The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-01
MACHINERY RUN BY AIR
Entire Pullman Plant Nill &c Op.
Grated BY This POwer.
ALL DANGER TO LIFE REMOVED
Its Superiority Over Steam and Eleetsteity
Clsimsd-Csn Also DO Applied TO
Saudpapering Cars-Resuits
In Other Places.

Chicago, March 31.-COmpressed air
as a power has displaced steam In three
departments of the Pullman Palace Car
company's works. and the results have
SO far satisfied the officials that In all
probability the new force will be In use
shortly In all the great shops of the
corporation. The change IL radical and
marks a revolution In the manufactur-
ing system of the great Pullman plant.
The argument advanced at Pullman
in favor of a change from steam to
compressed air Is. in short, great saw
ing in manual labor, economy, ability
to transmit power long distances with
out loss OF force, simplicity, safety and
convenience. An official of the Pull
man company was sent to Omaha and
Topeka to go through the shops of the
Union Pacific and Santa Fe railroads
and to make q report on the general ef-
flciency and economy OF compressed air
as applied there in the department OF
carmaking. He has just returned and
his report strongly favors the adoption
Of the system throughout all the car
shops at Pullman.
The Introduction OF compressed air
means the doing away with the great
iron wheels which revolve near the CELL
Ing In all the shops. The belts which
run from these wheels to the work
benches and which not infreQuently
pick up workman and whirl his life
out will soon be things Of the past. To
take their places a pipe Will run along
each wall just back of the benches. In
front Of each workman small tube Will
connect with the main pipe and with
whatever bit Of machinery he has to do.
When the workman wishes to shut OF
his machine he simply has to close q
stopcock. To start the machine he re-
verses the operation. Under the steam
system the belt has to be slipped to one
side, but 1t goes on running ceaseless-
ly and noisily. With the air system 1t
Is claimed that the speed of the ma
chine in use may be graded, something
that is impossible when a belt Is used.
Compressed air IL already In use at
Pullman for lifting purposes. Tor the
testing of air brakes and for the clean
ing of carpets and upholstery. The lift
Ing of enormous weights Is accomplished
by the air process at q great distance
from the source Of power. 1t was said
at the shops yesterday that IL the same
lifting were done by steam at the same
distance from the source OF supply
much greater initial energy would be
needed. because steam loses as power
greatly by condensation during its
transmittal. The same to greater de.
NEXT USE OF AIR SYSTEM.
The probabilities are that the next
department at Pullman to be invaded
by the compressed air force will be that
In which the cars are sandpapered.
This work Is now done by hand. One
machine will do the work OF six men.
A disk to which the sandpaper is at
tached Is fixed on the end OF the air
no shn hnp q nj
the right of the operator, while to the
left Is a large duck hose extending al
most to the floor. This carries off the
dust. The floor Is kept damp and the
greater part of the dust adheres to 1t.
The maximum air pressure OH the piss
ton just balances the weight of the ma
chine, and ii can be raised or lowered.
with little effort on the part OF the OPP
orator. The work done by the machine
IL said to be far superior to that done
by hand, In that 1t makes an absolutely
uniform surface all over the side Of the
car.
There are ten engines to supply steam
for the running of the machinery in the
different departments at Pullman. The
engines are 40 placed that the work
which each has to do Is In its immedi-'
ate neighborhood. An officer of the
company says that with compressed air
as a motive power probably not more
than one centrally located large engine
would be necessary because the air lost
so little of its force when being trans
mitted to q distance. 1t was said that
at Topeka, at distance Of half mile
from the source of supply, compressed
air lost less than 20 per cent. of its
power. Steam at the same distance
loses more than 80 per cent Of its force.
Fully 30 per cent. of our steam power
here at Pullman" continued the official.
'is taken up by the betting. This loss Is
saved by the compressed air system.
Add to the 30 per cent lost to the belts
the amount lost in transmission and
you will see the immense advantage In
economy of force that compressed air
has over steam. Compressed air has
an advantage over electricity in that 1t
Is not dangerous and bee ause 1t cannot
start fires. In riveting, In breaking
stay bolts and in general boiler work
the use Of compressed air saves one
half the manual labor necessary under
,%t.