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Vacuum (Vacume) power - 1920s
Posted by:
harryc
()
Date: July 09, 2013 08:35AM
IIRC in Lords of the Levy - about Bathouse John and Hniky Dink - one of the shell companies that was founded sold centralized vacuum (vacume) power - but I can't find any references now.
I remember being told that some of the old piping in 850 N LSD was for this, ran into it when working for NMNH.
I remember being told that some of the old piping in 850 N LSD was for this, ran into it when working for NMNH.
Re: Vacuum (Vacume) power - 1920s
Posted by:
b.a.hoarder
()
Date: July 09, 2013 11:15AM
I think it may be a question of nomenclature that is preventing you from finding any information. The propulsion was pneumatic, rather than vacuum. Air pressure pushed the capsules, rather than a vacuum pulling them through the tubes. I didn't see any reference to BH or HD, but I can tell you that by 1916 Chicago had 20 miles in it's pneumatic tube system.
Re: Vacuum (Vacume) power - 1920s
Posted by:
harryc
()
Date: July 09, 2013 11:49AM
I am starting to think that what I saw was the remnants of the pneumatic tube system. Possibly the idea for vacuum powered household tools never got past a smokey back room.
Re: Vacuum (Vacume) power - 1920s
Posted by:
Mr Downtown
()
Date: July 11, 2013 12:54AM
A century ago, pneumatic tube systems (for sending paperwork, cash, or small objects around a building) were fairly popular, but I can't think of any reason one would have been installed in what was essentially a hotel. In any case, those had tubes at least six inches in diameter.
Medical office buildings (Willoughby, Pittsfield, Garland, etc.) had centralized compressed air systems, which would use small tubes like you describe. But the Lake Shore Athletic Club was never intended or imagined as a medical office building.
The building did have a vacuum return steam heat system, which was state-of-the-art. But at the time you were in the building, the original pipes and radiators would presumably have still been in use. There wouldn't have been a bunch of plugged-off tubes.
The connection to Bathhouse John Coughlin doesn't seem very clear. The word [i]vacuum[/i] doesn't seem to appear anywhere in [i]Lords of the Levee.[/i]
Medical office buildings (Willoughby, Pittsfield, Garland, etc.) had centralized compressed air systems, which would use small tubes like you describe. But the Lake Shore Athletic Club was never intended or imagined as a medical office building.
The building did have a vacuum return steam heat system, which was state-of-the-art. But at the time you were in the building, the original pipes and radiators would presumably have still been in use. There wouldn't have been a bunch of plugged-off tubes.
The connection to Bathhouse John Coughlin doesn't seem very clear. The word [i]vacuum[/i] doesn't seem to appear anywhere in [i]Lords of the Levee.[/i]
