The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1897-06-26

Engine No. IS, the new aeouisit..
to the Boston Fire Department. 9TH.
wise known as the hOrselesS." is NJ
dergoing a series Of tests in the the.
oughfares Of the city, preparatorv !.
putting it into active service as rs,D
lar feature Of the fire fighting appso'
tus.
The experiments made with the Ia
propeller are so satisfactory that M,
foreshadow a revolution in the eoDi,
ment Of the department, and il bqeiS,
to look as though the days of gaIIo1'
ing horses and their exciting ruSbe< !,
fires are nearing the end, in grpar
cities, at least. Much care is eXercissS
in the experimental trips thai a,a
made. and nothing like the Speed ,bs,
II is said to be capable Of attaining bg,
been attempted with it. Most of m.
tests are made at night and the appear.
ance Of the engine, which bows alan,
like specter, save for the noise oeca
stoned by the passing of SO heavy a
machine, attracts a great deal Of a,
tention wherever II goes.
The engine was built at MancbeS,..
New Hampshire. Its makers claim %,
II the greatest water capacity Of snv
steam fire engine ever constructed H.
big three-horse engines now in nSs !,
the department have capacitv -
nearly 1000 gallons a minute. but ,b;s
one is built to thrown 1880 gallons N
that time, and tests made since the ma.
chine was finished indicate that 1No
gallons may be reached Yet il can %,
over the ground more rapidly than win
a lighter engine drawn by hory.s
The pattern Is a marked improve
ment upon previous hOrSeIesS engines
Hartford, Connecticut, has three in use
which answer the purpose for that city
very satisfactorily, but they are small.
er machines and lack certain features
which make the Boston engine an IN
tO-date production. far ahead Of ilsI
predecessors In efficiency. \ peculia,
construction OF the tire Obviates a 6f
ficulty met with in the tendency q
hOrseless vehicles to run in the gutter
In travelling over crowded rOadhedS. I'll
the machine works, as il is expected 10
work in BOstOn's narrow and crooked
streets, ii opens a new era in fire d.
partment apparatus.
The height Of the engine over all isl
nine feet nine inches; extreme length.
sixteen feet six inches; extreme width
seven feet three inches. Its weight
when In service will be about 1IGgI
pounds. Through fifty feet of hss
with a two-inch nozzle. a cOntinu0a
horizontal stream OF $40 feet or NOR
is obtained. The inlet pipes on ead
side are for six-inch suction hose. WITH
outlets of two or more lines Of three
and one-half inch leading hose.
Very little machinery in addition to
the ordinary mechanism OF a IRE IN.
CINE is required TO operate these self
prOpellers. An extra water tank is car
ried at the rear TO supply the boiler
until connections can be made with a
hydrant. The driving power IS ap-
piled from one end OF the main crank
shaft through an equalizing compound
and two endless chains, which pas
around the inner rim OF the hubs u
the rear wheels. These hub rims ar
fitted with cogs, which make them. in
fact. sprOcket wheels; this arrange
ment allows the wheels to be driven al
varying speed when turning corners.
When 1t is necessary to use the pow
er Of the engine for driving purposes
by the single removal Of key the driv-
ing power is disconnected from The
road-driving gear and the entire power
Of the engine may be devoted TO the
pumps The new machine will be par
ticularly helpful in fighting fires in tops
Of tall buildings, which now cannot be
very well handled by the ordinary
methods.