The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-03-28
THE BARTLETT GUN,


The following extract from the New York Times
gives an Interesting report OF an experiment by Capt
Bartlett Of this city, with his IRE exngushing gun
"A crowd OF men and much larger crowd OF ever
curious small boys gathered at the corner OF Ninety
Where The croton Water High Service Building sup
ports tower that rises 100 feet toward the stars.
Among the spectators were Hugh homer, Assistant
Chief Of the Fire Department. Col. Justin, Secretary
Of the Fire Board; Dir. Edison, Lieut.. zainskl, and
wallace A. Bartlett. MIR. Bartlett was there to ex
The The gun n looks ike icfoot tee
scope resting on tripod. The two long cylinders
Of brass are covered with plating OF ash and wal.
the cylinders Is an air chamber, and is connected
with reservoir Of compressed air by rubber pire
placed anu then bred by the simple movement Of
lever The object OF the exhibition was to test the
accuracy OF the Invention. 4 wooden platform in
one OF these would he attached to a projectile OF
wood, which would then be Inserted In the gun. and
uated skyrocSet. In short time the tall tower was
Invested with mass OF dangling ropes.
"Mr Bartlett nrst essayed to a.so the lightning
rod some 200 feet above him. He succeeded amid
great applause. Then he threw ropes over the four
corners OF the battements and offered to hoist
man up to the top, but no one seemed disposed to &C.
cept. The lines had been fired under pressure OF
1870 pounds The Fire Department officials were
enthusiastic and pronounced the Invention the best
in paste6oard projectes nlled with sand, sawdust,
ami with pressure OF thirty pounds shot all around
sure sent the projectles OH level over block with
amazing accuracy The great trouble heretofore In
reaching fire In the upper stories has been that the
streams from the engines fail TO break plate glass
above the fourth story. With prOjecte OF wood
loaded with lead the Bartlett gun can break even
shutters at any height, and thus permit the streams
of water to enter. The life line can be thrown into
any particular window on the ninth moor, and the
unfortunate occupant can then be safely lowered to
the ground. At present the system employed con-
sists OF shing line fired from musket, and alter
ward rope Ia attached to the line, but this process
slow that many lives have been lost before the
second rope could be pulled up. The Bartlett gun
6res the heavy rope at once into the window.
"a further modification In the use of the gun Is
q protector Of grenades. These prenades are glass
projectes holding gallon Of extinguishing hud,
and forty Of them are carried with the gun and they
can be discharged at the rate OF seven per minute.
While Mr. Bartlett does not claim that large conha-
grations can he eXtinRuished by this means, he Is
confident that an ncipient fire in an attic or upper
story OF a high building can be successfully con.
trolied with the highly concentrated chemicals. The
accuracy of the gun, however, Is It's strongest point
1t shoots as straight as rifle and the telescope sight
on the gun barrel enables any one with little prac-
tice to become expert. letter was received from
officers Of the Boston militia yesterday, asking II
dynamite cond also be fired from the gun. Mr.
Bartlett replied that four pounds OF dynamitescond
he safely fired distance of three blocks, thereby
making terrible weapon against mobs'