New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-10
PTER WATER FOR FIRES
puTLADELPHIA'S PLAN.
p,-,erfsI Gas Engines Send Water
70 Ton of Skyscrapers.

-. srD 81 baltimore serves TO eu1pha size
s.-rs- of disastrous CONGREGATIONS in any large
Although Fire Chief Croker declares that
oir. n-ssert Of the ability Of the New-York Fire
- -,,ert 10 check any FIRE In this city before IL
Dep1 bsvord control. yet be declares that the
ca - 20 rrevent a huge disaster Ike that IN
ons,-. IS 70 get plenty % FIRE aghting apparatus
Da-,, oulctly and to have plenty Of water. Has
:. vo-l an ample water supply for this purpose?
He" YORK Board q Fire Underwriters does
l-' ,.ievs ti,st il has. and CHIEF Croker and
10 chief Kruger have recently reported their
-. =, the salt water pipe system. which for
49, Banner recommended years ago
= IS been asserted that the most available
- ~ supply for FIRE lighting in this city would
y 80 Two rivers. This ineKhaustible supply has
= t.ken advantage Of by the building OF power
y. s-,soa+s and placing them at convenient points.
-. boats are capable Of sending powerful
-. ,h-o,,gh hose lires half mile long ane
80. ,,rs~-i,-e work n that way at long distances
- .re river side. Every one who has watched
So or ne streams from the freboat nozzles-
.,ose RON water tower fed by three engines,
- ,rat such streams are far more effective in
-, a-es than the individual streams from
6ozon IRE engines
=, s,s s,aci7llv dangerous districts in New-York
- he r,,rpose OF the many well informed persons
r. have advocated . system OF salt water pipes
-. such a system could also provide an ample
~ vat
a. sou-r the streets in ordinary times Philadel-
-. - ;,,st hod such 2 system completed and.
--hovrh I. has not yet been subjected 70 its final
IS !. has already resulted II reduction Of In
rance rates by Is cents on each 500 In a dis
.,. IN whica the insurable property is calculated
- =. vrorth 100000 800. A further reduction OF 10
. m 500 is promised II the ma trials prove as
f.,isfscto-y as the preliminary trials have iudi-
80 This viii mean saving OF $4,000 a year in
--s.-,s alone besides the added assurance
.ra,nst business paralyEing corfagrauon- The
Gre zone which is thus protected in Philadelphia
:. embraced IN a district about one and one-fouTth
miles long ard half mile wide. bounded by Wal
mi and Race SITS on its sides and the City Han
and the Delaware River on its ends. About seven
-.nss OF special pipes ranging in size from Z 10
,,.hss have been laid IN this district At three
-,soss or The waterfront provision has been made
ar the areboats 10 connect directly with the sys-
zen SO that they can pump river water into the
mains Trials made with the power from the IRE
boats have shown that streams can be sent directly
e-or the ,vsranrs 10 above the twentieth stOriCs
Of Phladelpha's tall buildings. The power which
Is 70 be depended on to operate The system resa-
lary is however to be much greater than that OF
the freboats.
At Race-st. and the river is a power house %
feet wide and 40 feet long IN which is installed
g special pumping plant The novelty Of this plant
has attracted much attention from engineers. II
viii be realized that plant for nre he hJng pOI--
the day or night. month IL and month out steam
boilers and engines could have been USED ior Nhls
purpose. but they have many disadvantages IL
Is expensive n keep up steam and 10 o. certain
that everything Is always IN working order. The
power plant which was finally chosen consists OF
battery ~ eight Mestlnghou gas engines cas-
~ 2s0 horsepower The fuel used is Illuminating
Eas from the street mains. ono man controls the
operation OF the Whole plant standing IN a
gallery he can throw into action one engine after
another and regulate the valve system Tor direct
Ing the water supply.
one novel feature in the plant is the method Of
starting the engines Gas engines operate JUST
like the gnsolene engines used for automobiles. To
start tDe explosions which drive them II Is neces-
cary 10 force them into action by some outside
means. With the automobile engines this is done
by hand with lever OF crank To start 80 horse
a,over engines IN this way would he manifestly rn-
POSSIBLE Starting Is accomplished BY means OF
compressed air. In one compartment OF the power
building series of steel tubes. Air compressors
az these tubes with air az pressure OF 200 pounds
20 The square inch With the tubes filled
with aiE- the plant is all ready FOR operation. al
thourh every engine is at rest and there is not a
Gre al.rht IN the place.
The moment an alarm comes in the operator
TINS into one Of the three cylinders Of the
FIRST engine. mis- sets the engine working
While the gas takes Up the work in the other
c,'hnders. in p seconds the first gas engine
az full power into the mains. Then the operator
throws into action one engine after another until
minutes The station is able exert its whole power
IN hChting fire. All OF this has been demonstrated
Pr uiolcla4 uals Inc ofhcial trials are 70 be held
y soon as ne Weather gets warm enough 80
that food ~ water the streets Will not make a
nuisance The power house viii give a pressure
q 30 pounds 10 the square inch in the mains.
lhls is equal 70 q static column OF water 200
feet high.
Hose is connected directly to the MIGRANTS. Each
Streams from thcs- hose VIII reach the tops Of the
nlsh 0uiolngs CT can be used 10 tear away iron
buildings tea-ing out partitions u doors