The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-11-01

The Best Time in HitchiMg with Auto
matte Harnesses Yet Made In the stat,
Horses-How Electric Appliances IL eli
Large and interested crowds are a,
the engine house every evening to
watch the training Of the town horses
for the hitch with the hanging auto
matte harness to the steamer. And il
is sight we'll worth seeing, not merely
to demonstrate the progress being
made in protection against fire but to
see what that noble animal, the horse,
is capable of doing.
Monday evening the hitch was made
in 10 seconds, the quickest time ever
made in the state and with the
facilities and appliances introduced
1t il time that can be closely ap-
preached in case Of alarm. The horses
in their stalls face towards the street
and the engine which stands the pole
perhaps 25 feet distant. They are
fastened with AN automatic strap
which is unhitched by the ringing Of
the alarm, at the same time the lights
are turned on, and the front door of
the house opened, and number OF the
box shown on the indicator, all by
electric appliances. The horses know
exactly where they should 60, seem to
take as intelligent an interest in their
duty as men would, and as soon as the
alarm rings start, and as the floor is
smooth stop themselves by sliding at
the end, stopping under the harnesses
which hang on either side of the neap.
As the driver jumps ON the seat and
seizcs thelreins the harnesses drop, and
with one snap to close the collar and
another to attach the reins to the
bit, the hitch is complete and every
thing ready to start
The objection most likely to occur
regarding this appliance and training
is that is too quick for the men to be
there in season. But four men sleep in
the engine house every night and there
are to be eight hereafter. tests show
that with night alarm they will get
down there in about 15 seconds and
they are sufficient to man the machines
in case Of necessity; also with the fire
alarm system by which every fireman
knows Just where to 60 there are GER
tain to be enough others on hand by
the time the scene is reached. The
men always get there by the second
round of the alarm, and it is marvellous
what time they will make.
Work has begun this week to take
out the partition between the two
rooms of the lower floor of the engine
house and the two hose carts are to
be placed on the cast side in front Of
tho two horses to be trained for them,
while the relief steamer, No. 3. is to
stand in the center of the room. The
purpose of this is to enable just as
quick time to be made with the hose
carts as the engine. The present stair
way leading up stairs to where the
men sleep is to be taken away and re
placed with winding stairway, and a
brass pole is also to be put in for the
men to slide down on to save more
time.
These things are giving us by all
odds the best fire department in Yer
mont and one which can be excelled
only in the cities and then only in the
fact that day times horses are kept all
the time ready in thes houses all the
time. while ours are worked on the
roads. In every other particular we
have got just as good as the best any
where.
And it will be shame il all this,
with our hydrant system and all the
rest, does not secure a reduction OF
insurance rates. Probably Millers
Falls which had pretty nearly no fire
protection at all, got her insurance
lbout as cheap as we do.
The whole cost Of these improve
nents will be about $1,000, but never
vas money better invested.