Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-08
THE AIR MOTOR PROBLEM
Views of Mr.. 7. P. Kane, Based Upon His
Recent Observations.
system Not Likely 20 BE Adopted in.
New fork-Tcndency tn In
foreground Power.


TO New York at the instance of the Amer,
can Air Power Company. to inspect the
working OF the air motors I'm use there.
mas made a report OF his observations to
me lexington Citizens Association, a copy
OF winch was placed I'm the hands of En-
gineer Commissioner Black Mr.. Kane
says. in part:
In August. 1896 three air motors Of the
Hardie patent were introduced on the laath
street line. This line extends across the
city from the Harlem river to the North
river. round-trip distance Of a fraction
over four miles IL is a straight and level
stretch OF road, without grades or curves
10 speak OF, except where the tunnel OF the
New York Central railroad is crossed AT
TINS point there is short rise, said to be
a "a per cent grade.
From August to January two of these
ar cars were regularly run. according to
report every week day. on the schedule
time of the cable cars which are operated
over the same tracks. From January to
August 1897, only one car was run and
since August 3. 1897, none has been
lnquiring of one of the officials Of the
Air Power Company to the cause of
suspension of their operation / was in
formed mat the Air Power Company con-
racted with the railroad company to run
the cars one year from August 3 lSH I'M
der an agreement that all of the expense
In connection with their installation and
operation should be borne by the Air
Power Company, the railroad comnanv
simply furnishing a conductor and motor
man TO operate the and reserving the
rlgnt TO collect and retain all the fares
Al the end OF the contract year the rail-
road company showed no disposition TO
adopt the system, and, when approached
on tne subject OF Its adoption, always had
some excuse for delay, and the Air Power
company, being unwilling to longer con-
unue the arrangement under which the car
was operated, shut down the plant and
discontinued the running of the car on Au-
gust 3, 1897.
Although at the date Of a communica-
ton upon the subject. two of the Hardie
cars had been W daily operation on I2Jth
street for nine months, Mr.. Elias, president
of the company. was still unable to satisfy
himself as to the relative cost of their
operation as compared with other motive
power.
From all could learn from the officers
OF the Air Power Company, and from
others well Informed on the situation, there
does not seem to be any present prospect
for the adoption of the compressed air sys-
TEN on any of the principal lines i'm New
York running down town.
The hopes Of the air power people seem
to center in the short cross-town lines
rather than in the principal downtown
lines. and negotiations are now being di-
iected toward securing the adoption q: air
motors on them, but with what prospect
for success, il any, in the immediate flu
ture il is impossible to say
The fact that il is not TO be used on
any of the principal lines would seem to
confirm the belief generally entertained
that this form of motive power is adapted
only TO short lines, which Will permit of
frequent recharging of the motors, al
though IL is claimed by the advocates OF
the system that seventeen miles can be run
on one charge of air.
The further fact that the Sd avenue
company has not yet shown any dispo-
ion .l.,,.r
experience with it, is not considered very
encouraging for its adoption even on the
cross-town lines.
Il found one car of the Hoadley- X night
patent running on Lenox avenue from the
car Shops at 146th street to 1U3th street
and Columbus avenue. a round-trip dis
| lance of about four miles The car in
operation there is an exact counterpart of
the one last tried here. The draughtsman
at the works told ne that some slight
changes had been made i'm the machinery
of the motor which, he thought, might
tighten the car somewhat, but IL was prac-
ucally the same car in size. weight, ma
chirery and general appearance as the one
last tried in Washington.
The Lenox avenue line over which the
Hoadley-knight car is run is operated by
the underground electric system. Ii has
three curves and one grade. The road is
perfectly fiat, without any grade until lo9th
street is reached where there is what is
claimed to be a ~ per cent grade. about
haitian and Columbus avenues. This grade
is equivalent to the one on Louisiana ave-
nue., but no greater, is perfectly straight,
and without the curves that the latter has
The movement of the car the level
is about the same as that of the car tried
here There is no perceptible difference
except that IL runs somewhat smoother be-
cause of the excellent condition of the
roadbed. The conductors on the under
ground electric cars say that il can attain
a greater speed than the electric cars but
does not run as smoothly when going fast
the vibration increasing with the speed of
the car 1t ascends the grade at lWsth
street in about the same manner as the
car here assembled the grade at Louisiana
avenue, with a gradually diminishing speed
as II nears the top, and with the familiar
putting noise of the air exhaust. / could
not learn, however, that the car ever failed
TO reach the top of the grade.
THE facts show that air motors are I'm
no more successful operation there today
than they are in Washington. with the
probabilities strongly against the adoption
of the system by any of the lines in that
city. Everything there tends toward the
underground electric the more reliable,
satisfactory and. in the end. economical OF
the two systems"