The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-01-18
A New Mode OF Dealing with Fires
ssExtincteur,, in ENGLAND.

ssExtincteur'' i'm England.
We are more or less familiar with
the history of the Improvements made
in the direction of extinguishing fires.
The old hand-bucket was superseded
by the hand-engine, and this. though
made very effective by the thorough
organization of the workers, has in
turn been forced to yield to the supe-
rior qualities of the steam fire engine,
whose usefulness has recently been
much increased by the fire alarm tele-
graph, which enables the force to
concentrate on confagration in a
space of time surprisingly brief.
All these appliances seem now
about to be thrown into the lumber
closet, by one of those contrivances
whose very simplicity endorses it as
that aim of perfection so nearly allied
in appearance to the simplicity of
ignorance, yet so widely different in
its results. It is not improbable even
that the long array of ladders, and
fire escapes, and ropes and axes and
hooks, in use in some places more
plentifully than with us, will ulti-
mately be thrown aside as useless,
thrown out by the invention recently
made.
This is nothing more than the dis
covery of the fact that water charged
with ten times its weight of carbonic
acid is a complete extinguisher of fire.
The compound is cheaply made, and
used with facility, being put into
small reservoir. which a man carries
easily on his back to any place re-
quired, without more hindrance to
active exertion than that caused by
carrying an ordinary knapsack. Ar
rived at the place of action, all the
fireman has to do is to turn cock,
and direct the jet by means of his
flexible tube and mouth-piece upon
the fire, the machinery inside giving
the power of force-pump capable of
throwing the jet forty feet high. The
material is Us harmless to health, life
or property as any ordinary seidlitz
powder, is ready for instant use, and
the longer it has been stored in the
vessel the more effective it is in action.
The idea is believed to have origi-
mated with Mr.. Amsden, of Liver
pool, England, who has also invented
a machine for using it effectually, and
instituted numerous experiments with
them IL the presence of the town
authorities of Liverpool, London and
other places. We clip the following
account of one of these trials from
the London Morning Adoertise,.:
A square frame work of rough tim
Der boards, equal in size to an ordi-
nary cottage, open at the top, and
with q doorway also open at one end,
was rlentif;lly stored with slaves of
tar barrels, slabs OF old dry timber,
loose straw and hay, and over all tar,
tnrpentine and petroleum (which
water does not touch at ali when in
fiame) were plentifully poured. This
mass of easy ignitable and combusti-
ble material was set fire to, and within
one minute the flame went high into
the air, and the heat was so intense
that the numerous company of gen
tlemen who had assembled to witness
the experiment, hastily retreatcd to
every available corner to prevent their
faces from being blistered by it.
Four of the extincteurs were then
set to work, and it seemed for about
a minute and half as though the
experiment would be failure, and
almost Immediately afterward the
flames subsidized, and within five mi
nutes from the time the fire was
kindled, it was completely extin-
gulshed by only four of these engines,
and had the bearers been able to APP
proach it nearer in a shorter time
than they were able, from the extreme
heat and intensity of the conhagra-
ton, there can be little doubt that it
would have been subdued in less time
But it is obvious that in ordinary
cases it would not be necessary in
dwelling houses, chambers, ware
houses, or docks, to have recourse
even to such means, and that at the
first alarm of fire one of these port
able engines, carried to the spot,
would extinguish it almost instanta-
neously.
The English papers speak of the
invention as meeting with great favor,
the patentee being in receipt of nu-
merous orders. The oldham Chroni-
Gle says:
"We understand that several emf
nent shipping houses have ordered a
supply of these portable engines for
their vessels. The engines range in
price from go Us. 3D. to ga los, in
creasing in price los, according to
size and capacity; and the cost of the
"chargeS" increase at the rate of Is.