The Portland daily press., 1899-03-29
WITH wATsR ANp W No.
How Inventor Rohr Processes TO Run
the Worlds Machinery.

"It win do away with steam engines,
relieve cities Of ths dirt and smoke Of the
present engine houses and use power
which 1t is running to waste. ca run
all the engines In the country, without
burning a pound OF coal aud America can
have all the power it wants by simply
building the apparatus TO hold 1t. That
is the way Mr.. william A. Rohr. who
some time ago was mentioned in the
papers as the inventor OF what was de-
scrlbed as perpetual motion machine,
tells of his latest idea. Mr.. Rohr now
proposes to do thswork Of the werid by
converting water power into compressed
sir which. he says, he can transmit for
any distance through pipes. Thus, he
says he could do away With steam en-
gines. He would run all sorts of ma
chinery, operate street cars, heat build
ings and freeze the food supply In cold
storage plants, all with compressed air
made by the waste power OF water in the
streams ard lakes.
Ibis is tho way he would 10 1t. Below
n water fall he would erect u stand pipe,
the top of which would be about on
level with the water above the fall. A
pipe would conduct the water to the top
OF the staudripe aud keep it tull. From
the bottom of the standpipe the water
would flow into the bottom of two great
c0mrrassors. The weight OF the water In
th sad p ps would fcrce the wa;er up
from tne IoIIom OF the compressors, lift
ing feat and forcing the air from the
into rsservCir When all the
Eai heen Il rcd out of one compressor
tire water would be auton atitally re-
ltased, "A new supply CT air would How In
a nd the process would be repeated. the
ater in the reservoir operating first one
then the other of tue compressors.
At places wherJ the wastr Is used IN the
Daytime fer min purposes this process
could be carried on at night. and then the
next morning the compressed mir IN the
Tess rvoir could be drawn on TO do work
in plares many miles away to which 1t
would be carried through pipes. Com
pressed air under certain conditions can
be III AIDE to develop great heat by frlc-
tlon. Thus buildings may be heated.
Air when exhausted will create cold.
Thus We have the means of operating cold
storage plants. In TACT If Mr. Rohr can
do what he says be can. tho world Will
soon be ran by water and wind. Mr.
Robr Gays that engineers lave toiu MIN
that with his system in operation at
Niagara he could develope power enough
30 run all the stationary engines In the
To show how he proposes to revolution
zs the motive power of the world, Mr.. |
Rohr has set up in the cellar of Port |
land house model of his apparatus. |
his consists of two retorts which take
lhe place of the comprsssors and smaller |
ron receptacle for the compressed air. |
I he retorts look not unlike the hot water |
heaters which ara seen In the kitchens OF
houses behind the cooking ranges. In
stead of drawing water from standplpe.
Mr.. Rohr takes his supply from the Seba-
20 pipe. AS the water rises In the retor6
the air is forced into the small receptacle
vi here 1t is compressed, the apparatus be.
Ing capable of producing a pressure OF
forty pounds to the square inch. The
affect ot the power thus obtained is shown
by the operation OF II cider press. The
in ventor connects his air supply with the
press by means of piece of small rubber
hose. Above the press he places Two
inch plank In such way that when the
plunger Of the press rises 1t Will cat
The plank under a strong timber frame. |
/ hers Is n turn of the wrist and snarp |
rack. The two inch plank drops TO the |
loor lroken in two by the forle of the |
iir A small engine, built like steam |
.ngipe is run by the air and deye!opes !
cover enough to run small machinery. |
In fact the things which the inventor
loes with this model are interesting
whatever may be thought or his project to
'un the world by means of comp ressed
lir made by water power.