The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1896-11-27
PNDUMAT1o DUST BRooMs.:.


Cleaned of Dust IN q Few Minutes.
Even the good old-fashioncd bvoom,
and the noiseless carpet-sweeper are
giving away before modern inventions.
The poor old broom Is being crowded.
back into its corner by the all-pre9aiI-
ing pneumatic devices. Is the time
coming when the average ho,,sekeeper..
will have an aircompressing machine.
in the basement for furnishing power.
that will clean her carpets in place
Of the professional carpetcleaner?;
Such q device Is already in use in q.
number of railroad yards Of Chicago .
for cleaning railway coaches.
A representative Of the Times
Herald visited the Santa Fe.. yards.
recently, and saw the operation OF the
new pneumatic broom sweeping clean.
Tratnmen were at work cleaning
sleeping cars which had just returned
from California. Several hundred !.
yards from the cars was the power
house, In which was the powerful
engine for COMPRISING the air.:which
does broom service. Through. dong
underground pipes of perhaps 11-2 or
inches In diameter the compressed !.
air was carried to the tracks Here O.
rubber hose was attached to the con-
nectiOn, and at the end Of this hose
was a long-handled nozzle. The nozzle
consisted of an iron pipe q little larger
and about the same length aS broom.
handle. One end of this pipe was In
serted into the rubber hose, and upon
the other end was q broad brass arr
rangement which reminded one Of the.
mouth Of catfish more than any
thing else. The end Of the brass:
fixture was almost q foot in width, and!
across the face or end there Was q.
narrow slit running from one side to /.
the other, not more than 1-32d of. an
inch In width. Through this long:
narrow aperture comes the compressed.
Dir Mt about the rate Of IS. cubic feet.
o minute.
The car cleaner gr1sps the iron pipe
In his hands much as housekeeper
does her carpet sweeper and. prepares.
for work. The carpets from the cars.
are thrown down face up on the plat
form, on the side Of the track, and the !.
pneumatic instrument Is pushed back
and forth over the nap with the brass
end Immediately upon the, carpet or
just above 1t. The airsrnshing .azaitlstt
the carpet with tremendous velocity.
blows the dust and dirt out. in q cloud,
like the smoke from q. locomotive. Thu
rapidity with which the work is done
is another astonishing feature. Enough.
carpet to cover an ordinary sized room
ts cleaned SO thoroughly that no more.
dust could be beaten OUT WITH, a, stick.
For cleaning the upholstery of the.
seats In the cars O smaller brass nOz-
zle, only two 0r.three inches,itl width.
Is used, but the operation. Is otherwise.
the same as that, used for the carpets.
The system Is used only. for cleaning
the carpets and upholstery, as it, 10.
manifestly not practicable for sweep.
ing the floors. Should! il be used. fDr'
taking the dust and dirt: from the bot.
tom Of the cars it would. only blow
everything into the air and would not
take out the heavier particles which
are always to be swept from. the floor:
What little. dust falls back upon the.
upholstery il very little. and; can be-
easily ramOved. ndklh the ordinary
feather: duster.
The pneumatic eystam, for Qleanins.
the carpets and. upholstery has been in
use I'm railroads yards. In Chicago for
several months. Ii lins been. Apuni, to
clean. the carpet and. upholstery more
perfectly than anything else, does Il
with q vast saving. Of. time and wears
out the goods lass than any other
method. These, three things. cut q Re.
markablc figure, IL cleaning the eao4.
nous. number Of cars that are reno.
waited every day In Chicago. No one
knows who is the inventae and mn one
has ever claimed the credit Chicago