Proceedings of the P olytechnic Association. 913 



' less than nine inches in diameter, small cylinder carriages, and a few 

 mechanical contrivances for opening and closing the necessary valves. 

 A lad received all the dispatches with perfect ease, and the time occu- 

 pied in transmission was but a few seconds, five to fifteen, according 

 to distance. The letters and parcels were placed in the small cylinder 

 carriages, which were roughly surrounded by felt, requiring no nice 

 fitting or adjustment. All this, lite Columbus' egg, appears extremely 

 simple, now that' it is efi'ected, and the wonder is that the idea never 

 occurred to those whose brains and pockets have been alike ransacked 

 to provide a perfect system of express locomotion. 



Extension OF THE Lines. 



The practical results of the working of these lines induced the 

 formation of a " Pneumatic Dispatch Company," with a royal 

 charter, possessing power to lay down tubes at any point within the 

 jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Board of Works in the city of Lon- 

 don. They are now rapidly constructing lines to connect the ten 

 district post-offices with the general post-ofiice; and they propose, 

 also, to extend lines between the different railway termini, 'the goods 

 depots, the principal London markets, and other importarlt points. 

 The first line of this company was laid from Euston squaire, near the 

 Northwer^tern Tailway station, to the post-office in -Evereholt street,, 

 about a half mile. These tiibes are two feet nine inches, 'by two feet 

 six inches wide, a section being similar to a railway tr.nnel in minia- 

 ture. A speed of thirty -five miles an hour, practicsL working, was 

 immediately obtained, with an atmospheric pressure <5f only four to 

 six ounces to the square inch. This line is circuitous, and with, 

 gradients of one in sixty, one in forty-five, and ©ne in thirty-five. 



Opinion oe vAn Experienced Engineer. 



An experi-enced engineer writes thus of thisUine: 

 I^ext to the electric telegraph, this is the most beautiful invention 

 ^of the age, and we doubt not it will prove one of the most usefuL 

 We say this with the most perfect confidence, after seeing its practical 

 operation at the Electric and International Company's office. The 

 Pneumatic Dispatch Company propose to enlarge operations without 

 delay, and their plans will be upon a scale which will enable them 

 not only to transmit papers and packets, but to deal as well with, 

 packets of considerable bulk. 



[Inst.] '58 



