The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-05-23
pro.ch within three or four blocks o. II.

proach within three or four blocks OF II
1t is the same with all public displayk
TIE masses see nothing, although they
are on hand early and wait patiently;
but the police als always on hand at the
pro- er lime. and back g the crowd.
Well, as to the lircmcn. e engines are
kept a. lar as possible from the burning
matter. As the water-caris roll up. q
large tub is placed on the ground to
receive the water from the .cssk,
the receiving-pipe of the engine IS
placed in it, and then what few
unlucky creatures have been able to
crawl through the lines of police and
soldiers ut the risk of arrest, to see
what q fire is like, are put to work at
the pumps, thus relieving the tired fire
men who are getting out of wind. By
the time the water-works are sill set up.
the plug-puller pulls the wooden plug
from the cask, the water runs, the
would-be sightseers pile on muscle, the
horns on both ends Of the hose now do
some good work. Presently miser-
able little stream splutters out, breaks
into spray, and falls on the building
like rain. There was not astream there
that would knock > man down in
front of it; and none of them could
break 3 window at seventy-five feet,
actually. ....Iu =
About every five minutes the horns
at tn: water-supply send up despair
ing sound; has engine broken down?
No-only the supply stops while the
next barrel of water is being tapped.
The real post of danger at hre is held
BY the brave man who pulls the plug,
as every time he loosens it he gets a
bath which pt IS him in great danger OF
contracting q cold or putting out his
eyes. The same thing happens when
he cuts it of, which is necessary three
Or four times before the supply is ex-
bausted in the hogsheads, as, according
to the German sy-tem, the water-tub
from which the engine gets water is
made very small. This naturally keeps
the plug man busy. rs the water runs in
faster that it is taken oat by the
engine; no waste of the water is Showed
at this end of the stream. Perhaps they
measure the water in large casks with
the small one. There were q great many
theories as TO the reason why the small
one was used at all, principally by
strangers. A fool looking on suggested
that they put the receiving hose directly
into the tub. but he did not last long.
heard the next day that the Govern.
ment had banished h m to America a
dangerous character. They have
nothing like hook-and-ladder truck
but each water-wagon carries an axe OF
two, and a short ladder to mount the
cask and see if the water has all run
out or not.
The steamers are supplied with coal
as the hand engines are with water,
The steamers only throw one stream,
and no stronger than the hand-engines.
The last heard of the department was,
that the chief had just invented a
ouble-condensing reservoir back.
actioned horn. 1t is claimed that the
same amount of noise as with the old
one can be gotten out of it with one
tenth the lung pressure. This will be
a great saving to the city, because the
men will live longer to work for poo
wages. l believe the city purchased .
chemical engine, but the printed q
rections WEI e lost at the first fife: |.
therefore, has never been in active ;i-s
but it is taken to every fire in hopes tina,
some dav it may 60 off accidentally
| 81 Paul Globe