New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-07-11
20 Varieties @z~
TUNNEL VENTILATION.
A SIMPLE ENGINEERING PROBLEM. WHICH
HAS BEEN SOLVED ELSEWHERE
AND CAN BE HERE.

From The Engineering News.
But must Ine OF tne sn &
the Park-ave. jewellers take their air diluted with
The remedy for the conditions complained of is 20
be found not in any revolution IN the system OF
ton of a system of tunnel ventilation which Will
There is nothing experimental or doubtful or
visionary about this The application of power
can ' work in one held with as much certainty Of
IS constantly foued by the discharge of frequently
& thas efrected by natural air Currents. some Of
the time aided and some OF the time hindered by
Such gases as finally escape from the tunnel are
readily blown into the windows OF houses on
either side of the streets This is hit-or-miss ven
Parkave. railway tunnels is a good deal more miss
MI Franklin. the manager of the Grand Central
Station and tunnel. is quoted as saving: -,
isfactoriiy and far have failed to get at sat
Wih the NeWYork Central but question Of being
able TO do that which is best for both the road and
II Would be of interest to the public-or at least
the the ensaaefs Who @ on this
and whether they were really given fair limit as
the best regards methods
We have said above that the problem is really
simple one. and we are strongly inclined 70 believe
that the New-fcrk Central engineers Will be ready
involved really so simple that even a layman
can grasp them: The foul gases ought to be dis
charged. of course, at the height of the chimney
tops and not at the street level. This the
erection of shafts chirnneys the tunnel
openings. The flow of the gases up these chmneys
and OF fresh air into proper tnlets to the tunnel
should be assisted by fans operated by electric
motors These inlets and outlets should be dis
posed that the movement of trains In the tunnel
will assist rather than retard the air movements.
large that great volumes Of air can be moved with
moderate velocities; II this is borne in mind. mod
crate amount of power only will be required oper
fans and to keep the tunnel reasonably
clear OF smoke and steam at all times.
There is just way to ventfiate room; bring
fresh air in and carry the foul air out. The
rule applies to a railway tunnel When engineers
tilation II has been because they have handled
the matter too small scale. The locomotives
throat Is sixteen inches in diameter. and Ii dis
charges and steam from II at speed of several
thousand feet minute. A great volume of air
must be removed to offset this pollution but II IL
is moved at low velocities this be done with
very moderate consumption of power: AS an Illus
OF the Pennsylvania Railroad tunnel In the city OF
Baltimore, erected In 1892 Here IS horsepower
motor changes the entire volume OF air In double
track tunnel 5000 fest long every five minutes. and
discharges II from the top OF a lO0-foot chimney.
More rapid changes than this doubtless needed
In the Park-ave. tunnel. with Its frequent trains.
but they can be made with no extravagant con-
sumption of power
II the railways using the Park-ave. tunnel should
provide for II efficient system OF ventilation.
render It's atmosphere breathabe, IL is quite
within the possibilities that the stimulus given
their suburban traffic might more than repay their
expenditure