The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-04-24
!, q - .,
The New Fire Eydrants.

To the Editor OF The Times:
Sir,-It is a matter Of common knowl-
edge that this city has suffered from
many serious losses by fire within the
past year or two, and that in conse-
quence Of these losses that the fire de-
partment, water department and sch
other municipal adjuncts as go to the
prevention or extinction Of fire are now
and haev for some time been under in
vestigation and criticism, and that more
or less commendable efforts are bang put
forth to bring about such changes rs III
replace the city in its former enviable
position as 4 city in which tferS may, be
some chance for. safety from fire or GeEe !.
raj confagration. and I'M this liue 1T a +
fords pleasure to the writer 90 notice in
the public print that some new aud .arEer
pipe lines are to be laid, even if much
pipe laying be within restricted terl'itoly,
and thatsthe water department already
has on hand and intends to p'L.e sol!e
one hundred and fiftXsnew fire hEdrants.
each Of which is to have a four inch co 4
nection for servSss to the fire engine cen
nections in addition to the usual two
and-a-half-inch hydrant con lection for
fire hose.
Some of these hydrants have already
been located and attached to the street
mains, supposedly for the use of the fire
engines, and to afford them ready means
to secure larger supply Of water at their
suction end through the four-inch outlet
than has been possible even from the
two Observation-Disclosures connections now
found upon the majority Of the old hy-
drants in the service. This condition of
intention being assumed as correct, the
Writer is at loss to understand why the
persons responsible for the setting of
these hydrants did not set them as to
render them most readily available for
use by the fire department by placing
the four-1inch- connections directly at
right angles with the street curb, to the
end that the fire engine might locate it
self directly in front Of the hydrant and
make its connection without being COM
PEELED to bend its suction attachment in
70 the form of an 81; these suction at
stachments are nearly as rigid as is a
metal pipe of the same size. hence, though
1T cannot be claimed as physical and me-
fchanical impossbility to make connection
from an angular outlet to a straight-way
inlet, it is evident that the time to be
lost in attempts to bend the almost in
flexible suction attachment Of the engine
TO meet the anGularity of the hydrant
outlet at the four-inch delivery would
prove one of difficulty and delay Of such
moment as to prompt the fire department
to ignore the four-inch attachment and
use the antedeluvian "monkey-tail" at
tachment of two-and- a-half-inch size, Us
this class of suction pipe is susceptible: of
being distorted from the straight line
to suit eNigencies and under these con-
ditions the money expended in purchas-
ing hydrants with a four-inch suctiC&
outlet might with just as much sense
nave been thrown into the James River
With a hope of value received
Holding this view in relation to the
present method Of ,cfo
Meeting these four-inch outlet MIGRANTS,
let me ask on what theory Of hydraulic
engineering is it assumed that a four
and-a-quarter-inch inlet at the foot of
such hydrants, with a four-inch outlet,
is to be properly served by cutting its
service into a three-inch pipe of indef1-
mite length? This condition can be found
eXistant at the southwest corner of Cary
and Nineteenth Streets, and where else
the deponent saith not
April %. 1902