The sun., 1898-02-09
IA FRANCE ENGINE Wins
Test of The Fire Engines Wit
messed BY Local Firpmen.
PISTON ENGINE FAVORED HERE
Eiremcn in This City Have Had n
Great Fight Over the Engines
Relative Merits and the La
France Won.

A large number Of local tiremen went
to Philadelphia yesterday and he object
of their visit there was the prcdominate
topics of conversation in the ti,ehouses
last night.
A test OF rotary and piston fire engines
was held in Ina, city yesterday and at
that test it clearly demonstrate d that
the piston engine is the better.
The question Of supremacy between the
piston and rotary engines have long
been agitated among local tiremen. The
question has been, which engine can
throw Il stream farther and with less
noise.
The claims of both sides have attracted
the attention of the people and the work
of the different engines has been watched
with great interest. Perhaps because
the people are the ones who benefit by
any Improvement that would be made.
The fremcn OF Wilmington favor the
piston engine and it has been proven
that the piston engine is the best engine
on the market.
Many members from each fire com
pany in this city went to the Quaker
City Yesterday to witness the test aud
returned very enthusiastic in their
praises of the manner in which the
piston engine acted.
The result of the test 50 far as can yet
be determined, favors the piston style,
for this engine threw the furth her stream
by about ten feet. After the test for dis
tance had ended, the engines were taken
to Locust street wharf on the Schuylkill
River where trial at height was
made, the water being pumped from the
river.
The stream varied all the way from 2S
feet to IS feet. the latter being the maxi
mum distance Expert Hopes estimated
that the average distance was 20 feet
The maximum steam pressure OF the en-
gine was l25 pounds. and the water pres
sure was indicated as high as 27O pounds.
When this test had been concluded, u
stem of the fire plug became twisted, and
deluge resulted, Il number of the at
tendants being drpnched. 1t was some
minutes before the water could be turned
off. The Silsby engine burned 65S
pounds Of gas coal
The piston, or La France. trial began
at 1852 o'clock, the steam pressure being
the same at the start, 100 pounds. At the
beginning it was evident that the piston
type would exceed its competitor, and in
a few minutes distance of % feet was
recorded. The water pressure on this
trial was as high as 32O.
The engines pumped water through
| $50 feet of new hose. with nozzle II
inches in diameter The hose was passed
around the block bounded by Fifteenth, ,
Spring Garden, Broad, and
Buttonwood streets. The fuel
(gas coal used by each engine
was weighed Sef-reading gauges
were connected by capillary copper
tubes with the boiler Of the engine, the
pump, and the lower end of the branch
pipe. The guages connected with the
pump and branch pip read 800 pounds
per square inch, and the other glagr
indicated 300 pounds pressure per square
inch.
Though the test of the Philadelphia
La France engine was exceedingly good,
the tipncn Of this city claim that any OF
the La France engines here can
make better test showing.
In March 1885 the La France of the
Friendship Company. which is Il third
size, threw a stream from a one and one
half inch nozzle and one hundred feet Of
hose lifting the water overtle stack of the
water works, at the head OF French
street The stack is 2O4 feet s inches
and the lightning rod is - feet above
that.
The Silisby engine Of the Reliance put
a stream over the same stack.