Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-02-14
WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT OF THE

AIR SYSTEM.
The use compressed air as O
motive power entedates electricity,
although it is only within the past
few years that the system success
fully employed by the American
Air Power company has been de-
veloped. AS far back as 1879 an
air-motor car was run on the
streets of New York. In the fol-
lowing year an Englisbman nam
ed Colonel Beaumont operated
compressed air engine at Wool
wich, but it did not meet with
favor. In 1889 the city of Berne,
Switzerland, adopted air for street
traction, using what was known as
the Mekarski system, and in the
following year line was installed
in France and another at Chester,
England In 1892 Samuel Z. Jar
Wis built an air motor car which
was run on specially constructed
line in Detroit, and in the same
year the Consolidated company of
Toledo made some experiments
with a car equipped with the Me-
karski system.
None of these experiments were
reported failures, but from none
of those tried in this country did
any important results follow. One
difficulty encountered WAS in stor-
ing enough air to run the cars any
considerable distance. The air
was stored at low pressure, and
consequently the capacity of any
ordinary car was sufficient to car
ry it only about four miles, The
COMPRISING apparatus was far
from perfect, and the experiment
ere were troubled by the heating
of the air during the COMPRISING
process aud by its freezing when
expanded.
HARDIE THE GREATEST EXPERT
MENTER.
The development OF compress
ed air traction, as we have it toJ
day, is chiefly due to Robert Har-
die, a mechanical engineer and
inventor, who carried on his ex
periments in the use of compress
ed air at high pressure for several
years at Rome, n. Y, where the
first successful air-motor car con-
structed from the plans now in
use was put in operation.
The results Of Mr.. Hardie's ex-
periments were embodied in the
Hardie engine, built for expert
mental use on the Manhattan ele
waited railroad, and in street car
constructed for the American Air
Power company. The latter was
put in operation on the Four
Hundred and Twenty fifth street
line in New York on Aug. II, 1896.
Two others of the same pattern
were added little later, and the
three continued to run successful
ly for nearly year. 1t was the
practical test to which these cars
were subjected by actual service
that induced the Metropolitan
Traction company TO adopt the
air-motor system for some of its
lines. 1t was found that the cars
ran smoothly, with less wear and
tear to car and road equipment
than the cables, that they were
not affected by weather conditions
and that they were less dangerous
than cable or electric cars, as the
entire 2000-pound air pressure
could be applied to the brakes, or
the motor could be reversed if ne
cessary. The cost of operation
was little greater than that of
the other cars on the road.
HOW A COMPRESSED AIR CAR LOOKS.
The Hardie cars employed in
this experimental work were like
ordinary cable cars in appearance,
except that the space beneath the
body of the car was protected by
aprons extending along the sides.
Behind these aprons, mounted on
the car trucks, were the storage
chambers, connected with the run
ming gear by pistons similar TO
those employed in steam locomo.
tives. An improvement on this
driving apparatus was affected in
what is known as the Hosdley
motor, described as an "inside
gear" This is the one now in
use, and in cars OF this pattern
none of the operating machinery
is exposed to view.