Year: 1878

The problem Of the comfortable, safe,
and quick carriage of passengers in the
street cars of this city seems about to
reach a double solution. The elevated
railroads are within month of compile
ton, and the Second Avenue Railroad
Company will soon introduce on the up
per portion of its route cars propelled by
n pneumatic motor, which has been per-
fected during the pas, winter 10y the al.
most secret labors, in this city, of two
Scotch inventors, Messrs. Hardy and
james. The details of the invention can
scarcely be explained without drawings,
and in any case may be safely left to en-
gineers. What is OF more general interest
is the invention viewed from the stand
point OF passenger, and that was fairly
shown by trial trip on Saturday last
As the car started from Sixty-tifth street
for Harlem river, it required close
examination to distinguish it from an or
dinary two-horse car without the horses
The air reservoirs like hot. water boilers
in hOuseranges, were almost concealed
under the ends of the car, and the ngines
were totally invisible. The car started
and stepped almost instantly, and ran
over all grades at all rates from slow
walk to ninety miles an hour, which was
said to be well within the capacity of the
engine. All this was effected by the
operation of single lever, which in one
position sent the car ahead, in another
backward, and in a third stopped it with
out any separate brake, and much more
readily than tho common horse car is
stopped.


There was an almost startling absence
of machinery; there was no Kissing of
steam, no governor, no gauge, and no
tangle of rods and wheels. The whole
apparatus seemed far less complicated
than sewing and there proba-
bly, is not single driver of street car
who could not learn its whole operation
within an hour. 1t was pleasant to OBJ
serve, too, that its operation was entirely
odorless. The mingled smell of oil and
of sulphur from burning coal is very Of
fensive when the engine and Car are
brought so close together as is necessary
with any steam dummy, but on Saturday
there was not trace of either. Ofcourse,
cars of any desired size can be used, and
the accommodations as we'll as the speed
he thus increased. In point Of safety,
there must be considerable increase, if
not over the horse-car, at least over the
steam dummy, for the pressure must al.
ways grow less from the Time of starting
on trip; and, furthermore, unlike a
boiler, the reservoirs are practically inde
structible, as they are built of steel, are
tested to twice the pressure used, and are
not exposed to the action OF fire or
water In short, the only thing passen-
gers could object to was the noise of the
air escaping, after service, in the cylin-
ders. Even as it was, it was not notice
able except when the car was running at
a high rate of speed, and then it was not
| so bad as that of the dummies in use on
the Elevated Road, which have given rise
to no complaints. Mr.. Hardy attributed
the noise to tho smalness of the holes or
sports" through which the air escaped,
and he has no doubt that the cars which
the Delamater Iron Works are now con-
structing will be almost absolutely noise
less. 1t is true that the car frightened
the horses. which it passed; but the Off
GERS of the company think that matter
of small consequence and one which will
cure itself in time.


OF course, various motives govern the
railroad company in adopting the cars.
1t 10 impelled chiefly by economy. On
this point Mr.. Hardy speaks with great
confidence. Other pneumatic engines
| There have been score Of them) have
not utilized over 25 per cent. of the pow
er used in COMPRISING the air for their
consumption, while this, it is expected,
will utilize, as it has repeatedly done on
trial trips, so per cent. The margin of
loss of power is still further decreased
by using for the compression of the air a
stationary engine which will only con-
sumo two pounds of coal per horSe-pow-
per hour, as against eight pounds for
a locomotive. Furthermore, each two
horse car uses ten horses, which seat
their heads Off whether they are. idle or
busy, and which usually die in the SER
vice in less than FIVE years. But these
cars need only one engine apiece, which
costs nothing when idle, and which, the
inventors declare, is extremely durable.
! tits claimed thai one OF these cars can
be run for $40 day or 81 less than an
ordinary two-horse car.


The Philadelphia steam dummies have
been abandoned because, among other
reasons, they were so heavy that they
wore out the rails and disjointed the
sleepers and bolts, thus costing large
sum in repairs to the road-bed But
these cars when loaded weigh only half
as much again as an ordinary street-car,
or, at an estimate, eight tons, about two
tons less than the Philadelphia dummy.
The first cost of the new motor is very
reasonable In short, any sufficient rea-
SON why these cars cannot be used must
be developed by experience. A trial for
them is assured, and it is likely that their
use will extend, not only through the
city, but throughout the country.-N Y.