Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-15

high and somewhat over three feet in cir
conference. 1t is carried in a polished
hardwood case and is guarded and tended
as carefully as a watch, for the firemen are
very much attached to it,
Though only a short time in use, the he'll
met has already stood them in good stead.
Ii is made of leather. 1t covers the head
completely, and its base rests on the Shout
ders where 1t is held firmly in position by
means of straps that run under the armDlt.
The writer put the helmet on the other day
to see what 1t seemed like inside, and was
very glad to get it off again. 1t may be
considered luxury by firemen but to per
sons who are accustomed to taking their
air straight, existence in that helmet is not
Pleasant. 1t is intended to be worn in
places so filled with smoke that an unprO-
tccted man could not exist therein at all
In front Of the eyes are little round win
dOwS about twice the size of silver dollar
These windows are made of stout isnglass
protected on the outside by wire. Air IS
supplied from a light nickel reservoir car
ried the back Of the helmet, and con-
stantly kept charged with compressed air
ordinary bicycle pump being used in
the charging. AT the regulation pressure Of
~ pounds the helmet will carry enough air
to supply a man for several hours.
Protected by it, fireman can carry hose
into places where formerly he could not
possibly venture; he can explore with
safety the most dangerous cellar; he can
go anywhere without risk, far smoke
or noxious gases are concerned. meanwhile
keeping constantly in touch with his COM
| rades outside by means of a whistle at
tached TO the front of the helmet and
worked by ordinary rubber air bulb
such as is used on throat sprays.
Burglar Tools for Eiremcn.
Another tool carried by truck 20 is in
some respects as Interesting as the fire
helmet. This is a door opener" a bur
glarious device that would land any one not
belonging 10 the department in Jail if it was
| found in his possession by the police. 1t is
guaranteed to open almost anything except
| the door of an iron safe, and ii might even
| make things interesting for a safe door.
The door opener is about three feet high
and works on the principle of the jack. Its
main part is stout steel bar, end of
which rests on the ground. and the other
against the door that is to be forced. A
| lever that slides on this bar Jacks the
| door with such force and rapdity that the
hremen are inside the building almost as
| soon the wheels of the truck that has
brought them have come to a standstill
| To help the Jack man" along there are
| generally two other men. one of whom
! manipulates a clawhooked crowbar and
| the other an The crowbar is used to
wrench off the paddock that is usually
| found on store doors, and the chap with the
ak is on hand to give the door a vigorous
| tap so that IT will spring open the moment
1 the jack has forced the bolts.
II by some chance door should be found
that could resist the Jack screw the bat
| terinS ram is rushed to the rescue. 1t is a
| huge iron post. about six feet long, with
| two handles on either side. When a couple
| of husky firemen swing this against door
| or wall something has to give way and
| give way suddenly.
| For Cellar Fires.
| For cellar fighting, set of novel pipes
| has been designed. They are long, curved
| iron tubes with nozzle ends. The hose is
attached to the open end, and the nozzle
/ is then poked down into the cellar, enabling
the fremen to flood it and to point their
! hose in any direction without exposing
| themselves to suffocation from the smoke
that almost always pours up in dense black
columns from cellar fires. There are also
| suhcellar pipes by means of which a
stream of water may be thrown and con-
trolled twenty-five feet under ground by
the firemen working above. One of the cell
lar pipes has a revolving nozzle that works
like the familiar lawn sprinkler, throwing a