Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-13
FIRE BOAT SUGGESTIONS.

Pittsburg Just the Place for One-what the
Promoters Should Do.
| To the Editor Of the Dispatch;
One of your ootemporaries editorially op-
| poses the purchase of fireboat on the
grounds that nine steam fire engines could
be purchased for the cost of one such boat.
This is quite an ingenious argument, but
will not bear examination. Nine steamers
would require nine hose carriages, hose for
| same, besides engine houses and the employ
| ment of at least 100 men, 90 or more horses,
etc. Even granting that nine new engine
companies could be organized and main
tanned for the cost and maintenance Of one
new fire boat-though the proposition is abb
surd on its face-it is doubtful If the entire
nine would be as effective at a fire involving
3gr @ high buildings as the one freboat, .
What matters it to a warship which can fire
rapidly and effectively at five miles away II
% vessels attack 1t, which must approach
within half q mile to do any effective workf
cannot reach fires as quickly as the ordinary
engines pulled by horses This may be true
In instances liable to happen; but the
services of fireboat will not usually be re-
quired at the inoipient stage of confiagra-
tion. Only after the Babcock extinguishers
and the slender streams of water from the
IRE engines have been shown to be 1nef-
fireboat be really required; and long before
any fire has passed beyond the control OF the
existing department the hose lines OF the
freboat will be on the ground and ready for
action. 1t may be that the. freboat will not
be often called into actual service, but, like
the fellow with the revolver in his house
who said he had little use for 1t, whenever
he did really want a revolver he wanted IL
quick and he wanted 1t badly.
just Suited for Fire Boat
OF all the cities on our Western rivers
none are so favorably disposed for fire and
police patrol service by means of boats as is
Pittsburg; and this is particularly true since
the construction of the Davis Island DAM
But it is quite needless to enter into such de-
tails; they have been fully explained and
are fully understood by the people.
A few days ago, on train going out from
the city, / overheard q Detroit gentleman
explaining to some inqutring Pittsburg
friends how utterly impossible it would be
in our shallow rivers to operate freboat.
take not, the Chicago freboats draw eight
feet of water, and even with that great
depth the boats have not proved sattsfac-
tory.,deeper and faster boats must be
"That settles it for all time, then" replied
one of the Pittsburgers, "for doubt If we
have more than four or five feet of water
about Pittsburg most of the time"
had no "put in" in this conversation, not
being acquainted with the parties; but
could scarcely refrain from mentioning that
Pittsburg has towboats in her harbor which
could navigate on four feet depth-single
boats as powerful as any six tugs of nine or
even ten feet draught used about Detroit or
Chicago-and that even on draught OF
three feet (which our fire boats should not
exceed) steam power enough could be gen
Grated to move the boats about as fast as
would be required and leave enough for
pumping more water at greater pressure
than has ever been attempted by any IRE
boat in this country. Our boat models are
specially favorable to mounting great power
on light draught. There
Never Has Been Amy Question
on that score, though on the particulars Of
details of the pumps, sizes of hose, means
for its conveyance to land and distribution
to fires one of more blocks distant from the
river banks, much could be said. Experience
in these matters from other cities promises
to be of little service; but no doubt there
are enough ingenious minds and mechanics
in Pittsburg to devise practicable methods
for overcoming every difficulty.
The suggestions for the construction of.
such boat are likely now to be favorably
ordinance should go an invitation of some
kind for mechanical engineers and machin-
lists to submit detail plans for COM
petitive examination. From all the
lated, and each party from whom
ideas have been taken should be paid pro-
portionate amount for same. Thus make
the whole prize offer $500 on the complete
for said boat the hull and cabin
plan to amount to one-third of the prize,
for distribution of hose lin
detail plan) one-third. On pumps them
selves, and on propelling power and aux
i1iary arrangements, not so much need be
offered, as there are plans for those in ex-
istence which can easily be modified to suit
the case. The details of hose connections,
ETC., distribution, etc., strike me as being the
most important, and figures on the capacity,
strength and durability of large hose or
portable pipe lines would be very interest
ing to any committee honestly seeking for
the best appliances. WATER SPOUT.
PITTSBuR(3. ,June 10