Fair play., 1881-06-11
improvements in Appliances for Ex-
tinguisiiing Fires.

-.
There is {. great variety Of tools used
TO aid in extinguisliiris fires, and the
IRE Department are in striking con-
trast TO the primitive methods Of the
old volunteer Fire Department. The ob-
iective point of all the Improvements
has been to get at a fire quickly and
stamp it out before it has Il chance 10
make headway. The first great ad
vance was made in this direction by the
abortion OF teie grapiic sign;:ls, by means
of which the Fire Department may be
INSTANTLY summoned from any part of the
city. EXCEPT in the sparscly settled
districts there is no part of the city that
cannot now be reached by 4 fire engine
within from three 10 live minutes from
the time of sounding an alarm. The
next great Improvement WAS the subSti-
tuition OF steam for hand engines. in
stead of the two or three hundred VOL
untears, who formerly dragged L dozen
hand enoiues to Il fire, we now haze
trained men with steam engines, hook
and ladder trucks, and hose carriages,
who so To wnrj, cOn,y and effectively.
Instead Of the cumbersome, stii. cid
fashioned leather hose. they have pjia-
bic ,jur,iIn and s,,on~ r,b.mr and
combination hose. that is less liable to
burst. InsLsaT cf TIE old weak squirt of
the hand eaoine. that would hardly
reuch TO the for, of a fo1lr-stnr., house.
and ccrtainIv could only be kent there
:, short time. we have now IA powerful,
steady stream. throwing through /, ST
:meso moZzIe an immense volume Of
water. that can be kent I'D for hours.
Ii uece yr,.r,- the streams OF fnlIr curircs
can be concentrated n one pipe, and :,
solid stream OF two inches diameter sent
OYER the tou of 1he hirhcst tenement
The sapprrs and miners are aiw:vs
on hand, and they en- make WAY
through Il Stone wall or The stronc-s:
doors in a jiify. They have :. hu.e bat
,erinm ram. and one If thcif latest tools
is a lever Jimmy that viii burst nl,cn
any ordinary store door in ;ibunt one
second. With "A nr.zsie callctithe spiral
wafer distributor. a stream may be-
spread oyer thirty feet square If only Il
hole b:o enough to ret the hose in eau
be p,a.!, in Il roof or cellar. i his often
e,,al,les the t:remen 10 cxtinrui,h fires
when the smoke is too .icnse Ia admit
nf their entrance. For such eases HE
iircmen also carry w!rat is called Il lie
prescryer. Il is :. bag filled " i;'l fresh
,ir. enough to ltsi 4 man thirty minutes
in a room filled with smoke. BY thai
time IT,. fireman can cut Il hole in "A
window or ilncr to le. cut the smoke
and let in the air.
There has been much Improvement
in street h,.iran.S Mere Than Il huu-
,ire.i have been placed with two outlets
50 that water may be plenty. To in
sure this, in mi,ny cases special na Us
have been laid in the streets connecting
viii, the fire hyarants only. Care has
also been taken TO secure !y'!raI's
from freezin~-a misi.:,p that has
caused conilayrations
The gradual intro,ln ton of very
high buildings has presented an ob,ta-
cle with which the Volunteer Fire De
rartmcnt had not To contend. The
modern ladders are rnIch larger THAI
ever known In the obi depart nlent. Ex
@4eilsion ls,ldcrs have been in trodUced
and the latest Improvement has shown
a met hod of eyreditioaslv Rising l:,,l-
ders fl,ai must prove Of treat assistance
in reaching t4e upper story !ires. |;
consists OF platform. turn table and
lever attachment By lis use three or
four men can raise q scveni, foot ladder
in afew minutes. Fire commissioners
kink. Garinan agt Van Cott viewed
the operation of this contrivance with
xl-- a .,