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Vacuum Cleaning for Public Vehicles.

3rd September 1908
Page 5
Page 5, 3rd September 1908 — Vacuum Cleaning for Public Vehicles.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Until quite a recent period, any real effort, or serious attention worthy of note, as regards the utilisation of

hygienic methods in connection with the cleaning of the interior portion of public vehicles, such as omnibuses, tnotorcabs, etc., or even what may be considered as a definite approach towards such an end, was of the most. casual type ; very little consideration was given to the subject. Vehicles, frequently, from the time they were turned out of the works, newly painted and upholstered, until they returned months afterwards, were treated with scant ceremony, and any heed which might be taken towards keeping them in a satisfactory or comfortably-healthy condition was of the most superficial and irregular character. All that custom settled was: (a) the floors were merely swept over, cushions hastily brushed, and ledges sometimes dusted; (b) only at long intervals were the cushions treated to any further cleaning than such as resulted from the use of a hard bristle brush, together with an occasional blow with the brush handle as an apology for something more effective in the direction of extracting the dust which had collected in the fabric; (c) special efforts towards dust extraction were made, now and then, in the shape of beating the cushions, etc., with a stick, and one has even seen that duty performed with a threshing flail, with a view towards additional efficiency in that direction, and, although such methods undoubtedly had the effect of removing a certain amount of the dust accumulations, the rough handling by which the result was attained told considerably upon the life of the materials. The foregoing proceedings entailed increased expense in the way of repair and renewals, the nap of the material was -frequently very much damaged, whilst the dust set free by the expenditure of a great amount of labour and time had a very bad effect, through its inhalation, upon the workmen employed. For many years, this was the prevailing system with regard to this

class of work ; in some cases, the most casual attention towards the cleaning

of the interior trimmings of the omnibus or cab was altogether neglected.

Coming to the present-day system o: dealing with the cleaning problem, ii is evident that considerably greater at. tention has been paid, and improve. Ineat undoubtedly effected, in the wa) of dealing with this special branch oi work. The public demand it. The greatly-increased use of the motorbtu and the motorcab draws increased at. tention to the real need for additiona smartness, and for the more cleanly ant hygienic condition of the vehicles. Tc meet these requirements, and to enable the dust and dirt to be removed from the upholstery in the most reliable an expeditious manner, without damage to the fabric or to the springs, The British Vacuum Cleaner Company; Limited, of Parson's Green Lane, Fulham, S.W., has designed many suitablE models of its dust-extracting apparatus. This company's cleaners are now being extensively used by railway companies, amongst which is the London and South-Western Railway Company, one of whose vacuum pumps is shown at work in the illustrations which WE reproduce on this page. The purnç has two single-acting cylinders, and it is driven by a two-cylinder, 6h.p., petrol

engine. This plant, although of an early type, has a capacity of 5,500 cubic feet of air per hour, and this exhausting ability is sufficient to keep two suction tubes at work. The L. and S.W.R. has found the machine (and also mane later models which it. possesses) very efficient and economical, and the use of such plants by motorbus and motorcab companies can only be attended by a marked degree of success. The vacuum cleaner not only does the work more quickly and more thoroughly than any of the means formerly employed, but the men work under more satisfactory and healthy conditions.

Although the particular plant which we illustrate herewith is equipped with a two-cylinder petrol engine the makers also supply electrically-driven plant of several sizes capacities from 5,500 to io,000 cubic feet of air per hour.

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Locations: London

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