Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-13
FIRE ENGINES POWER.
CAN BORE HOLE THROUGH BRICK
WALL WITH WATER.

WALL W 1ItI w AIEK.
Norfoik's new fire engine, no matter
which one OF the three offered the Fire
Committee is chosen. will be {" a hum
mer.' That's the kind Chief Ryan
wants, and it's the kind the depart
ment needs. he says. The fire steamers
offered are models of fine workmanship
IL they are not misrepresented, and
from their test in other cities it is
Known that their qualities have not
been exaggerated. The city OF Atlanta
mas Just purchased two new engines,
ana the probabilities are that Norfolk
VIII have one like these. with which
Chief Joyner OF that city, according to
the Atlanta Journal, is very we'll sat
lsied indeed. y test made of the new
engines astonished those who saw it.
The dome of the Kimball House. Il sew
en- story hotel, was washed as clean as
II new pin. and the stream almost
washed away the clouds" when turned
STEWARDS, it is said.
Now that Norfolk will have u num-
Der of tall buildings. an engine like this
Will be a great security against fire in
these big buildings.
Talking With Chief Ryan, Virgin
lan-Pilot reporter and others. Mr.. b.
Eosch, representing one OF the fire en-
sine companies, made the statement
yesterday that he could bore through
any brick wall i'll Norfolk with IL two
Inch stream from one of his engines.
Ills statement was Il poser for some
who heard it, but since Mr.. Bosch is
one of the beSt-known fire engineers in
the country, there was no one TO dis
putc his statement. He said it would
take some time. possibly two hours, but
the power OF Il two-inch stream with
plenty OF force behind it was simply as
founding. He didn't care how thick the
wall, lie could finally bore through 1t,
and once through. he could tear it
down at WILL knocking off brick by
brick.
Mr. Bosch has been all over the coun-
try and knows more about the working
OF fire departments than probably any
fire chief from Maine TO California.
Chief Ryan told him he was anxious to
get politics out of the Norfolk depart
>nent rs far as possible. Mr.. Bosch said
scmc cities were adopting civil service
regulation with this end in view, and
that lead 10 a discussion Of the merits
OF Tie CIVIL service system in fire de-
partments. Not it's merits in particu-
lar, but its demerits. for, according to
Mr.. Bosch. who assisted in framing the
questions and regulations for the Phil
adcll.hia and New York departments,
This he said, was because of the use of
too much theorizing to the exclusion Of
practice i'll applying the test of enicien-
cy to iiremen. He recalled n question
asked Of Il fireman i'll New York, in
this wise:
What would YOU do if YOU boiler
blew up under such and such circum-
stances. etc."
Il would wait for 1t 10 come down."
was the answer. which, though hippant,
was about as suitable as could have
been given TO such IL question.
If thcorizing were made subservient
to practicability in determining the eff
liciency of an applicant, Mr.. Bosch
thought civil service In fire departments
would be an excellent thing. 1t Is GER
tainly a department which should be
let alone by politicians.
Mr.. Bosch is we'll vcrsed in both theo-
retical and practical engineering. He
gives interesting illustrations OF how
theorists make mistakes. He had seen
theorists, for instance, who couldn't
understand why Al pounds OF pressure
behind II stream would not send it 100
feet high, when the trouble was that
the amount of friction In forcing the
water through a hose had not been
figured