The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-01-24
SALT WATER ON FIRES
Inc Southern Railway Offers the Use Of d.
Powerful Fire Boat. 8sI
A TEST MADE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON [|l,
Chief Ryan Happy over the L,berniIty
SHOWN by the Railway In 0Gerins 1
the Services OF shc Tug psedmons
nj all Alarms Along the water !
FronI-More Hose wanted, fS
,ygS.zEYA

Norfolk has fire boat. II ia tr,,e%
the powerful tug which In future Will
DC used In extinguishing fires along the
water front does not belong to the cftysf
but 1t will be under the sole and abao.S
Iute control of the Chief of the Norfolk s
ERE department during the progress Of
all fires to which 1t is, called out The
Jug IN question Is the Piedmont, owned
ny the southern railway and one of the &
most powerful and handsome in this Z
harbor. 'IE \ : - ls'ssil,s.
This liberal offer was made to Chez
Ryan yesterday afternoon at 5 o'clock
ny MT. u. t. Lamb, the general agent
OF the Southern at this point, and yyas \
at once accepted because Chief RYAN
has always desired just such facilities
for lighting fires in the lower sections /,
OF the city III -sf--s,>,,32l
The Piedmont is fitted up with a now.
erful pump OF the Blake improved d,I-
pleX style, which has a capacity for /
throwing water exceeding the combine
Ell capacity of all of the fire engines
In service in the city. The pump has
stroke. while the water cylinder is fsHx.S
Ia inches. Four lines OF 2h inch hose
can DC connected up, all of them throws
Ing powerful streams. ~
An exhibition test Of the throwing ca =
pacity of the tug was made yesterda-,S
afternoon mt the Clyde Line wharf 81, !.
the presence OF Chief Ryan, Captain ]. h
w. McCnrrick, and Il number OF news
paper men. -Four lines of hose were
nttached, but 50 great was the pres-8
sure That men enough to hold the pipes
could not be secured. This afternoon
at 80 O'Clock another test Will be made
with inch and Il half nozzles at the foot
OF Fayette street. tNtsH bI ,5TT
Mr.. Lamb Is an enthusiast on the s,lb-s
Ject of eXtinguishment of fires having
been chief of the Southern Railway
Company'S fire department at West
Point. 1t was this, perhaps. which lead
nun ill@ @ to make tNe liberal offer of the tug
the tug, but he Instructed the entire
crew to place themselves under the CONE
inand OF Ohief Ryan at all fires they!
were called out to. In addition to this,
ne Instructed Chief Ryan not to be
needed. T5Tl s5is$
The tug will lay at the dock at the
foot OF Fayette street and Chief Ryan
VIII endeaNor to have an alarm gong
paced nearby with which to call the,
tug to all alarms sent In from the water
front. An effort will be made to induce
the Councils to purchase an addltionaIg
supply OF hose. to be carried on the de-
partment apparatus. and IL the effort Is
successful then the tug will be used for
all alarms south of Main street
me couplings on the Piedmont have
all been changed to fit the hose used
In this city and 1t is the intention of
the Southern railway to aid the city
a~l'eAi III cNclS WHY they GILL
Is hoped that other railroads and trans-s
portation companies will make a like,
offer and thus assist I'm reducing the
rate OF insurance in Norfolk. 5isS:
1t Is but proper to say that the offer,
and acceptance of the tugs services wilt
not cost the city one cent, the railway
company even using its own hose inS
emergencies. The water will be pNmp-
ed from the river and the city water
works be thus relieved.
No tug in the harbor has ever refused
to respond to calls at fires along thas
water front, but this is the first time eli
tug has been placed absolutely undeSs
the control of the Fire Department Of
the city stllsStB