The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-07-09
The steam Self propelIiny Fire Engine.

The steam Self PropeIiiM- Fire Engine,
The performance of the new self-propelling
steam fire engine in Philadelphia has been nc
tieed. letter in tho New York Tribune gives
an interesting description of its trip from New
York, where it was built, 10 Philadelphia II
had persons aboard, and the total weight, in
GLIDING the water in the tank, fuel and engine
itself, was $4,000 pounds. 1t was carried as
far as Bristol on the railroad, because Of some
common road bridges deemed unsafe, and was
there put off to work It's own passage car.
riage was to accompany it. The letter says:
1t had been the intention that the carriage
shouid keep ahead but it soon became mani
Test that this was out Of the question The
horses Were strong and willing but they could
hold no contest with the tireless horse giant
that had taken the roaa with them. In a very
lew minutes III oyerhauled them, checked up,
ana Hhaiiy stopped for a little while to let
them get another start; but 1T was of no use
Almost Immediately it was close on them
again, overlook and passed them, and reached
me gaze nsar Nesnanlng Bridge, u good half
the time OF starting, having made the first three
miles in sixteen minutes running time
Here, while the water-tanks were replen-
Ished and the journals examined and oiled the
carriage drove up and crossed the bridge nd
all Joined in survey of its condition l "a
covered bridge In two parts, about TWO hun-
dred and fifty feet in length, with a draw il,
the middle of about forty feet. The main
bridge was all right, but the draw was old and
shaky, and the loads that ordinarily cross il
furnished no test OF s su1liciency for our pur-
poses. however, it was short; and even if il
should be disposed to give way, by Cracking
Oh the steam the engine could have time to
cross il before it would have time to fall lay-
But that was not the only difficulty. On the
other side rose long hill, of high grade through
out, with a sharp pitch one third of the way
up, much sleeper than any ascent the engine
had yet encountered, on the Bloomingdale road
| Or elsewhere. The road had Il good hard bed,
covered, moreover, here and there, with loose
grayei that promised but a poor footing f the
whirling tread of the iron stecd.
But there was to be no fIinching; the ascent
m"st be made the steam must go up to lst
pounds, if need be, the suspicious bridge be
crossed at full speed, and the gradual slope
! beyond to the sharp pitch, and then the mo-
mentum the lever down in 'full gear for
ward with throttle valve wide open and all
| steam on, must Go the rest. Every man that
| could be spared left the engine we took our
| positions all along up the hill the men from
| the saW-mill below left their work and gat !
| ered by the roadside, and all awaited s'the
| charge" 1t was u moment of intense excite
| ment, but the time-keeper, W. tch in hand, did
1 not tail 10 note the exact ins ant of the start
| The word Is given; the engine moves deliber-
| ately Tor 4 few yards, then, steam is let on.
! takes the bridge as with Il leap, and fairly
! jumps, as the long timbers yibrate in response
| To the heavy impulses of the drivers; in another
| instant il has shot across the quaking draw
| and is seen emerging from the dark archWay
every man at his post, with energies strung 10
! the utmost tension, while the man of iron and
! Hre ON the deck bending over them with barred
head, and begrimed face, and black stream.
ing beard and hair. and flashing eyes that
! take IN at once the machi merry, the men anu
the confronting track shouts to the enginee.,
who shrinks from the very furthest thrust
| "DoWn. down, down with your lever" and
| down 1t is, and the engine now with full
! steam ON, impeiling the pistons in strokes o.
| furious energy, and, with speed of full Il
| miles per hour, clears the slope, and, with Z
| facility that surprises every behoIder mounts
| the steep and presses on TO the level summit
! when it is brought to a stand, more than OOt
| feet from the starting point, having made TIE
| distance in exactly one minute.
! Such was our passage of the Neshamng' >
| n scene which no one who witnesses it will
ever forget. The power developed in the en-.
! gine at its highest speed was not less than sixty
! horse-much more than was needed, as it APP
peared In the result: but this could not be
| known in advance of the actual trial and il
| was necessary the trial should succeed the
! very first time.
