Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1884-02-02
A STREET EXHIBITION.
The Hardness Fxtinguisher Pat to
a PracticaI Test.

n Practical Test.
Yesterday afternoon, pursuant to an
nouncement, Mr.. Delosse made an expert
guisher in full public view. On as
dry a spot as could be found some seven
or eight oak barrels and four or five good
sized dry goods boxes were piled up to-
gether midway of Main street, between
Jackson's hotel and the Courthouse. To
render the fuel more combustible a can of
coal oil was emptied over it. A stiff
breeze was blowing and in a few minutes
after a match had been applied to the
combustibles the mass was in a roaring
blaze. A large crowd had gathered
around ON the sidewalks and on the street
to witness the test. In their presence the
agent, Mr.. Delosse, appeared with one OF
the E~xtinguishers strapped to his back
and began firing away from the miniature
engine on the flames. Whenever the acid
struck the fire it died at once. Nor was
the effect such as is caused by the dis
charge from a water jet. The Hardness
stopped combustion Immediately and to-
tally, there being no smoke nor shoulder
left. Spectators went up, and putting
their hands on the charred mass, found it
cold and dead. In two minutes the
flames in the pile had been quenched, ex-
cept in c~revices into which the acid fluid
could not be readily injected. In these
places also. however, the flames were
forced to quit their hold in a moment or
as soon rs they could be covered by a
more particular aim of the squirt gun.
We believe the test was entirely s~atisfac-
tory to the whole crowd of spectators, for
it seemed clearly 30 to this scribe. We
believe that in any town, especially one SO
liable to the sudden and swift ravages of
the fire fend as Eureka is, these Extin-
guishers should be had to preserve prop
erty by putting out incipient con-
fiagrations. The history of nearly all
great fires is that they were dis
covered early enough to be effectually
put out by just such an engine as the
Hardness apparatus, but that they spread
and grew into the proportions of huge and
unmanageable ca t%astrophes on account of
the delay experienced in getting the ordi-
nary and larger appliances to the ground
and putting them to work; or by reason of
confusion and the not %infrequent acct
dents that happen to make such appli-
ances, for the moment, unhandy or unser-
yiceable. With such.an instrument as was
tIleu VI MILL 5tTetb ytsteTuhy duyDOuy
could put out or stop the progress OF
probably 10 out of 20 fires before the best
manned engine could be put to work on
the flames, in case he had the Hardness
near by in a handy place. The Hardness
Extinguishers, we are informed, are sold
for $50 a piece. The fluid used in them
costs 81 per gallon, but Il gallons of it is
all that is used with Az gallons of water
to fill the 6-gallon machine. A. A. Andre
has been appointed local agent for the
valuable patent for Eureka, Hamilton,
Ward, Phoebe, Cherry Creek, and all other
towns in Southeastern Nevada. We
believe that it would be a prudent and
economical investment for the county to
purchase q number of the machines
described, TO be distributed throughout
the town in convenient places for immedi-
ate use in cases of emergency. Those pri.
vate persons, also, who can afford it,
would do we'll to invest in 2 of the
Hardness Extinguishers, which may be
useful in saving from destruction or ruin
more personal and uninsured property in
a few minutes than a half dozen of them
would cost.