Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-14

Tests at Various Engine HOUSEHOLDER
Work-Hitching Up In Seven Seconds
Out for a Fire In Sixteen Seconds-Condi-
tion of the Machinery and Appointments
The Water ThrOwing-No. 4 Ahead
No. Next-The Hose Companies' Quick
Work And Lightning by the Ladder
Boys.
The annual inspection of the fire depart
ment of the city took place yesterday, under
the supervision of Chief Strong, and the coun-
Gil committee consisting of Alderman Allen,
Rhodes and Grace. Aldermen Ringwald was
member of the committee but was unable to
attend. The chief and committee met at the
house of engine No. 8, ate o'clock A. NJ, and
at $3.50 the inspection began. The first item
in the programme for the day was the inspect
ion of the engine house, condition of horses.
harness, machinery, etc. In the case of No 8
all these particulars were found as they should
be, and order No. 2 was reached, which consist
ed OF hitching horses in stalls; threa men to
hitch, time called when last snap is made
The time made in this trial was Is seconds.
Order No. was same as the order
preceding, with the dditional test
of driving out of the house, with men all in
their places. This was accom- plished in ex-
actly 20 seconds.
Order No. required the men to be all in
their beds, and at sound of gong to get to the
floor below. hitch and drive out of the house
with the men in their places and fire lighted
ready for tackling conhagratiou, This was
done by No. 8 in 20 seconds exactly.
Engine No. was next visited. The inspec-
tion of engine house proving satisfactory, or
der No. z was taken up, and the horses were
hitched to the pole in 1917 seconds. Order
No. was accomplished in precisely the same
time, which shows that the first hitch can be
made much quicker than was done on the first
trial. In order No. the men were out of
bed, the horses hitched on, and the engine
driven out, with fire lighted, in 16 seconds.
which is very rapid work.
Engine No. made the first trial in the won
derfully quick time of seconds, and had they
kept up the same speed, they would have made
the last in seconds at the most, but they
managed to get out in 16I seconds. On the
last trial their time was 1874 seconds.
Engine No. hitehed up in 81 seconds.
hitched up and got out of the house in Az,
and were making good time on the last trial,
but the driver failed to grasp the left hand
rein before the wheels crossed the threshold,
and consequently they were debarred from
being credited with the time made.
Annexed are given the distances in each en-.
CINE house from the stable doors to the front
doors and also to the pole: Engine house No.
l. AZ feet from door to door, and 81 feet
inches from stable to pole. Engine No. 2, Al
feet inches, and % feet. Engine No. g. AZ
feet. and IS feet. Engine No, 4, ~ feet 8
inches, and So feet.
The hook and ladder company also made a
trial of getting out on the night call, which
they did In 3215 seconds. Distance from stalls
to door, 6S feet inches, and from stable to
pole 81 feet, inches.
We Inadvertently omitted to mention that
during the inspection at No 3 Chief Strong
He'd thn ne
turn table, which needs resetting, as it is now
settled SO much out of plumb a. to bind and
make 1t hard to turn. Inspection at No !
showed that the front tower leaks in rainy
weather, discolorisg the ceiling and walls, be-
sides loosening the plaster. The walls on the
Mississippi street side, near the rear of the
building. have settled and cracked in several
places. The hose tower also needs looking
after little. In all matters of discipline,
detail and arrangement, which are entrusted
solely to the care of Chief Strong, the most
perfect order, neatness and efficiency prevail.
The rooms and bedding for the men are as
pleasant, clean, and comfortable as anv well
ordered nome need be. Ali the
trappings, machinery, etc, are rigidly
inspected and carefully cared for
that they may be always ready and to be de-
pended on in the most stringent emergency.
The horses especially are In the best condition
for hard and active service to which it is DOS
seem to catch every sound and watch evcry
| movement of the drill with as much eagerness
as the men, and to strive as hard to excel In
alacrlty and accuracy in getting to their places
when the alarm gong sounds. The very in.
| slant the weight falls and the doors fly open
the intelligent animals run to their places at
the pole, without anyone to start or to guide
| them. The sense they exhibit is wonderful
The very instant the driver is in his seat. the
front doors fly open, and before
| daylight has fair chance to enter the
powerful creatures snatch the ponderous en-.
CINE from Its moorings, whirl it into the
| street, and then away with as furious energy
as II they were moved by steam. The horses
of No. 8 have been in the service since 1872,
| and are apparently as coltish and as hardy as
| the day they were bought.
THE AFTERNOON PROGRAMME.
The afternoon tests took place according to
| the schedule published in the GLOBE yesterday
| morning, En- PEASANT, we may say that Ethe
| order in which the four com panies were to
compete was settled in the morning by throw
ing dice, and resulted in placing them in exact
order oonsecutively as their numbers run, viz:
| l, z, and 4. In the hose trial they were 10
run to steamer, make connection, lay 200 feet
OF hose, break coupling and catch pipe;
full three threads, and pipe
| screwed up to butt. No l accomplish
ed the feat in 2715 seconda; No e. in 10 seq
ones, Ian Sullivan making the attachment
| alone. No. 8 made it in "a LIS seconds. and
No. 4 in 10 is seconds
Owing to the heavy wind prevailing it was
decided not to attempt to throw water per-
pendicularly. In the horizontal trial No. l
| threw its stream 1875 feet and inches; No. 2,
| 1872 feet, inches; No, g. 205 feet, inches; No.
4, 2lS feet, 8 inches. As No. / is second
| class engine, the other three were to give it
~ feet in distance from the point of the
| nozzle. 1t will be seen that No. 4 beat No. 8
just feet and four inches after deducting the
~ feet of odds given. Considering the force
| of the wind the distances thrown were very
creditable.
So much time was consumed by
the above tests that it was quite dark
when the hook and ladder tests were attempt
ej, and this fact inflated somewhat
against fast work. Despite this, however they
drove the length of one block, put up a forty
foot ladder and had a man at the top OF it in
26 seconds. The last test, putting up SIS
foot extension ladder and sending man to the
top, would have been done in 60 seconds had il
| not been discovered that there was danger of
breaking one of the windows of the church of
the Assn mption, against which the ladder had
been placed. The man was fully two-thirds of
the way up when he was halted, and it was
only 55 seconds since both parts Of the ladder