Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1860-01-05

TRiUPMH OF THE STEAM FIRE ENGINE REvo-
LUTON IN EXTNGUIsHING dav
morning, as In" reader will see In auoihcr
column, a fire TOOK place in Fulton street
which destroyed property to the amount of
half a million Of dollars, and ", re il not Tor
the operation al the steam lire engines pro-
badly the fire would have equalled the great
fire of 1916, and perhaps that of 1885. when
the victorious flames achieved n conquest Of
twenty million worth OF property.
Hitherto a great prejudice existed in Nv
| York, particularly among the old iiremcu.
against the innovation of the steam eugin,
introduced here from Cincinnati. wh,r" il had
been succcssiul. Three or four had been
made here by order OF the Common Council
hut owing To the feeling among the fircmr,
they have not become general. Tn. rcsul
OF the fire yesterday morning, however. h,
almost compleu'l y removed that prejudice
aud the fir, men now admit the vast superior
iiy of the ST. am engine over every other en-
glue vet constructed Tor eXIinguising fires
la the intensity of cold wcilih,r The differ
ence is rendered still mure striking and
owing To- the accident 81 the cNc,.Ss,v
cold on yesterday morning that the iircm,.l
generally brcame convinced OF the mcrIls
of the steam enginr.
The great fire ia 1885 took place in IN
same mOnth-the night of the 10th Of De
C,mbeT--in Il store la the rear OF The M-r-
chants Exchauge. The Wind Was blowing
frc-h from the northwest. and the weather
was Intensely cold. IL Was with the greatest
difficulty that the engines could be kept in
wu. king order; barrels of brandy and othei
spiufS were kept beside The engines and
,mpIi Il into the boxes To keep them from
n, cZing. But every eNcrIion failed and
was "a, ccss"ry TO blow up buildings in orti,t
To arrest The the progress OF The FIRE.
ragged for fifteen huurS. burning over q >psc,
Of uIy Hcr,s. from Wall street to- C,cuti,s
slip aud Brad street, u region 81 n. city
that tine covered with dry goods stores an,
warehouse, filled with the unDs5 costly met
chandize. Sven hundred buildings WEI,
destroyed, which. with their contents. in.
vDlv, d a loss Of twenty millions oI dollar,
The Insurance companies were made bank
rupt-
Had the steam fire engines been then in
operation the loss would have been compare
IN ely small aud had ihcy not been ~ worl
yesterday Inuruiug there j. No telling how
Tar Tie IRE might have extended ar whar ih
HUuI OF the loss right have BEEN Til
steam FIRE CINE does not depend on III
weather tor it efficiency. In London. Ga
oiuHati and Philadelphia two horses ave al
waNs IA harness. ready to BE- hiich,d in al
instant 10 The engine. Only two men nrs
absolutely Necessary TO bring il to the f-l,
of "PcraIi"r,s-thr engineer and inau Il
drive the horse. riding on the h.ek OF oue a.
Ihrm. So SAITH, Il are the Ibiiatir phia lrv-
m,n 81 the superiority of tlc steam eHgin,
taAi when an account ~ the hrr reachet
them yesterday hy telegraph. they sci,t
message here Offering To hTiug o.lc uf IL.
- ali engines by railroad Ba, IA. il iiienu-
ly aid WAS then una, crssary, thanks l.. IA,
courageous efforts ct or firtmrn aud ID,
snee - OF oar Dan stcam-eugine.
Considering that during the month FRI
have taken tlaer la thls city destroying up
yards "f million dollar worth of property
u Is hish time that ihe ConmOa Council
should establish steam fire engines all over
New York Tue exyvnse Is great ga 500 fpi
each enSlne-l bat the number Tvguirrd woald
b, comparatively small The iiiU mia Com
psny, Oi Phllad-iphia, sha paid us visit
shost tiEie ago, aud rec-iy,d saca Il splendid
tee ptien, rai-el the funds for their -seam
engine by subscription. Btt whatever ths-s.
eagnss my cot The sitY, il wsll gaia d,
TIA IN Ia Tie eud.- " j.. Herald.