The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-09-07
The New Fire Engine.

L
council with the Howe Engine Co., of
Indianapolis, Ind, arrived on Monday
of last week and was unloaded the fol-
lowing day and brought up town to be
tested before being accepted by the
city. On Tuesday evening the engine
was first tested, being placed at the big
cistern at the southwest corner of the
square, and before the fire boys could
get the hose coupled up the engine was
running. A powerful one inch stream
was first thrown high above the poof of
the three story Biggs block at the
northwest corner of the square, which
is the tallest building in the city. Then
two lines of hose were attached and two
inch streams thrown high in the air,
then three lines of hose were attached
and three fine streams were thrown
above the top of the building, and final
| ly four lines of hose were laid and the
engine had no trouble in throwing four
good streams above the top Of the Biggs
building.
This test providing satisfactory the
next test was the hand pumping attach
ment, which can be used in case the
engine should run out of fuel or be tenn
porarily disa bled. At the word ten
men were placed on the hand breaks
and without moments lost time good
stream was shooting 20 feet high, pump
ed by hand pumps. Two streams were
then thrown by hand higher than the
tallest building in the city. By this
time dusk was coming on, and as the
council did not want the cistern in use
emptied, directed the engine taken
to the cistern at the opera house corner.
A crowd of little boys seized the drag
rope and with two or three men to guide
the engine was taken to the lower cis-
tern and quickly set. The council
desired to test the capacity of the
engine throwing water through full
1000 feet of hose over the Biggs block,
and as the building was only two blocks
from the engine it necessitated doub-
ling the hose back and forth for block
three times, which greatly increased
the friction over a straight line of hose.
Nevertheless through this long line of
hose the engine demonstrated it's ability
to throw one or two streams over the
tallest building in the city. This ended
the test for the evening, but as Mayor
McGiEnis and councilman Foxworthy
were not present to witness the test,
the engine was taken out again the next
morning and set at the southwest corner
Of the square and further tests made.
Careful tape measurements were made
OF the distances water was thrown, and
it was found the Z inch stream was
thrown 207 feet from the end of the
nozzle, and two ! inch streams were
thrown 1G5 feet. Two kids who got
hold of the nozzle at the close of test
| created considerable amusement for the
crowd by indhiging in water duel.
Wade Warner, one of the strongest men
in town thought that he could hold the
nozzle by himself but gave it up after
the hoze d wrestled him all over the
street.
When the engine first arrived it was
found that in shipping the railroad COM
pany had managed to bump the govern
or slide and break off piece of the
guide, but with the help of Will
FiIical Mr.. Howe made temporary re-
pairs which enabled the engine to be
used until he could telegraph for
another piece from the factory which
arrived on Friday and the engine was
formally accepted by the council and
paid for.
The new engine is one of the finest
to be found in the state, being comb-
nation gasoline and hand pump, the
sixteen horse power engine being one
of the best made and will be great
relief to the tiremen who are soon ex-
hausted in pumping at long fires, while
the hand attachment can be used at
small fires or in case the engine gets
out. of order. The old Howe hand engine
which has been used here for about
twelve years, and has paid for itself
many times over has been shipped back
to the factory, MIR. Howe having agreed
to repair it and put it in as good con-
dition as when it was first bought free
of charge, the city paying the freight.
With the new hose and two engines the
fire company are feeling mighty proud
and are only waiting for the first fire to
demonstrate what they can do with
some d cent fire apparatus.
The Howe people are splendid people
to deal with, as they have always been
found ready to make every representa-
tion absolutely good, and in fact try to
do more than they agree to, The old
engine was a good investment and the
new one is a still better investment.