Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1869-04-22
Railway Acknowledgements OF
Life and Property by Fire.

The great number II railway accidents that
have occurred withnihe past eighteen months
on several of our leading roads, involving the
loss of many valuablelives and thousands OF
dollars worth Of property by fire, has set the
minds Of inventors md others to work to devise
a plan by which srh disasters, in measure
at least, may be overcome. So far as loss OF
life and property ~ fire, in this connection, Is
concerned, such plan, we believe, has at
length been discsvered. Many methods have
been suggested. Int hone to our knowledge so
simple, inexpensirs, or effective as that pro-
posed by Mr.. GaTge S. Kooatz, of this city,
and Edward Potts AID Mcleod ID. Lewis, OF
Baltimore, to whefi.letters patent have recent
" been issued. No railroad is exempt from
liability to accideit. The breaking Of a rail,
wheel, or an axle the displacement of truck,
collision, or @rrn-of," may at any time oc-
cur, even where every preventive be taken to
guard against such mishaps-resultins gene
rally in serious los of property, if not of life
itself, by FIRE. Fence the great value and I'M
portance of deyice that, in such accidents,
will afford protection to both life and property
The invention towhich We refer will, without
doubt, accomplish this, and railroad companies
throughout the country will doubtless avail
themselves of its Advantages. Messrs. koontz,
Potts and Lewis are themselves practical rail-
road men. and wea understand the necessities
of railways in this particular. Their invention
consists of fire extnguisher, applicable to
any car stove, 50 arranged that the furnace
shall be in REORGANIZATION with vessel
containing water. Through the top of this
vessel is a rod, connected at its lower end with
valve, and at its upper end with chain at
tached to ball. resting within ring, and sup
ported by braces. In cases of collision or over
turning of cars, or like accidents, the ball, pre-
bordering the chain, rods, and valves in the
chamber-pipe, will roll from the ring and raise
the valves so that the water in the chamber
will be thcreupon discharged into the furnace,
thus instantly extinguishing the fire therein,
and obviating tie possibility of damage or loss
of life by fire. Jacket, forming chamber,
is made to surround the furnace for the purpose
of heating air, to be conveyed to the interior of
the car, equaliziug the heat therein, by means
of a pipe connecting with and extending from
the rear of the air-chamber through the car
floor for the conveyance of cold air. A double
advantage is thus aflorded-first, in the pre-
vention of frein cases of accidents, and, second,
in the equalization of heat throughout the cars.
The latter feature, desirable as it is, however,
is not so important as the extinguisher,"
which can be readily applied to any car stove,
at little cost, by simply changing the upper
plate. Thedeviceis very simple in allrespects.
Practical railroad men who have examined it
with much interest pronounce it superior to
anything yet presented for the accomplishment
of its important purposes. Railroad compa-
MES, as well as the travelling public, certainly
need some such protection and as this inven-
ton seems to meet fully all requirements, is so
inexpensive, and can be so readily applied, we
do not hesitate to commend its universal adop-
ton. - Washington Chronicle