Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-12-23
FIRST EDITION.
The New Orleans Fire Hoat.

ira ooMrLETIoN-pol IN ITS CONSTITUTIONAL
NEW FEATURE IN WILMINGTON IRON enIP-BpIID-
ING.
The new fire boat which the Harlan & Hol-
| lngeworth 90. have been building for the Har-
Dor Protection Company Of New Orleans has
been completed. Being tho first OF the kind
ever built in this country, and combining as it
does sone new principles Of marine architecture,
tine entire success which has attended the efforts
| OF the builders is worthy of moro than a passing
notice.
The design is one which has grown out Of the
| necessity of the times The boat III builded
wholly of iron, the intention being to meet two
serious defects which have presented them
selves to the Board OF Underwriters OF New Or
leans who constitute the lIarbor Protection 90.
They are at present the owner Of wooden fire.
boat which the Protector, Ohe name of the new
steamer) will supersede With their old boat it
is possible to suppress flames on ship board,
but usually at a loss to the cargo of about fifty
per cent Its only means of defense Ii the Ca
pacty OF the pumps, in tho uae OF which great
quantities OF sediment from the water of the
Mississippi njnre everything that it comes IN con-
tact with. To avoid the use OF water altogether
il ono OF the ends sought to be reached, the
other being tile ability to 60 into the very
midst OF flame and rescue imperllled lives. Only
a short time ago by the burning OF steamer la
don with cotton ut New Orleans several lives
were lost.
Water pumps, however, are not discarded.
The Protector has two heavy Blake pumps
which will throw six Btreams-four from the
bow and two aft. One OF these pumps has ca
pacity to lift q, 600 gallons per minute. Two
Thousand feet of hose are provided which will
withstand pressure OF 450 pounds to the
square foot and force a stream about $50 feet.
One OF these pumps has an inlet of eighteen
inches, which is 30 arranged that flood of wa
ter may be turned into the hold Of ship, or for
supplying water in large quantities OH shore for
steam fire engines and for other purposes. The
main reliance, however, is in the gas apparatus,
which s entirely novel;
The idea is taken from recent attempts made
in England to provide merchant ships with car
bonc acid gas for the preservation OF their car
goes in case OF fire. These efforts have hereto
fore been small and never directed as i'll the
case OF the Protector. They have demonstrated
the utility of the method, however, and proven
that gas is AZ powerful as water in the suppress
sion Of flame. Being over. fifty per cent.
heavier than air. the gas rapidly dlsplaceB the
oxygen the vital element in combustion, and
filling compartment very quickly smothers out
a fire. The capacity to generate this gas is very
great in the Protector, sufficient to fill a COM
partment 100x20x2O in iifty-two minutes.
The apparatus s being made III Chica-
90 by Babcock, and consists of three tanks,
which wall be suspended in the after part OF the
vessel These tanks will be shipped to New
Orleans and be there introduced. From them
a gum hose made for the purpose Will lead to
any desired part Of a burning ship, and upon
the application Of the chemicals the gas will sink
in volumes into every nook and Granny OF ves-
sells hold Its blue color is plainly visible to the
naked eye. Its presence may be tested III tile
ordinary way with lighted candle. 10 remove
the gas after the flames are suppressed it must
be pumped out, and pump Is provided Tor tiiln
purpose.
In her outward appearance the Protector resem-
bles steam tug, being propeller, but ID much
larger. She III 122 feet long, % feet beam and Y
feet depth of hold. Her capacity is 16S 43-10u
tons Not only is her hull and deck
of iron, but the Joiner work is as well. This
has rendered her construction somewhat ted
ious because of it's novelty, it being the frst ol
OF the kind ever undertaken by the FL. ,ea, u; 20
ed admirably with 1t, and have shown All ability
to execute the iron joiner work with the same
beauty and skill which has entered into the con-
Btruction of their iron hulls. The entire steam
or s put together in the most substantial mali-
ner Strength, however, has not marred he1
beauty, as in model she is most symmetrical and
in finish very neat and tasteful. Upon her pilot
house is placed the Goddess of Liberty with the
scales of Justice in her left hand and a drawn
sword in tho right. This figure was made IN wal
| tham Mass, by Cushings Sons. owing TO &c
much iron work some difficulty was experienced
| in adjusting the compass, but under the skillful
efforts of A. D. Frye, the well-known New York
| compass adjuster, and we believe the only one
| now living in the United States, it has beer
| made to tend in the proper direction. Capt L.
| Il. Coulbourn, the commander Of the PfOtectoi'
| has been i'll Wilmington for several months past
experimenting her construction. He pronoun
ces the fire boat well built and her builders "tht
| best in the world"
At 10 o'clock. to morrow morning Capt Conl
b ourn proposes to sail for New Orleans. 10
| day the steamer will drop down to one OF the
| wlarves below Market street bridge. Ihos'
who desire to witness her departure may do Sc
from the bridge in the morning. The voyage
will be made outside, comfortable quarters be
| ing fitted up on board the steamer for the ON
GERS and seamen, and enough coal having beer
| put in to last for seventeen days. In LEAVING
Wilmington Capt Coulbourn will part with man.
friends whom his warm-hearted, generous ma
ture has made for him here and who Will rAgre
his departure. He desires us to say to them e, al