IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC WAYS FOR THE TRANS- MISSION OF LETTERS, MERCHANDIZE, AND PASSENGERS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC WAYS FOR THE TRANS-
MISSION OF LETTERS, MERCHANDIZE, AND PASSENGERS."-A communication
from abroad by Elias Parkman Needham, of the City and State of
NV
TI
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd October 1865.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC WAYS FOR THE
TRANSMISSION OF LETTERS, MERCHANDIZE, AND PASSENGERS," to be as follows:-
In the pneumatic ways heretofore constructed for the transmission of letters,
merchandize, and passengers it has been most common to exhaust the tube in
front of the carriage or of the piston attached thereto, and allow the carriage
to be driven through it by the pressure of the atmosphere. It has also been
proposed to drive the carriage by admitting compressed air into the tube
behind it, the portion of the tube in front being open to the atmosphere.
[Price 8d.1

page_text: The object of this Invention is to obviate some objections to which both of
these plans are liable, and to bring the whole system under more perfect
control, and also to economize power. To these ends the Invention consists
in the employment of a continuous viaduct of tubing, in which the carriages
run. This tubing forms a complete endless way or circuit a, a, a, arranged to
form two lines between the termini of the way, as shewn in the annexed
Drawing. An air
pump b is placed at some convenient part of the tubular way
for the purpose of exhausting the-air from the front of the train. The whole
volume or body of air will therefore be separated within the viaduct or
tubes a from the external atmosphere, and being free from the influence of
the external air, the air in the tube a may be made to revolve like an
endless belt throughout the entire circuit of the tubes a, a, a, passing and
repassing continually through the pump 6, and returning to the exhausting
side thereof with the same velocity that it is delivered from the opposite side
without any tendency to a vacuum, and being constantly direct acting and
retro-active to an equal extent, so that it operates with equal force in the
two lines of tubing, and enables one a to be used for carriages to run in one
direction, and the other a¹ for carriages to run in the other direction
between the termini of the way.
The Invention also consists in the employment in combination with a
pneumatic way of branch tubes c connecting with the main tube a on opposite
sides of a station or point where it is desired to stop the carriages, for the
purpose of conducting the current around such station or point without
interfering with its continuity, and thereby rendering the operation continuous.
It also consists in the employment in combination with the viaduct or
system of tubing. a, of a system of receiving and delivery gates d and stop
gates e, so arranged that the stop gates may shut the receiving and delivery
gates out of the circuit, and permit them to be opened for reception and
delivery without interrupting the circuit.
It also consists in providing in the tubes at the stations and termini of
the way chambers in which air is compressed by the carriage or its piston
running into them, so as to form an air cushion for the purpose of
overcoming the momentum of the carriage and stopping it.
It further consists in providing vents to the above-mentioned air chambers
so as to regulate the compression of the air therein, and thus control the
stoppage of the carriage so that it may take place at the desired point.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS. IN PNEUMATIC WAYS FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF LETTERS,
MERCHANDIZE, AND PASSENGERS," being a communication from abroad, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
In the pneumatic ways heretofore constructed for the transmission of
letters, merchandize, and passengers it has been most common to exhaust
the tube in frout of the carriage or of the piston attached thereto, and allow
the carriage to be driven through it by the pressure of the atmosphere.
has also been proposed to drive the carriage by admitting compressed air
It

