The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-12
FIGHTING FIRE IN sNoWsHEDs.
We'll Equipped Departments Main
 tained for the Purpose.

From the San Francisco Call
 The long line of snowsheds between Sacramento and Sparks, New, and pecu- liarly liable to destruction by fire. The passing locomotives emit sparks which lodge in the timbers, that are as dry as craclIings. and this is a frequent source of disastrous fires. Besides thls, forest
 fires and burning brush often ignite the
 sheds. The pine lumber of which the sheds are built is fat with pitch ana thor
 ouehly dried by the combined heat or the
 passing locomotives Inside ana the rays of the summer sun without. This makes excellent fuel for the flames. Ana when
 they are once started they spread "i,n
 lightninglilxe rapidity along the line or
 sheds as if it were train Of powoer.
 The long line of sheds acts as huee
 chimney with a powerful drausht' ana
 not much time is required for a small
 blaze to develop into a fire of ugly pro
 portions. ..
 The protection of the sheds from the
 ,o oas of fire is A matter of prime impor-
 tance The organization or the nre DIT
 gade must be and is as highly eHicien. and as thoroughly trained as any company
 fin n metropolitan fire department. The s,,sta,,o which secures this protection con- sists of two parts; first, the fire patrol, and second. the fire trains and their crews.
 The fire patrol keeps the closest watch for any outbreak of fire through the track walkers and the lookouts. The track walkers are men constantly patroli- ing the track before and after Taiis pass through the sheds to inspect the
 condition of the track and to see that obstruetions arc removed to prevent ac- cidents Their beat is usually three miles in length. One of their most important duties is the detection of fire in the sheds. Al short intervals along the line, apout three-fourths of a mile apart, there arc s,gna1 boxes connected with the stations
 where the fire trains are located. when a track walker discovers nre ne turns in the alarm at the nearest signal pox'
 and the alarm is registered at summit Blce Canon and Truckee.
 The main fire lookout is located on the ton of Red mountain, a high peak Of tho
 Sierras near Cisco. Red mountain IS apou,
 5000 feet high From It's summit almost the entire line of snowsheds Is visible rho instant a. fire is detected by the watchers on Red mountain the alarm Is sent to the stations where the fire trains are held m
 waiting. - ion where the snowsheds are located there are three fire trains. Each train is made up of a fire engine which is a locomotive equipped with a powerful pump throwing three streams of water, tender, and two
 water cars The trains are also equipped
 with telegraph and telephone outfits. The 1 cars have tanks capable of holding lS'ooo 1 gallons of water. They are fully equip l ped with fire hose, some of 1t on reels and some laid out on the top of the cars, also ladders, axes, saws. ropes and pike
 poles. Around the top of the cars on which the crew rides runs stout railing
 to keep the men from being pitched or | when rounding curves on the way to the
 fires The regular crew of the fire train l consists of engineer, fireman and brake
 man, who devote their whole time to the 1 fire train. When an alarm Is turned In
 there are added to these telegrapher,
 linemen, section men and all others work l ing for the company around the station
 who are not actually needed at home. l When the train has reached the scene
 of the fire then comes the real work or the run. The engineer usually takes charge of the situation and directs the i forces in the fight with the fire. The crew work together with rapidity and pre-
 cision. The hose is detached from the car and attached to the pump on the en- | zine and powerful streams are soon play
 ing on the burning sheds. The water
 supply is in the tanks on the cars, which are A part of the train. If the fire is
 well under way and has assumed danger l ous proportions. a second train may be
 sent from another station and the two
 crews work from both sides of the fire. But for ordinary fires one train only is 1 sent out
 l Fighting fire in the sheds Is sometimes an ugly piece of work. as the heat be- comes Intense, owing to the highly in- | fammable character of the material of
 which the sheds are built. and the sur rounding brush and trees easily ignite and add to the extent of the trouble The blistering heat frequently causes the | heavy steel rails to warp and twists