Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-01-29

4 Step in the Right Direction.

Dodgeville has made move in the
right direction in the matter of provid-
ing the city with means for exiting
uishing fires. A test of engines was
made there on last Friday evening.
The Sun of this week will say:
"The engines arrived on the DAY
previous and among their number,
were two chemical engines from
Chicago one a two Wheeled machine
costing $3.50 and the other a four
wheeled engine costing $3.50. The
other was a Howe Combined Chem
ical and Water Engine" from Indian
apojis, the price of which was $3.50.
Mr. Howe arrived from Indianapolis
OF Thursday and to please number
Of anxious spectators took his engine
over to the Dodgeyille Hotel, placing
the suction hose in the well and exhib-
tied the engines capacity for throwing
"dLGI. Ile uISG GhICH h oi1ISlS oGI tdLu
over the Opera House and afterwards
by means of his Siamese coupling
threw two streams clear over the
Opera House roof.
On Friday, Messrs. Mahan and
Sprecher, the exhibitors of the Chicago
machine, arrived. The Mayor and
County Surveyor were appointed a
committee to see that the two build
ings were erected exactly alike in size
and material in order to give the ex-
hibitors the same show.
The buildings were erected on a
level area adjoining the Illinois Central
depot and were Is feet high by 16 feet
long and s feet deep, two stories high
and filed with dry klndling, boxes and
barrels and saturated with 25 gallons
Of coal OIL
The first building was set on fire
and allowed to burn until it was in a
fierce blaze, the heat driving the crowd
back forty or fifty feet. Mr. Howe,
with the indianapolis machine was then
told to go ahead Whereupon he exiting
uiShed the fire in fifteen seconds ac-
cording to the time keepers Smoker
and Sands who held stop watches on
the different tests.
The second fire was then started
and after burning one and one-half
minutes the judges told Mr.. Mahan to
go ahead and in twenty five seconds
his fire was eXtinguished.
The fires were again started and
again extinguished in 48 seconds by
the combined and 72 seconds by the
chemical machine a third time they
were started and this time Mr.. Howe
stood back fifty feet putting out his
fire in 76 seconds. In this test Mr..
Mahan used his $1250 machine with
two streams and put out the fire in
115 seconds.
Mr.. Mahan then attempted to make
a test of his three gallon hand exiting
usher but the fire was too fierce for
them.
Saturday morning the council met
and bought two of Mr.. HoWe's No. 5 |
machines, these being double the ca
pacity Of the one exhibited, also 45
feet of extra suction hose and 500
feet of extra discharge hose, thus put
ting our city in a position to sue
cessfully combat the fire fend should
he again attack us.
Saturday afternoon some of our
citizens drsired to witness another test
Of the machine so it was taken down
to Stratman & Lanes wagon shop and
pipe laid 300 feet up the hill to the
Marks House and a stream easily
thrown over that three-story hotel.
1t was then taken down to the M. E.
church and stream thrown over the
extreme top Of the steeple after which
it was placed in the hook and ladder
building where it will remain until
the two larger ones purchased by the
city shall arrive"