page_text: into the tube behind it, the portion of the tube in front being open to the
atmosphere.
The object of the present Invention is to obviate some objections to which
both of these plans are liable, and to bring the whole systein under more
perfect control, and also to economize power. To these ends the Invention
consists in the employment of a continuous viaduct of tubing, in which the
carriages run. This tubing forms a complete endless way or circuit, arranged
to form two lines belween the termini of the way. An air pump is placed at
some convenient part of the tubular way for the purpose of exhausting the
air from the front of the train. The whole volume or body of air will there-
fore be separated within the viaduct or tubes from the external atmosphere,
and being free from the influence of the external air, the air in the tube may
be made to rotate like an endless belt throughout the entire circuit of the
tubes, passing and repassing continually through the pump, and returning to
the exhausting side thereof with the same velocity that it is delivered from the
opposite side without any tendency to a vacuum, and being constantly direct
acting and retro-active to an equal extent, so that it operates with equal
force in the two lines of tubing, and enables one to be used for carriages to
run in one direction, and the other for carriages to run in the other direction
between the termini of the way.
The Invention also consists in the employment in combination with a
pneumatic way of branch tubes connected with the main tube on opposite
sides of a station or point where it is desired to stop the carriages, for the
purpose of conducting the current around such station or point without
interfering with its continuity, and thereby rendering the operation continuous.
It also consists in the employment in combination with the viaduct or
system of tubing of a system of receiving and delivery gates and stop gates, so
arranged that the stop gates may shut the receiving and delivery gates out
of the circuit, and permit them to be opened for reception and delivery
without interrupting the circuit.
It also cousists in providing in the tubes at the stations and termini of
the way chambers in which air is compressed by the carriage or its piston
running into them, so as to form an air cushion for the purpose of over-
coming the momentum of the carriage and stopping it.
It further consists in providing vents to the above-mentioned air chambers
so as to regulate the compression of the air therein, and thus control the
stoppage of the carriage so that it may take place at the desired point.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a horizontal section of a pneu-

page_text: matic way constructed and worked according to the Invention; Fig. 2 is a
side view of a portion of the way at oue station; Fig. 3 is a transverse
section through one part of the way; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the left-
hand terminus with the stop gates closed and the receiving and delivery gate
open.
A, A¹, are two tubes or lines of tubing of any length arranged near together
or at any distance apart, and connected at their termini so as to make a
continuous circuit, the connection of the left-hand terminus being made by a
transverse tube A2, and that at the right-hand terminus by or through a
rotary or other continuously operating air pump or blower B, by which air is
made to circulate continuously through the whole system of tubes in an
unbroken current, as indicated by arrows in Fig. 1, the current being in
opposite directions in the two tubes, as may be seen by referring to the arrows
above mentioned, and hence one tube or line serves for all the traffic in one
direction, and the other for all the traffic in the other direction. At the right-
hand terminus there is a receiving gate E in the line A of the tubing, and a
delivery gate F in the other line A¹. At the left-hand terminus there is
in the transverse tube A² a gate E', which is both a receiving and delivery
gate; these gates are all shown in Fig. 1. There may be as many stations
as desired between the termini, and generally both lines of tubing will pass
through each station, so that each station may be both a delivery and
receiving station for traffic in either direction. D, D, represents a station
at which there are provided a gate C in the line A and a gate C¹¹ in the
line A. These gates both serve for reception and delivery. The several
receiving and delivery gates at the termini and stations may be of any
suitable construction that will provide for entrance into and exit from the
tube, and that will not in any way obstruct the passage of the tube. These
gates are represented as being made to open on hinges a, a, as shewn in red
outline in Fig. 3. The tubes may be furnished with rail tracks for cars or
carriages containing the letters, goods, or passengers. On one side of each
reception and delivery gate C, C', there is in its respective line of tubing
what may be termed a stop gate G, and on the other side a similar gate G*.
These gates are represented in the Drawing as sliding plates, but they may
be of any suitable construction that will when they are open leave an
unobstructed passage through the line of tubing, as shewn in the line A¹.
At the right-hand terminus there are in each line of tubing two stop gates
H, H, of similar character to close the passage of the tubing, one of these
gates being situated on each side of the receiving gate E, and one on each

