St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-03-16
Rode On MOtOTFire Engine.
Two Members of Village Trustees
Inspected Fire Plants Using
Motor Engines In MaSSa-
chuSettS. They
will go Some.

While in Boston last week Trustees
Burbank and Mayo took time to inspect
| some fire departments where motor cars
are used. When they returned they were
| asked about what they saw. They
replied that they were glad to tell what
| they saw but they were not talking for
| the purpose CT advocating or opposing
| the vote taken at the village meeting.
They inspected the fire department in
Boston to some extent and while visit
ing the different places found Capt. Will
liam Lynch a former resident of ST.
| Johnsbury. They asked him if he was
familiar with motor engines and if he
thought one could be operated here. He
said he was familiar with them and be-
lieved one could be operated here unless
1T was time when snow was so deep
nothing could be operated.
They visited Revere, Mass, where
| they have a combination chemical and
hose motor car. The department there
did not know they were coming and the
regular chauffeur was not at the station.
The assistant was ready to take them
out providing they would not ask him
to run the apparatus above the medium
speed. They were driven up the hardest
hills they could find in Revere and over
roads they said St. Johnsbury would not
tolerate without changing the speed
gear of the motor. They said the
machine did not slack perceptib1y in go
ing up any hills they scaled. They did
not however find any hill there as hard
as some in St. Johnsbury. While riding
on the Boulevard between Revere and
Chelsea they maintained speed of As
miles an hour.
them that during the winter they were
called to fire in Chelsea which is eight
or nine miles from Revere. There were
II inches OF damp snow on the ground
at the time and they had no chains on
their wheels but they run the entire
distance with full equipment and six
men aboard in less than 40 minutes.
This motor has 40 horse power
engine, 36 inch wheel, carries two
large chemical tanks, 1000 feet of hose
and six men and has no difficulty in
making grades of 10 and II per cent.
For a fire station at Revere they
constructed brick two story building
On the first floor there are 10 stalls for
horses, the combination engine, a steam
er, hook and ladder truck and an
office Up stairs there is large hall or
room for the men, six bedrooms, a hall,
work room, a bath room, toilet room,
driving room and hayloft. The building
is finished in natural wood and nicely
equipped. The cost of this building. fur
nished ready for occupancy was $32 900
and five per cent of the cost of construc-
tion paid to the architect
They also visited Hopedale, Mass.
where they have combination chemical,
hose. hook and ladder truck. This was
much heavier than the apparatus at
Revere but it was operated by a 40
horse power motor. The fire department
at Hopedale is a volunteer one but is
well equipped with apparatus. They
were given ride on the combination
truck and it had no difficulty in going
wherever asked. Is has been driven up
hill worse than any in St. Johnsbury on
a muddy slippery road without any
difficulty. This truck carried 55 foot
extension ladders in addition to the
chemical tanks and hose equipment
The fire station at Hopedale is a
wooden building which was purchased
and remodelled at an expense of about
$4,000. Six men slept in the station at
night.
The machine which is recommended
for ST. Johnsbury is 60 horse power
motor with Al inch wheel. This in |
crease in power and heighth of wheel it |
is claimed will make it possible to oper- |
ate machine here despite anv condition
caused by snow. 1t will be equipped |
with two large chemical tanks, 1000 |
feet of hose and will carry from six to
eight men.