Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-24
FIREMEN SURPRISED.
Chief Brown Tests Their Agility by
Striking the Fire Gong
AND TIMING THEIR MOVEMENTS.
he Thought Some We're Little Slow, but
the Boys Protested
AGAINST THE FAIRNESS OF THE TEST

One day last week Chief Brown, of the
Department of Public Safety, made tour
of the engine houses in the First district of
the city, and, without giving the men any
intimation Of his intentions, had the alarm
gong sounded in each house he visited for
the purpose of showing how quick the fire.
men could get the horses out, hitch up and
get ready to 60 out for a fire. The gongs
were sounded, and the men, thinking it was
a bona fde alarm of fire, responded.
After they had gotten in their
places, ready to 60 out, the Chief
informed them why they had been
several engine houses, but, while he did not
keep watch on the time consumed, thought
the men were a little slower than they
should be. In order to find out just how
much time it took for the companies to get
out to fire, he instructed one of his assist
ant superintendents to repeat the inspection
In the same manner as he had done, and
learn accurately the number of seconds con-
sumed by each company.
The Assistant Superintendent took stop
watch with him, and made the test yester-
day. He visited engine houses Nos. 1. 2, 3,
4, 5, z, 13 and Is and truck A. giving them
each a trial, and embodied the result in a
report 20 Chief Brown last evening. As in
the first test, the men had no warning of
what was coming. The Assistant Chief
walked into the engine house, conversed
with the men, who were lounging about in
various parts of the building, and then,
calling the captain of the company to one
side, instructed him to 60 and strike the
gong.
HOW THE TEST WORKED.
The mem tumbled into their places in
their usual fashion. The horses were
loosened by the automatic machinery and
rushed out to be hitched up to the engines
and hose carriages, the drivers, hosemen
and other iremen jumped into their re-
spective places on the apparatus, and when
they were ready to start for the supposed
fire were told it was only test
The fremen III every case protested at
being taken unawares, and asked to have
The test repeated, as they thought they
could do better, but the Assistant Chief
firmly refused, and told them their record
was made. If they wanted to do better
they must make their record in going out
on real alarms.
In his report to the Chief of
the department the Assistant
Superintendent reports the actual time,
taken on a reliable stop-watch. as follows:
Engine Company No. 1, 14L seconds; No.
2, 21 seconds; No. 8, "a seconds; No. 4, 21H
seconds; No. 5, 13 seconds; No. z, 1877 sec
Onds; No. 13, 2915 seconds; No. Is. 81 sec
onds; Truck A, "a seconds.
The report states that the reason that Nos.
], and make so much quicker time than
the others is that they have double houses
and the horses have only half the distance
TO run to their places that they have in the
long, single houses Another feature
pointed out Is that in Companies 1 and Is
harness snaps OF an old pattern are in use,
and cause loss of time in hitching.
ANOTHER TEST MADE.
After making the above trials the horses
were unhitched, embarrassed and left stand
ing in their places at the poles, and another
test was made to see how quickly they
could be hitched up, ready to go out. from
that position. No. / took seconds; No. 2,
6X seconds. No. 8, 61S seconds; No. 4, 6k
seconds; No. 8, 4 seconds; No. z, Z seconds;
No. 13, 30 seconds; No. 15, z Sc sonds.
In concluding his report the Assistant
Superintendent states that much time is
lost on account of the slowness of the horses.
This defect is being remedied by a new ap-
paratus which will soon be placed in the
stall OF each horse, consisting of a revolving
whip which drops the instant the gong
sounds, and strikes each horse q smart blow
before be leaves his stall. As soon as these
have been put in place 1t is expected that
the companies can come nearer to getting
out on the record time, IL seconds. There
is one horse in No. 13, however, where the
revolving whip is already in use, that pays
no attention to the lash, and walks out to
his place as leisurely as if going out for ex-
ereise.
The fremeu were considerably stirred up
over the unexpected test last night, and in
several of the engine houses the captains
made tests of their own after the Assistant
Superintendent left, with much better re-
suits, and a reduction in the time con-
sumed. It is safe to say that the next time
an official test is made there will be an i'm
movement in the time