page_text: side of the delivery gate F. At the left-hand terminus there are two similar
stop gates H, H, one on each side of the receiving and delivery gate E'.
1, 1, are branch tubes provided in each tube or line of tubing at each station
and terminus to form a continuous communication through the tube at either
terminus or station when its stop gates are closed for entrance to or exit
from the tube. These branch pipes pass around the reception and delivery
gates and stop gates, as shewn in Fig. 1, and are always open to permit a
continuous circulation of air through the whole pueumatic way or train of
tubing, thereby obviating the necessity for the stoppage of the operation of
the pneumatic way at any time except for repairs, and allow the way to be
opened at either terminus or any station for entrance or exit without inter-
fering with the continuity of the current. When the stop gates at either
terminus or station are open the current passing through the gates owing to
the straight portions of the tube at the termini or station being shorter than
the curved branch tubes I,I, and hence the carriages in their transit will pass
through the straight portions of the tubes without interruption.
In illustration of the operation of the Invention let it be supposed that a
carriage is to be introduced or loaded at the gate E¹ of the left-hand terminus.
The stop gates H, H, on opposite sides of the gate E¹ are first closed, as
shown in Fig. 4, and then the gate E¹ is opened; and although the portion of
the tube A2 in which E' is situated is shut out of the circuit the current is
not interfered with, as it passes by the valves H, H, through the branch
tube I. When the carriage has been introduced or loaded the gate E¹ is
closed and its respective gates H, H, opened, and the air then circulating, as
shewn by the arrows in Fig. 1, through that part of the tube in which the
carriage is contained, immediately starts the carriage, which is then carried
along the line of the tubing A¹ until it is stopped by the closing of one of the
stop gates at one of the stations, or until it arrives at the terminus. Let it
be supposed that it is desired to stop it at the station D. The stop gate G*
is closed as shewn in Fig. 5, and when the carriage has arrived there, which
may be known by striking a bell or by other means, the gate G is also closed.
to shut the gate C out of the circuit, and the latter gate is then opened
without interfering with the continuity of the current, which is continued
through the branch pipe I at the station, and the carriage taken out unloaded
or loaded. When this is done the gate C¹ is closed and the gates G, G*, both
opened, and the carriage if left in the tube starts again, and other carriages
coming along are free to pass. The momentum of the carriage is overcome
gradually as it approaches the closed stop gate G* or H at a station or

page_text: terminus by the compression of the air in a portion of the main tube A; A¹,
or A2, between the entrance to the branch tube I and the most distant stop
gate, this portion of the main tube forining an air chamber out of the circuit.
This chamber or portion of the main tube should be long enough to contain
the requisite quantity of air for this purpose, and there may be provided in
each stop gate. a-vent b, as shewn in Fig. 5, consisting of a small hole of
suitable size to regulate the compression of the air in such a manner that the
carriage will stop directly opposite to the receiving and delivery gate. The
holeb may however be dispensed with and the same result obtained by leaving
the stop gate slightly open. This system of tubes may have branches leaving
the main line and returning thereto at suitable points for the conveyance of
letters; goods, or passengers to stations or points distant from the main line,
such branches being worked by branch currents of air from the same circuit
passing and repassing through the air pump B. The system of tubes may be
so arranged that strictly speaking it will have no termini, taking such a course
as to form one continuous tube with stations at suitable distances. Two or
more air pumps may be used in the way at different parts of its length.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Pneumatic
Ways for the Transmission of Letters, Merchandize, and Passengers," and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as
the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,
First, the employment as a pneumatic way for the transmission of letters,
merchandize, and passengers of a continuous viaduct or system of tubes in
which air separated from and beyond the influence of the surrounding atmo-
sphere is caused to circulate by means of an air pump or its equivalent, in
such a manner as to pass and repass uninterruptedly in a complete circuit,
substantially as herein described.
Second, I claim the employment in combination with a pneumatic way
of branch viaducts or tubes I, I, for the purpose of conducting the current
of air around the stations or points where it is desired to stop the carriages,
as herein specified.
Third, I claim the employment in combination with a pneumatic way of a
system of receiving and delivery gates and stop gates, so arranged that the
stop gates will shut the receiving and delivery gates out of the circuit of the
air in the viaduct or tubes, and allow them to be opened without interrupting
the circuit, as herein set forth.
Fourth, I claim providing air chambers 6 at the stations and termini of
a pneumatic way out of the circuit, as herein specified.

page_text: Fifth, I claim furnishing the stop valves with vents b, for the purpose
herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Third day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (Ls.)