New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-31
AIR MOTOR CARS A SUCCESS.
AN EARLY MORNING TEST IN ONE-HUN-
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES IFTH-ST. EN-
TIREIY SATISFACTORY


DRED-AND-TwENTY-F IFTH-ST. EN-
TIRELY SATISFACTORY.
| A trial trip of one Of the three Hardie air motor
etreetcars recently received by the Third Avenue
Railroad Company from the American Air Power
Company was made in ne-hundred-and-twenty-
ffth-st about a. m. yesterday. On board the
car were Superintendent J. II. Robertson, and
Messrs Bliss and Kirby. engineers of the railroad
company; Robert Hardie the veteran inventor OF
the motor: T. A. Willard. president, and H. u
Cooke, general manager OF the American AIT
Power Company: Colonel Lewis Walker. president
of the Compressed Air Motor Company OF chi
cago: General Herman Haupt president. and f.
F. Pettec engineer OF the General Compressed AIT
Company; August Belmont. +. F. Darrell r. W.
Huidekoper and Peter W. Delaney OF this city;
Charles williams and F. c. Kessinger. OF Rome.
~ Y s. d. Anderson. Of Chicago. and j. Nj.
Thompson. OF San Francisco Mr.. Thompson built
at San Francisco the first cable street railroad
ever constructed in this country and now has the
rights of the American Air Power Company on the
Pacific Slope.
A picture OF one Of the cars has already been
published In The Tribune Since the cars were re-
ceived last week they have been fitted with regu-
lation safety tenders. Each car with Its mech
anism. weighs 1900 pounds, and is intended to be
run about twelve miles an hour, although test
car that was run on the tracks OF the New-fork
Central Railroad from Rome to Oriskany attained
a speed OF thirty miles hour. There is COM
pressed air tank and a hot-water tank under each
car. For charging these a plant has been con-
structed in the station OF the Forty-second street
Manhattanville and st. Nicholas Avenue Haiiroau
at One hundred and twenty -nnth-st. between
Twefth-ave. and the Boulevard
Mr.. Harde personally operated the mechanism
of the motor tested yesterday morning. The car
made two round trips from Fort Lee ferry, Oh
quent tests were made in starting. stopping and
backing the car, which was operated with ease
which the motors supplied the car when run
ming at the rate Of twelve miles an hour was
The The motor motor was run most Of tho distance
traversed at speed of about eight miles an nour'
ing from one TO fifteen miles an hour. Under all
circumstances the car was steady and comtortaole'
pany's engineers expressed satisfaction with the
trial. which regarded by the oncers OF the
American Air Power Company and their guests as
entirely successful. -
The problem Of building sreetSa sS motor COM M
space that could be occupied by passengers ana IN
size and appearance not to differ from an Ordinary
This has been carefully considered by Mr.
Harde in all his plans. The motor is simple e. h ln'
die or valves to watch, but by slight wrist move,
ment on short lever the motorman at one ana ana
the same time accomplshes the stopping Oh tne
car the putting on OF the air brakes. the starting
of the and the letting off Of the air brakes; or
possible to move the hah an inch one way yo or
the Other and nd TO- o., % snse ne
one of the advantages claimed for these motors
"a that they require no special constructions; that
tbov nan no gradually and economically introduced
into service upon any road. and can be operated AT
the same time with trolley cao'e ho'se VI any
other system now In use. ,, -
The cars which have arrived In New. orR were re
charged with air Mt Rome. n. Y. previous 10
their being loaded upon the fat cars on which they
were shipped The air that was charged INTO inc
reservoirs at Rome was used 10 propei the car up
an n,.line on to the freight car on which they were
loaded and when they reached New fork 'ney
49, nronelled of the car by their own power and
when turned around $50 to face the car TRACKS,
were run by their own power over the cooo os
stones on 10 the streetcar tracks up and into the
compressing station. This illustrates one OF me
economic features OF the motor for power Wnieh
20 mnde one day and II not then used may De
ga we'd for use another day.