Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-09-20

THE FIRE ENGINE TEsT.-Probably
o},ont rs much interest as was ever
"oucentred in q comparatively trivial
lent was manifested in this city yes
.erdsy over the result Of the contest
bstween the Columbia and Hydraulion
ancines which took place at the Grange
Camp fair. Throughout the evening
the champions of the respective con-
nanies discussed nothing else but the
ali.ped merits of the two engines. In
some instances bon fires were lighted
and f~recrackers exploded. When the
Columbia reached this city on the ferry
heat from Washington a large crowd
Lod assembled at the wharf and hurrahs
and wells rent the air as the apparatus,
hrdecl,ed with brooms and drawn by
Gour horses. came of the boat. The as
semblace followed the engine to its
house amid acclamations of delight,
,ybile the bell in the Columbia steeple
Was rung for all it was worth. This
"ompauv had returned claiming the
hnrels. their engine having gen.
rated steam and thrown a $50
LET stream through $50 feet of
nose in 6 minutes and 5 Sec
onds. The Hydraulion company and
their friends, however, commended that
they were by no vanquished.
They claimed for their engine equal
nrowess. and by reason Of dispute on
the grounds had not formally enter
81 the contest. After it had been
declared closed that apparatus had
mi on its mettle and had gotten
III steam and tbrowna $50 feet stream
through $50 feet of hose in 7 minutes
and II seconds. There was a general
misunderstanding between the two
companies from the start. Everything
about the rules that could be was OBJ
jectcd to and there was no end OF at
tempts to get the better of each other
in the test. The Hydraulion wanted
the Judges TO make a thorough exami
nation of the engines to see that the
boilers were cold, &c. The Columbia
wanted to lift from II well, the water in
which was seven feet ten inches from
the tor, while the Hydraulion TOM
many wanted the well filled TO the top.
il was finally decided that both would
90 in the contest to lift the water seven
feet, ten inches. They tossed up for
first place, resulting in the Columbia's
favor. 1t was after 1870 o'clock before
the first company was ready to begin.
A controversy also arose as to the num-
Der of gallons of water in the boilers OF
the engines. When the Columbia had
been placed in running order and its
powers had been tested it was discov-
cred that that engine had thrown a
stream only $50 feet through $50 feet OF
hose, a mistake having been made by the
Judges in the measurement, who ln-
formed the Hydraulion members that
their engine need only throw the
came number of feet, but this was not
satisfactory, the Hydraulion claiming
that the rules which they had come pre-
pared to carry out called for $50 feet test.
Besides the variation in watches led to
no little friction, some claiming there
was a difference of a minute in the time
pieces and that it had taken the Column
5ia Z minutes and . seconds to throw
81 stream of 80 feet. The Column
bia then left the grounds and, as stated
above, returned to this city on the $50
boat from Washington. AS stated
above the Hydraulion finally withdrew
from the contest but later got up steam
and threw water in Z minutes and II
seconds for o distance of $50 feet and
claimed the prize, 500, on the ground
that the Columbia did not throw water
100 feet. Mr.. Jones, the president Of
the association, decided to postpone
awarding the prize until the matter
could be amicably settled if possible.
It is said that the dispute gave him
more worry than any ever had on his
grounds. The H%ydraulion engine re-
turned home over the Washington turn
pike reaching here about $50 o'clock
and was welcomed back with consider
able enthusiasm.
Up to 4:30 o'clock this evening
neither engine had received the prize.