The San Francisco call., 1897-03-07

fENoNDoN, ENG, March GA fire en-
tkk gine that travels on pneumatic
A wheels, without horses is astonish-
ing the Englisnmen nowadays. The only
familiar feature is the everlasting gong
the line of hose that is seen reeled up in
the rear is an old friend in a new place.
The genius of the inventor has for some
time past been guided in the direction OF
| the mechanical features of the Fire De-
partment. The papers have been full OF
letters to the editor, which the average
Britisheri is so fond of writing and in these
has been a host of suggestions, good, bad
and Indifferent, regarding Improvements
which the writers were convinced should
be made, and at once, in the fire appar-
atus. There is nothing that the average
Londoner is more afraid of than fire, and
consequently his mind has strong bent
toward all that will help to reduce that
danger to a minimum.
While all these people have been writ
ing and talking genius has acted, and
result of his thought and ingenuity is the
fire engine referred to in the first para
graph of this article. A curious looking
ton, which was drawn from photograph,
plainly indicates. Little enough like the
fire engine one sees in America and en-
tirely lacking the hiss, puff and blow and
the clouds of smoke that have heretofore
rendered audible and visible the presence
of the foe of all flames.
The motive power of this engine is gaso-
lene, and, as the photograph plainly indi-
Gates, the engine itself is very different
from the machine that is ordinarily in use
for the purpose. 1t is more compact and
| powerfnl-two improvements that will be
very welcome. In the rear OF the engine,
| and within the railing, is the fire hose on
the rec! of the usual pattern. Thus the
engine and hose cart are in one. Ordi-
| narily the fireman seizes the hose and un-
reels it himself.
With this most up-to-date of fire en-
gines, however. there is contrivance
which will reel or unreel the hose, action
being regulated by lever close to tha:
which operates the engine itself. This is
one of the features which firemen find
great cause for enthusiasm. In fact the
London fire-ig ghters, who are considered
fully equal to the bravest and best, even
as good as the fremen of the United
States, think that the reel feature is the
point par excellence of the invention.
Generally the engine is supposed to
carry five men, but this number can be
increased if desired, as the additional
weight Of larger crew would have no
appreciable effect upon the speed, which
is anywhere from twelve to twenty miles
an hour, according to the size of the en-
gine and the desire of the crew, or as the
exigencies of the occasion demand.
Two of the fremeu stand on the foot
board of the engine, which makes the en-
tire circuit. the contrivance being of an
elongated nature. The fifth man is the
pilot. He stands within the rail- and by
means of a wheel laid hatwise upon au
iron bar steers the queer machine. There
is the usual headlight for use at night
located directly forward of the wheel bar.
The oldest feature of the W ole contriv-
ance, however, Is found in the wheels.
These, as the illustration shows. are huge
pneumatic affairs, the spokes being very
like the steels which are so noticeable in
the bicycle. There are Just four of them
to every engine, the same number
that would be required of any other
wheel, but the hremen, despite the
lightning speed at which they travel, feel
far less of the frig htful jolt, constant jog
Cling about like dice in a box, that is
generally their fate. Instead, they feel
very little more of the jolting sensation
than one would experience on an ordinary