Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 20.djvu/324

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
310
THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.

open; the other two are normally closed. The automatic escape of the lever G, at the end of each minute, moves the slide-valve, opens the second orifice, and sends an impulse into the pipes; at the end of a number of seconds, determined by experience and dependent on the length of the pipes (a number which varies from ten to fifteen seconds),

Fig. 4.—Distributing Clock of the Pneumatic System.

the slide-valve is brought back to its original position by the clock-work, closes the two orifices, and allows the extra pressure which has been introduced to escape into the air. This operation is repeated every minute. The motive-power for the clock-work of both move-