The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-05-27
TRUCK PURCHASE
| ABOUT COMPLETED
Only Arrangement Of Legal Details
Left to do in the Purchase
of Automobile
Truck.
SPECIFICATIONS OF CAR
Dual Rear Wheels Enables Machine
to go Where Touring Car
cannot-Has Ample
Power.
SPECIFICATIONS OF CAR

| Inc purchase or the autom0Dlle Hre
truck for the Sixth street department
was practically completed today.
Only the arrangement OF some legal
matters remained to be done. The
council met this morning with E. c.
Watson. a repres enta:ive Of the COM
pany manufacturing the truck, and
held another meeting this afternoon.
Unless something unforeseen occurs,
| the deal will be completed probably by
tomorrow morning and the truck will
be delivered within a week or ten
days.
The machine the city is to buy is
manufactured by the American-La'
France Fire Engine company in
E1mira- New York. It IS not an as
sembled car but is manufactured iu
the factory Of this company which
makes fire apparatus exclusively and
which has been in business for sew
enty years.
Specifications Of Machine.
The machine is described as a
triple combination truck, type twelve.
with pressure pump, chemical, and
hose. 1t weighs about $500 pounds.
Other specifications of the machine
ARE: Wheelbase 1863 inches, length
over all 81 feet, 8 inches. chemical
tank 30 gallon capacity. pump capac-
ity guaranteed 500 gallons per minute
with pressure of 120 pounds (said to
greatly exceed this in actual perform
ance), wheels IS inches, dual wheels
in rear, wheelbase front axle 81 inches,
rear axle, 70a4 inches, engine cylind-
1nn hnrSo n{cfn, h0ro < Il
stroke inches, color English YER
million striped with gold with nickle
plated trimmings.
The machine is equipped with two
alarms. One is a locomotive bell.
Operated siren that can be heard for
"a distance of about one mile. The
machine carries two ladders, one q
the other a fifteen foot roof ladder.
slightly smaller than that OF the pres
ent chemical engine but there is no
loss in the efficiency, since the motor
truck will reach the fire in quicker
time. The hose reel carries from L.
200 to $500 feet of hose.
GxIFd tEdStlCh NnOfoeo. q
The extra traction afforded by- the
dual rear wheels of the machine is
said to enable 1t to go many PLACES
where an ordinary touring car would
be unable to go. The dual wheels also
s:es the machine a lower center of
gravity. making it practically impos-
sible for it to upset unless under
most extraordinary circumstances. The
tires used are SO by Az Dayton atrless.
These tires are said to give the ma
chine as easy riding qualities as the
pneumatic tires and have the advant-
age Of being puncture-proof.
1t will not be necessary to make
any alterations in the Sixth street de-
partment building to accommodate
there, besides removing the four horse
stalls. The five horses at this de-
partment will be disposed Of as soon
as the truck is delivered.
The old steam pumping engine that
has been interned in the West K en-
CINE house for some time will be
traded in at the value OF $500 on the
new truck. While this engine Is a
good one. the city had been unable
previously to dispose Of 1t for any
considerable amount. Advertisements
for bids ON it brought one bid Of Sos
recently.
This steamer and not the chemical
engine will be traded on the new
truck, 1t having been incorrectly stat
ed in yesterdays Gate City that the