Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-11-29
Editor of The Tribune:

Bismarck is at the present time dis
cussing the purchase of fire fighting
apparatus which is yer! much needed,
| wish to ask some OF your valuable
space for the publication of the fol-
lowing paper, read before the conven-
ton of the National Fireman's as
sociation in August by Chief II. R.
Delfs of Lansing, Mich, who is con-
sidered the very best authority on fire
fighting apparatus and which deals
more particularly with the question
as to whether motor driven appara-
tus is more economical and practical
than the old horse drawn:
II. l.. READE.
Chief DeIf's Paper.
"T he topic assigned to me is one
of vast importance to the firemen Of
the present day. and with your kind
attention, ! will endeavor to give the
subject the consideration it deserves.
"In the present day, one inventor
after another tries to achieve some
thing better than the other fellow.
This is but natural; We are living in
a most progressive age, and in the
line of inventions. fire fighting ap-
paratus has not been overlooked, and
great credit is due the inventors Of
the wonderful automobile fire appara-
tus, which means so much to any pro-
gressiye city Think Of the speed with
which you can get to the fire and the
lives that may be saved by the fire
no 1nh
the spot. Time is essential. With the
automobile apparatus you can get to
the scene of the fire so quickly that
ninet y-nine ont of every hundred fires
are extinguished in their infancy, and
if Won can nut out the small ones,
you won't have the large ones to con.
tend with.
Il personally have had considerable
experience with automobile fire ap'
paratus, as lansing. Michigan, was
one Of the first cities in America to
install in their department an auto en-
CINE. This engine has been in service
twenty-one and half months. 1t is
equipped with a sixty-horse power six
cylinder Olds motor The Webb Motor
Fire Apparatus Co.. of St. Louis,
equipped the chassis with a Webb
pump with a capacity Of six hundred
and fifty gallons per minute while the
body carries nine hundred feet Of 2R
inch standard hose We have also in
service an auto chemical engine, do1l-
Bile tank, sixty gallons aech. This was
built by the Odds Motor Works. and
has a sixty horse power six cylinder
motor. In addition to this. we have
one chiefs auto. also built by the
Odds Motor Works, with a forty horse
power four cylinder motor. equipped
with two hand chemicals. one 6k
pound axe. insulated wire cutters rub
Der gloves, etc.
Briefly have outlined to you the
auto fire apparatus used in our city,
and l find that Lansing is not alone,
as Trenton, N. j., Augusta, Ca, Akron.
Ohio, Springfield, Ohio, Youngstown,
Ohio; Alliance, Ohio; Macon, Ca;
Joplin, Mo-; Springfield, Mass. Hull.
Mass; Detroit, Mich; Supulpa, Okla. !;
Tulsa. Okla; and many other cities
have installed similar appliances.
Auto fire fighting apparatus is past
the experimental stage, and to me
the time seems not far distant when
horses will be eliminated from fire
departments.
Il was pleased when your commit
tee in wording this topic referred to
the certain" and "economical' fea-
lures. Now, as to the certainty of the
auto fire apparatus Our three pieces
combined responded to a total of POS
alarms. We had two accidents with
our engine. one caused by skidding
and the other by breaking of a uni
versal joint. On these two occasions
the fire. and with these two exceptions
none of the apparatus had failed us in
any way. shape or manner. Brothers.
how many times have you responded
to an alarm when horse fell and was
injured? Did you get to the fire?
think not. You have also collided with
other moving vehicles. Again you did
not get to the fire. Again you have
been using your engines at fires when
flues would burst and put the engine
out of commission, and 1 could tell
you other accidents that may happen
to horse drawn apparatus. In making
this little comparison l am convinced
YOU will agree with me as OF the GER
tainty of the auto apparatus.
"A word as to economy l will give
you my report as given the Board of
Police and Fire Commissioners for the
year ending April 3Oth, 1910. The auto
engine responded to 1O1 alarms of fire
and 81 exhibitions and test runs, trav-
cling PA miles. 1t pumped at actual
fires IS hours and "a minutes, and at
tests and exhibitions, hours and As
The cost of maintenance Tin
Guiding gasoline, cylinder oil, grease,
spark plugs, charging storage bat
:eries. etc., s44.49, or 12k cents per
lay, while the total cost, including !
wo accidents, was $341.26. or 941k
'ents a day. No tire repairs were
necessary; never had blowout or a
,uncture and tires have been in use
o date twenty months, and show no