The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-10-27
A NEW FIRE-PROOg DRESS.

From the London DAILY Telegraph.
| To the scientists" and to the super-
lntendents of fire brigades all over
Europe must be left after narrow ex-
animation, thedecisiou as to how much
there is that is feasible in the remarka-
Die ire-defying apparatus invented by
Mr.. John Ostberg, of Stockholm, the
capabilities of which are just now in
course OF exhibition by hardy Sweed-
Captain Ahlstrom by name, at the A.
exandria Palace. That which is beheld
by the public at Muswell Hill is briefly
as follows: Toward dusk there is erect
ed in the grounds of the palace quad
rangular structure with four lateral
openings, the uprights and crossbeams
OF which are supposed to represent a
house on the point of catching fire.
The edifice is rooted without and filed
within with highly combustible mater
idls, and these having been plentifully
sprinkled with petrOlem, the whole is
set alight.
Meanwhile Captain Ahlssrom las
been donning dress somewhat re-
sembling that of an ocean diver, the
back Of whieh is provided with a tail
of hose, or tubing, immearsurable
longer than that worn BY the Pan"
in the burlesque of midas. y The sim
ulated house being in full blaze, Cap
tain Ahlstrom proceeds in a leisurely
way to enter the blazing structure, not
passing rapidly through the flames as
the ''fire kings" already seen have usu
ally done, but examining, as it were,
thecontents ina thoughtful and deliber
ate manner, now folding his arms, and,
with a cigar in his mouth, looking
around him as tho gh he rather enjoy
ed than otherwise the closest of con-
tact with a terrestrial Tophet; now
STOPPING down to pick up obj-e = 5 %
posed to represent keys, cash h, s,
or other valuable articles which ~ {
be imperiled in "a burning hon- w
reseuing dummy" figure d, i'm
pending incineration, wrapp, IF
fgy in a mantle and bri, gu < D. sicily
70 the open air.
Then the undaunted Norsemen will
emerge from the burning hut, carry ing
in his arms red hot beams, and these
timoersh he viii clasp close to his breast,
rub between his hands, and otherwise
make sport with. Next with hatchet
the Captain will cut away blazing OBJ
stacles lying in his path, or from
portion of the tubing branching from
his caudal appendage ne will play upon
the flames until the fire in his immedi-
ate vicinity is reduced to a mass of
charred and smoking cinders. The
performance endures q space of thirty
or forty minutes, and when the me-
chanism of the apparatus comes to be
explained there does not appear to be
any valid reason why Captain Ahls-
from should not remain in the midst of
his blazing pyre for couple of hours
or more. Let it be added that when he
is Invested of his divers gear, the
tempture of his body is found to be by
no means abnormally warm, and that
under his fireman's dress be wears his
ordinary garments
The construction of the apparatus
and its mode of working are described
simply enough by the patentee. The
dress consists of a double covering en-
veloping the whole body; but this is
made in two parts, one for the trunk,
arms and lower limbs, and the other
for the head, both air tight, and join
together at the shoulders The inner
dress is of india-rubber, and the outer
part of moleskin, lined with stout cot
ton cloth or some other nonconduetor
of heat. The head of the dress is roof
ed in by a helmet, which not only COW
ers the head and the joints of the
lower parts, but has a breast piece de-
scending as low as the waist. This
casque is ofdcuble canvas, and channel
edfor the exit of water. When the dress
is adjusted air is supplied to the saIam-
ander by means of a spiral india rub
Der tube placed within another hose
conveying water, and this inner tube
is fed from an air-pump, or simply by
a pair of bellows at the extremity of
the Fire Kings tail