Experiments in which pressure pulses are propagated in a column of fluid held in a stiff tube are described. A parameter, η, which characterizes the tube stiffness has been defined and a one-dimensional model of the wave propagation which includes dissipation both in the volume of the fluid and at the wall of the containing tube has been developed. It is found that dissipation at the wall dominates dissipation in the fluid volume for pulse lengths long compared to the tube radius. The experimental results delineate practical limits on the ratio of pulse length to tube radius for which the wave propagation can be characterized as one-dimensional. The validity of a one-dimensional representation of pulse transmission and reflection at a solid-fluid interface is also evaluated with the aid of experimental results. Finally, the dissipation model in combination with the experimental results leads to a simple expression for pressure pulse attenuation in terms of a nondimensional physical parameter, Ξ, and tube radius.