The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-11
MAKES QUICK TRIP
OVER STEEP HILLS
New Motor-Driven Fire Engine
Given Test That Is
Truly Swift.

The large motor fire engine, bull, by
the Knox Automobile Company. OF
Springfield Mass, for the Richmond
fire Department, yesterday traversed
the principal streets of the city
rms mammoth machine is the first
OF It's Kind to Invade the South-in fact,
there is only one more OF Its tyne in
the country. One is now being per-
tected for the New York Fire Depart
iheht Inere are great number Of
motor hre engines in use, but they ars
OF the smaller and Trailer type.
This Knox combination machine is n
hre department in itself 1t consists Of
powerful pumping engine. capable OF
throwing one. two or three effective
streams at the same time; II has COM
plete chemical engine and equipment.
mas an extra large hose wagon BODY.
with capacity for 1900 feet of fire
nose; 1t is fully equipped with ladders.
hre axes, crow bars. pike poles. door
openers, fire buckets and all other
equipment usually carried on a hook
ana ladder truck; its ladders are one
thrty-Hve-foot extension. one twenty
1907 extension, one twenty-foot straight
and t"elve-foct wall or roof ladder
which are carried on brackets above
and on the sides OF the apparatus.
Has Powerful Engine.
The powerful engine that nrone,s
TINS machine Is siX-cylinder. four
cycle engine. OF the Knox pattern and
mas an actual brake horse power ~
is'i. and can easily negotiate anv hin
In the city at at least twenty miles an
hour. and on level 1t can exceed thirty
ii'ies per hour' Then, on its arrival
al hre' the same engine. that carried
II 10 the blaze, by the simple tripping
tfe
into Its pumps.
This machine is over twenty-one feet
IN length, and is about thirteen feet
|, hlgh. Its wheels are forty inches.
equipped with solid rubber tires. five
men In front and four-inch dual tires
IN the rear. with a wheel base of 40
inches
The engine has a capacity of carrv-
ing from twelve TO fifteen men. besides
us regular equipment Its weight as
II STANDS empty is $4,000 pounds. and
when equipped for service 1t will weigh
io'ooo pounds and at once impresses an
ness.
committee from the Board Of Fire
commissioners is now arranging Sc
ries OF tests for its official tryout and
VIII tomorrow decide upon the day 1t
VII! be officially inspected and tested.
POSSIBLY the test will take place about
the middle of next week. but in the
meantime the demonstrator from the
factory is here and has In hand SOW
eral firemen who are being instructed
In the proper mana cement of the ma
chine, When 1t is accepted and placed
III service IL VIII do duty in the heart
OF the mercantile section of tho city.
having Its quarters in Engine COMPANY
&.
ana Grace Streets. and will cove, n
large territory. and much efrectiva
work is expected from it,
May Buy Others Later.
II this machine proves satisfactory
as all concerned predict, 1t will be the
! beginning of a new era in the Fire
! department, as. besides its great en-
cheney. the motor machine is much more
economical than the horse-drawn an
paratus. Engines Of this tyne can
e2Ver much more territory andcdo-tr
In one-third the time of horses and
then when they return to the quarters
they are again ready for another run.
and never get tired, besides the saving.
IN morse iced and coal Gas all steam
nre engines have to keep at least
twenty pounds OF steam on the boilers
at all times). and the necessary dirt
and odors. They also are great labor
savers. as the present steam companies
require an engineman, stoker. a
driver and hose whgon driver. while
with the motor engine, one man, the
cnauHeur, who also runs the engine at
tre5, takes the place OF these four mon.
and Will thus allow three more men TO
be at the streams, where they are so
badly needed.
Yesterday the engine made q run