The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-07-23
Lonaon Firemsn and FIrs Enc,nss.

A London correspondent Of the Scientific Ameri
can, writing under date OF the 9th ult, gives an
account Of the display of FIRE engines at the Crys-
tai Palace. trial of the merits "a which was made
on the serwndne:
"A largsbody of the London Fire Brigade, and
company Of foot guards, selected 10 work
them. There is one Canadian fire engine built in
Montreal, which was compared with the London
engines, and proved superior. 1t ia built in the
same style exactly as the old New York engines
This engine was tried against two of the English
engines combined, and discharged not only a
greater quantity OF water, but threw it to greater
distance. How wished that some of the New
York or Philadelphia engines had been here;
think 1t Is shame that they not In fire en-
gines the United States excel but who knows
about that here? People think the Canadians are
ahead of US. am confident that New York fire
engine would have come off bearing the bell
should state here that the Canadian engine was
much larger, being sixteen inches stroke, or dou-
bic that OF the London ones
sin the streets of London the email, compact
English engines answer well, as they take up but
little room, and they do wonders for their size.
The London hire department, brigade, as il ia
called is very differently managed from that of
New York. Ii is under the superintendent of a
Mr.. Braidwood, Scotchman, who planned the
system. He is employed by the London insurance
companies under contract; he furnishing the en-
gines and men, and keeping up the system they
paying SO much according to the property they
insure. The men have unIforms-a black leather
Roman helmet and trim blue frock coat with
standing collar. In undress they wear cape.
There are six men, think, employed for each en-
ginej they do nothing else but wait upon and man
age II; some of them always sleep in the engine
houses and are ever ready They do not drag
the engine to a fire; two horses, day and night,
stand ready at a moments warning to be hitched TO
the machine and their eyolutions are exceedingly
rapid and well directed The men are a fine set of
fellows, tim irony and active; they are paid very
good wages, and have mostly been London water
men. They do not work the cngines the crowd
at the fires do this. The men from the crowd are
selected and paid one shilling sterling per hour for
their labor; they are managed and directed by the
regular fremen, and plenty of stout fellows can be
selected at every fire. The regular fremen of the
brigade mount the ladders and manage the hose
They are very daring and supple; they run along
roofs and climb along from window TO window like
cats. The fire brigade is a model one certainly;
the Scotch superintendent is an engineer, keen,
wiry, Paul Jones looking chap. There are other
companies In London, such as the West OF Eng and
Brigade, but 1t cannot compare with the London
Brigade. There is ire-engine in every barrack.
The soldiers turn out at the fires and very efi-
clent set OF firemen, especially the 'sappers and
miners. They are very intelligent soldiers, being
generally selected for their mechanical qualities.
The email London engines are said to be better
adapted to this city than larger ones, as they take
up only about one third the room of common New
York engine. They say, I'VE can get two streams
quicker on the fire than one large one.' This is
true; but large ten-inch New York cylinder, or
one of Agnew's Philadelphia cylinders, can send
stream of water eighty feet higher. am partial
to the large engine, but they say the large ones
have been tried in London, and were not 80 useful
as the small ones. There are two huge floating en-
gines kept on the Thames by Braidwood; each one
will take more than hundred men to work it; they
are but seldom used. The London corporation has
not to pay the expense of the fire Departmental is
borne by the gentlemen of the Fire Insurance Com
panies, who by very sensible policy of John Bull
are made to do something for their own property
In the trial which took place between the London
and Canadian engines, the men did their work we'll
and systematically. At fires there is no confusion
and no noise; the superintendent is always on hand
and Ia a man who appears to be everywhere at
once.D