The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-05-03
NEW STEAMERS TESTED
Fire Commissioners Put
the Engines Through
Their PAGES.

In the presence of a crowd numbering
more than thousand, and the Officials OF
various municipal departments OF the
city, the two handsome steamers for use
in the Fire Department were tested yes
terday afternoon on the bank of the canal
at the foot of Van Horne street. The ap-
paratuses were tried in every conceivable
manner, with and without forced pres
sure, with all kinds andssizes of hose and
nozzles and with a new grade OF coal 10
be used in the future by the department
The tests proved the perfection In every
detail of the steamers.
Chief Conway Assistant Chief Lowell,
Commissioners Erickson, H. q. Niblitt
and James Hennessey, ex-Fire Commis-
sioners John Brennan and Thomas D.
Mills, City Collector Robert Davis, Chief
Murphy, Director C. C. Barker and sew
eral other prominent officials were on
hand to look at the new machines. They
are things of beauty as well as practical
apparatuses.
For two hours the engines were Kept
going like demons. The noise of. their
pumping could be heard for blocks
crowds gathered to see the perfect
working of two of the handsomest and
best engines in the State.
Shortly after two o'clock fires were
started with the new grade of Kentucky
coal which costs but So a ton, being almost
half as cheap as the material now IN use.
In five minutes twenty pounds of steam
was generated, and in eight minutes SIX
ty pounds was recorded on the dial, and
| the engines were sent off on their hrst
trip In few more minutes the dlal re-
corded 1876 pounds with 1SO pounds water
pressure Two streams We're attached 70
each steamer.
Three men of the crews from Nos lV
and Q Companies held the inch and a
quarter nozzles, while the streams shot
across the meadow lands for distance
of about two hundred feet. The streams
were strong and steady Then two hoses
were attached to a single inch and
half nozzle. each engine working two sep
arate hoses. These streams We're terrlnc'
For fifteen minutes this was alloWeo TO
90 on. Chief Conway then sent Tor
Chemical Engine No. 16, on Belmont ave-
nue.. which has a standing two-inch noz-
| zle attached to the wagon. A stream
| from each engine was attached to this
nozzle and for the first time, the officials
saw to Just what advantage this could
be used. To say that they were pleased
| is putting it mildly
The stream that issued from the COM
bined power of the two steamers, would
reach the top of almost any building IN
| the city. with the possible exception Of
the Sugar Refinery and the grain eleva-
| tors.
! The steamers were forced for all that
was in them. Every valve, gauge screw
bolt and attachment was tried In every
particular they were found to be all that
( the Fire Board contracted for, and highly
/ satisfactory. They were accepted ana de-
tailed to Companies and 10. The crews
| of these companies are delighted with
| their new pets.
Engineers Sonneborn was in charge OF
| No. 10, and w. E. Johnston, of No. 2. G.
E. Vessels of the American Engine Co.,
was on hand to oversee the working of
| the steamers.
| Commissioner Erickson, who has as
sumed the task of looking after the con-
struction of the engines, was rugged out
in his overalls, working about the steam-
lers.
II am more than pleased with these
apparatuses, said he when the test was
concluded 'You may state that they
meet with the unqualified approval of all
concerned and have worked much better
than we anticipated. The cost of each
is s4,50O The weight is S,7o0 pounds each,
!! each having a water capacity of 700 gall
Ions.
"From now on we will use a new grade
of coal. The cost is less than half what
we are paying and the results far more
| satisfactory"
/ The steamers are nickel plated and the
running gear so built that it is impossible
| for the machine to capsize. A rocking
axle is placed in the front and should the
machine go over a stone or down a ditch,
/ +jxrl