The experiment settled the question as to
| what the selt-propeller could do i'll ascending
| grades. Several others occurred, near or
| quite as formidable, especially the ascent
| of the Red Lion hill, two or three miles
| further on; but all We're surmounted with
| out faltering, and with much less expendi-
! ture of power, experience having shown how
! much it was necessary To put into reQuisition.
AT Holmesbury heavy grade, continuing
/ 1Or nail Il lnllp. Was ldkefi from standing
start without any run to acquire mo-
| mentum. and was surlnoUnted in exactly
! three minutes. The running time for the
| whole trip was but 4 minute or TWO over two
hours, giving ten miles per hour rs the aver
/ age time. The last three or four miles through
the streets of the city Were necessarily run At
| a much lower rate. 1t was fully proved that
! with fair grade twelve miles per hour was 4
natural and easy rate of movement. and that
ten miles could be made even up severe grades
! More time was consumed in stopping and
waiting than in running. Delays occurred
some veXatious, and others not 4 little anus.
| ing. We had OF course. to improyise our sta.
tions and though the fuel first taken is sufli.
cient for a run of twelve miles and upward
| the water tanks We're of less capacity, and haG
TO be frequently replenished by the pailful
from wayside pumps and wells. The trI
ended with our arrival at the Southwark
| Companys house, at s o'clock, making the
| whole time five hours and thirty four minutes
! DISTRESSING ACC1DENT-The telegraph ha,
mentioned the loss of the bark Sunshine on
Lake Erie, in gale, and the loss of life at-
tending it. The Buffalo Republic says:
The bark Sunshine was caught BY it. wher
| bound up, III the middle of the lake. Just OF
| Fairport, about O'Clock in the afternoon o
Saturday, and although the squall had beer
anticipated and all sail taken ill., she capsizel
as the squall struck her At the time
of the capsize the captain wife, Mrs. McNiei
| was III the cabin wi n her three children one
/ man was i'll the torecaStle and the re>t-tht
| captain two mates and seven men-were Oh
deck. AT this moment four of the men Were
swept overheard and drowned The captain
and mate, who were ciinging to the rigging, q
short time afterward We're torn from their hold
! by q heavy wave, washed overheard and
drowned in sight of the vessel.
| The remainder of the crew went 10 work af-
| ter little while TO get into the cabin, which
| they succeeded in doing. The captain 5
! wife had saved her life by clingng 10 the
| larths hut her three children had drown
| ed and perished miserably beneath her very
eyes, and she, clinging for lie, was pow
| erless TO assist To save them. She was got out
in speechless agony in little while and the
crew cIung to the vessel For seventeen hours
| did they remain in this condition on board the
wreck and when almost exhausted, We're ia
! ken OF the next morning n little before eight
| o'clock by the schooner Nebraska, which took
| them into Fairport. The following is list of
! the lost: Capt. &. McNiel, of ST. Josephs,
! Michigan; mate Mark Graham, of Buffalo,
! New York cook Joseph Watson; seanen Je-
| remiah Sweeney, MARSHALL Logan, Frank Lar
| kins: three children of Capt McNlel.
| INTERESTING IECIDENT.-A Milan letter of
| the 9th saws: Z" An interesting incident occur
| red here when the French troops entered this
! cauitaI the day before yesterday. The first
| large body that arrived had Marshal de McHla-
| hon at their head, and the municipality went
| out TO receive them. The whole population
| wild with ioy, precipitated themselves under
! the horses feet A little girl of five years OF
age dressed in white, forced by some means
/ massage no doubt aided by the crowd, and
! ted to the Marshal u bouquet nearly rs
| bic ms herself He raised her up, and placed
| her standing before him on the saddle. Inc
| child threw her arm round the un-burnt head
! of the conqueror of Magenta, ana kissed hin
| rapeate Y amid the loudes cheers ever heard.
| Tie Marshal seemed delighted with the child,
and fondled her most tenderly, looking ire
| quently at her pretty features. And so they
! both entered Milan amid shower OF bouquets