INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR 1876. ccxxiii 



we must not omit to mention the bridge over the Hudson River at 

 Poughkeepsie, upon whicli, it is announced at the time of this writ- 

 ing, work will be begun at once. The contract for the building of 

 the bridge has been awarded to the American Bridge Company of 

 Chicago. Its estimated cost is placed at |4,000,000. The point 

 fixed upon for the structure to cross is near the upper landing, or 

 ferry dock, and at the intersection of the Poughkeepsie, Hartford, 

 and Boston Railroad, and the Hudson River Railroad. The eleva- 

 tion of the bridge above high-water mark will be 130 feet, which 

 will place it above the tallest masts of vessels plying the river. The 

 entire length of the structure, with land approaches, will be 3400 

 feet. 



From the annual report of the president of the Western Union 

 Telegraph Company we glean the following facts concerning the 

 pneumatic dispatch system, lately introduced by the company in New 

 York City, viz, : During the past year the central office of the com- 

 pany in the city above named has been connected by means of pneu- 

 matic tubes with branch offices located at No. 14 Broad Street, No. 

 134 Pearl Street, and the Cotton Exchange. The tubes are of brass, 

 each 2i inches internal diameter and | of an inch thick, and are laid 

 under the pavements in the streets, at a depth of three feet. Mes- 

 sages are sent from the central office to the above-named branch of- 

 fices by compressed air, and from the branch offices to the central 

 stations by atmospheric pressure or exhaustion. The motive power 

 is supplied by a 50 horse-power duplex engine, situated in the base- 

 ment of the central office, which operates two double-acting air- 

 pumps communicating with the compression and vacuum mains 

 terminating in the operating-room. These are connected with the 

 line of tubes by means of valves so constructed that carriers contain- 

 ing messages may be sent through the same in either direction by 

 simply turning a cock connected with the comjoression or exhaust 

 mains. 



The usual pressure employed is six pounds to the square inch, 

 and the time occuj^ied in transmitting a box or carrier containing 

 messages between the central office, corner of Broadway and Dey 

 Street, to the office at No. 14 Broad Street (700 yards), is about 40 

 seconds; and between the central office and the offices at No. 134 

 Pearl Street and the Cotton Exchange (900 and 1100 yards respect- 

 ively), about 1 minute and 5 seconds, and 1 minute and 20 seconds 

 each. 



The operation of the system is pronounced to be very satisfactory, 

 resulting in a material saving of time and money, as compared with 

 the old system of transmission by wire. The total cost of the im- 

 provement is placed at about $30,000, and the economy of the pneu- 

 matic system is so decided that, according to President Orton's es- 

 timates, fully one half of this outlay will be saved annually. An 



