Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1891-03-06
THE NEW FIRE ENGINE.
Its requirements Misunderstood ana
.ts Execution Subject TO Unusual
Conditions


Inherent eyes. The tc-t OF the 'h'm-
Al engine illustrate the truth 81 tins
,..,rtipn II seems that some people
<l,r.t,i that u would ,uhluc gen
.r,l ,onnasratlon and others that AL
,u, had TO- q" Wl~ t. point the n"/ll"
AZ tho ire and, presto change IT
would down. Thee people were OF
cour,c disappointed. and manifested
i, in ,hcusuai way, 10y vigorous kick
.ng."
The fact l. the engine l. only IN
tended To- >uhduc, or check, iu"rIcnt .
fire.. Il Will. in nine eases out "i ten .
nut ont tire that aa- not extended I
beyond the interior 81 the room where
the blaze originated. 1t will hold in
check blaze Of larger extent, until a
reinforcement OF the service can get
4 stream ui water turned ON.
The test Thursday. notwithstand-
iug the assertions To- the contrary. was
- the most severe nature. The space
under the improyiscd shed was filled
with drvgood- boxes and other com
hu,tihlc material, all OF which was
thoroughly saturated with coal OIL.
II was thoroughly ablaze all over the
surface when the stream from the
chemical was turned on. The iiamcs
were quickly subducd. simply by dl-
recting the stream on the fire. Where
ever the stream OF charged water
struck il instantly put out the fire.
ON the second test, the flames had got
inside the boxes and near the ground,
and when the stream was thrown on
top, il only cxtinguished the fire on
the outside, simply because il WAS not
directed on the combustihlcs that
were feeding the flames, or beneath
them. so that the rising gases would
accomplish the object.
This is an error which even fremen
OF experience sometimes make. They
throw water over instead Of on the fire
installing flame for the process of
actual combustion. II water should be
thrown low, how much more essential
il is that such volatile medium as n
gas, which rises with much greater ra-
pidity, should he placed ut the lowest
possible point Of combustion
The test was n severe one, because
the conditions were unusual. II very
seldom happens that a fire originates
amid n mass OF finder, soaked in kero-
sene, or that the fremen are debarred
from pulling the combustibles apart to
get at the flames. Had even this been
done, nobody doubts but that the sec
ond result would have been rs satisfac-
tory rs the first.
The big stream from the water
main, when turned on did this from its
own force. IL scattered the burning
debris in all directions, and OF course
got ut the fire before il extinguished it,
While the water made short work OF
the flames, it must he admitted that
it would have been equally destruc-
tive Of goods and chattels in burn
ing house. In fact il would he the
more destructive of the two elem ents
in all fires that could be extinguished
by gentler means.
All these things should DO taken
into consideration, in forming Just
opinion OF the merits of the new en-
CINE. Those hair-triggard critics, who
go off with touch and never seem e
reason from cause to effect, have voted
the engine a failure, while every ole
fireman we have met expresses tn,
opinion that Notwithstanding the con
ditions OF the test were unusual ant
unfair, that the engine is capable o
excellent service, not only rs fire ex
tinguisher but property-saver, from
an equally to be dreaded result, tn,
flooding OF premises with water to
subdue flames that with q combina
ton of brains and carbonic acid ga
would down at merely the opening o
a throttle.