supervision VI
James II. Hardie, mechanical en-
giueer, anG were run tor several
mon tbs on the Second avenue rail-
road, in New York, with perfect sue
cess.
In 1879, the writer was called upon
in the interests OF proposed investors
to investigate and report upon the
praclicability and expediency of
usuing pneumatic power for street
railroads. The comparative results
were overwhelmingly ia favor OF
motors of that class, but all attempts
to secure their general introduction
at that time proved failures. The
position taken by presidents and
other officers of horse railroad COM
panies, both in New York and Phila.
delphia. was that any car running
along city streets without horses in
front would brighten horses, cause
runawsys, accidents, and subject
companies to suits for damages.
This objection of cours, applies
with mnch greater force to tie cable
and trolley systems, which are &C
com panied by loud humming noise,
while pneumatic motors can have a
noiseless exhaust, but no argument
or explanation awaited in the face OF
this eDseless and ridiculous object.
ion. One railroad president said
that If the motor were adopted by his
company it would be necessary to
kill some of his old horses,
stuff the skins, and mount
pair OF them on a low truck in front
of each car. The attempt TO intro
duce pneumatic motors was thus
found to be premature in 1879. The
com pany could make no progress and
finally abandoned all efforts, losing
the capital expended in plant and
demonstrations, AMI no attempt 10
revive the motor have since been
made. The engineer and inventor,
Robert Hardie. IL now in the service
OF the mechanical department OF the
| Column Dlau exposition at Chicago, and
retains unshaken confidence in the
supriority of b pneumatic motor.
Existing circumstances Low seem
favorable tor the Introduction OF
motor which, free from the OF.
| jections to all other .ystems,
with no new detects of it's own,
may be considered rs perfect. No
| fears are now ente, tanned that car
running without horses in front will
make stampede of all equine
animals Oh the streets travelled
on. This, in 1879, was the
olly reason assigned in opposiotion
10 the introduction OF u pneumatic
m Dtor. ills possible therefore that q
lew extracts from the report made in
1879, may be OF in terest at the present
time.
The compressor plant was located
at Harlem on the line OF the second
Avenue railroad. 1t developed IS
horse power and charged the cylin-
ders under a car with compressed air
in seven minutes. With proportion
ately larger plant not more than one
minute would be required.
The report OF Mr.. Hardie stated the
capacity of the cylinders under the
seats at II, 900, 900 foot pounds of work,
capable OF running p car Is miles on Il
level,
The effect of the compressed air was
greatly increased by passing the air
through tank of hot water at tenn
perature due 10 so pounds pressure
The tank had capacity of cubic
feet and was placed on the side OF
the platform.
The writer has not at hand a copy
of his iuIl detailed report, but only aD
extract OF some of the results, which
will be here given.
A duty of nearly 80 per cent of the
horse power used in COMPRISING the
air can he secured from expansion
and utilization of dry air when CON-
pressed; and by using station
compound or condensing engInee,
four times the power can be obtained
with q given cost Of fuel, as compared
with ordinary steam motors, which
more than coun terbalances the loss in