The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-02

TO BE TESTED MONDAY
New Fire Engines Are Ready for the
Trial.

Topeka s two steam fire engines ar
rived in town Friday afternoon, were
brought to the fire department head
quarters this morning, and will be
tested at 10 o'clock Monday morning.
One of the engines is a brand new
metropolitan, with a pumping capacity
of 500 gallons a minute. The other
is the old single pump steamer pur-
chased by the city over 90 years ago.
and now completely rebuilt equipped
with a new Fox boiler. and air pumps
which fit it for taking water from fire
plugs as well as from cisterns. The
old steamer has also rated capacity
of 500 gallons, but is probably not as
powerful as the new Metropolitan.
Such a fine looking job of rebuild
ing has been done on the old steamer
that one not familiar with the lines of
the apparatus would probably have
good deal of difficulty in deciding
which is the rebuilt engine and which
is the new one.
The new engine is built on what is
called the t.gooseneck' design. That
is, the pumps ssare set close to the
boiler. and the supporting frame is
curved up over so that the front
wheels of the vehicle will cut under
and give opportunity for a sharp turn.
The suction by which water is taken
from the hydrant is in two sections
on the new engine, While on the old
the suction is all in one piece. The
short section is more convenient for.
use at the hydrant. These are about
the only points of difference between
the old engine and the new one Which
would appear to the casual observer
The most radical difference between
them is really in the pumps, however
The new engine has double pumps,
and the old one a single pump. All
of the FURNISHED metal portions of the
old engine have been nickle plated,
instead of being left in the natural
copper or brass finish as they were
before.
NIapaOar Ahrens of the company
which sold the city the engines, will be
in Topeka Sunday, and is DESTROYS that
the new apparatus should be tested
Monday morning and the payment
made Together the two engines will
cost the city about $1,000
Fire Marshal Wilmarth said today:
81 don't exactly like to make this test
on Monday, because it is the Fourth or
July, and I like to hold everything in
readiness for fires. But we Will ar
range it so that the appdratus and
men are not taken far from hea6quar-
ters. and will test both of the engines.
Il am very much pleased with the
appearance of the engines. AS soon as
we have tested the new engine ana !
found it satisfactory, we will put IT IN
here in place of our borrowed engine,
which will be shipped back on the same |
car which brought these engines to To- |
peka The old rebuilt engine will be
held in reserve at headquarters until
are made for putting 1t into
regular service at one of the other sta
tons"
The rebuilt engine, when it left Tope-
ka, had name plate on it, bearing the
name of NJ. H. Case lin whose honor
the engine was named. Mr.. Case was
4. former mayor of Topeka, under whose
the engine was pur-
chased. This name plate has been ia
Ken off now, and is replaced with a
nick1e plate bearing merely the num-
Der 81 This indicates that the en-
CINE is designed ultimately to be placed
ar No 1 fire station in North Topeka.
But this move can not be made until
an addition is built to the North To-
oeka fire station. Until such time ii
will be held in reserve at fire depart
nent headquarters.