San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-09-03
Carrying Fire Brigades on Electric
Roads,

Carrying Fire Brigades on Electric
Roads.
A plan has recently been out
lined for carrying fire brigades and
apparatus on electric lines. The
plan may appear somewhat limit
ed in application to existing con-
ditions, but when the rapid extern
sion of electric roads, very often
covering whole tracts of country
with a network of lines, is consid-
cred, it's probable usefulness will
be appreciated. That part of Mas
sachusetts surrounding Boston
may fairly be taken as typical of
the development of modern cleo
trio roads and the possibilities
they afford in the carrying out of
the great apparatus transportation
scheme. Many small towns in
the vicinity are connected by the
electric railway, making communi-
cation easy. Frequently a fire will
get beyond the control of the de-
partment Of one of these munich
palities, and aid is asked from adj
joining towns. For example, Lynn
is about ten miles from Boston,
and whenever a company is sum-
moned from Lynn to aid some bril-
gade in the outlying districts of
Boston, four or more horses ere
sent with an engine, and a like
number with the hose carriage.
The men, with the exception of the
driver, are sent on a train. Some
times they can catch a train that
enables them to reach their appa-
ratus at a favorable time, but
oftener they do not. One town, in
deed, has a car on the road ready at
all times for out-of-town calls, but it
has usually happened that after ar
irving at the city calling for help
in good season the a has been
unable to unload from being side
tracked in some announcement place,
and further delay has been caused
in waiting for the horses. In a SER
vice OF this kind the electric road
can be used with manifest advan-
tage. With such a network of cleo
trio roads as exists around Boston,
and will soon exist around all
large cities, fire apparatus can be
landed with a very short distance
from any large fire. The plan pro-
posed is to have 2 double-truck car,
with a 3-inch plank floor laid on
SKIS s%tringers. The sides would be
closed and the ends built so that
when let down they would
act as skids or inclined planes.
When the car was wanted
the horses could pull the engine on
the a and the ends would be
closed. At the destination the
other end would be let down and
the horses would be able to start
Immediately with the engine. The
engine and horses would weigh
about six tons. The car, which
would be about 81 feet long, not
including platforms at the ends,
would be so equipped as to be self
propelling, but a possibly better
plan would be to have it tOwed by
a motor car, in which the fire COM
pany could ride, thus keeping
them with the apparatus. A spur
track could be run from the en-
CINE house to the street railroad
and the car stored there. 1t is
stated that the fire department Of
a New England town has decided
| against the idea, but the grounds
of objection given are so quaint
that they can hardly be taken Sc
riously. 1t is held that the a will
| frighten horses, and, moreover, that
| it will not make much faster time
than with the horses. In the pres
| ent state Of the development Of the
| equine brain, horses could hardly
| be expected to be critical as to the
difference between the proposed
car and the ordinary electric car or
a fire engine, to both of which they
have long become accustomed, and
as to speed, until a new breed of
animals is introduced that can
haul an engine along a country
road at twenty or thirty miles an
hour the iron steed will beat the
horse. The scheme is 81 practi-
cable as to recommend itself to all
fire departments covering areas in
which electric roads are available,
and, in all probability, electric fire
apparatus cars will Soon be as gen.
orally adopted as electric postal
| cars now promise to be.
An Improvement in Electric Bells.