Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-26
TEST FOR FASTEST
FIRE COMPANY ON
No. 8 Engine Gets Out of
Quarters in 8.4 Seconds.
No. s Truck. 10 seconds.

The winner of The Star cup for
the speediest fire engine company in
the District of Columbia must show
by No Engine Company, located
on U street near Sixteenth street,
this morning. At the very outset of
the 1926 contest for the champion
ship trophy. the men of No. brought
their engine out of its headquarters
in S.4 seconds.
Although this does not beat the
record time of 7.2 seconds hung
up by No % Engine Company
last year. which now has pos
session Of the cup, it will give the
other engine companies in Washing
ton a real mark TO shoot at, and in
eidentally 1t proves the right Of the.
local fire department to claim nation.
al speed honors, since it again lowers
the best time a Baltimore company
could produce by several seconds.
Gets Out in 10 Seconds.
No. Truck Company. which won
the cup offered by the Merchants and
Manufacturers Association last year
for the truck outfit answering an
alarm in the shortest time, estab-
lished a temporary new record for
this branch of the service of 10 sec
onds TO win the 1925 contest for
trucks, No. responded in eight sec
onds, but it still offers the other COM
panies competition for the cup again
this year as 10 seconds is fast time
for long, ponderous truck.
The judges, consisting of Battalion
Chief George O'Connor: W. w. Dean,
fire prevention engineer of the War
Department, and reporter fer The
STAR set out at 3 O'Clock this morn
ing and went first to the headquarters
of No. 9, which was one of the two
companies that tied for second place
last year. The men of The company,
although given no advance notice,
were waiting and eager, and their
engine had been 'tuned-uo' to the
finest, degree of efficiency.
\ Balders0n in Command.
Lieut.. o. r. Balderson was in com
mand and Private +. r. Hager was
given the assignment in the drivers
seat. The judge carefully measured
off 80 feet the apparatus must travel
TO pass it's sill, at which point all
officials have agreed the engine could
rightfully be declared under full
speed to the scene of d fire, and at
the word the big gong began TO cry
out an alarm from box H.
Hager had carefully measured the
Jumps from his place in the engine
house to the drivers seat, and when
the gong sounded he was off like a
1on
the crank to turn the engine over
and before the gong had completed
the four movements necessary to
sound "13" the motor was roaring and
every man was in his seat. With the
numerals completed, Lieut.. Balderson
shouted:
BOX 13! CO.
The big engine fairly leaped through
the doors and flashed down the street.
When the stop watches were compared
II was found that the first company
to be tried had given everybody else
the low time of s 2-5 seconds to beat
in order to win the cup. No engine
company, quartered on Twelfth street
above q street, came within fifth OF
q second of equaling the mark, leaving
its quarters III 8 3-5 seconds. But it
could not get up enough speed to tie.
Five Others Tested.
Five other engine companies were
tested during the morning, with the
following records: No. s. North Caro-
linia avenue near Sixth street north
east. Lieut.. J. Sullivan commanding,
Pvt. r. G.. Stead driving, 10 As Sec
onds: No. 3, New Jersey avenue near
d street, Capt. j. B. Simms command
ing. Pvt j. P. Damskey driving, 13 3-5
seconds; No. /. K street near Seyen-
teenth street, Lieut.. r. G. Anderson
commanding, Pvt r. A. Warffeld driv-
ing. q seconds; No. %, Connecticut
avenue near Porter street, Lieut.. J. B.
Dutton, commanding, Pvt. w. r. Cryer
driving. 10 1-5 seconds, and No. 20,
Wisconsin avenue near Friendship,
Sergt. f.. c. Hanback, commanding,
pvt. w. A. Walker driving, 8 seconds.
Sergt. S. w. Ruffner was in COM
mand of No. 6 Truck during it's test
and Pvt. L. w. Fitton, who drove it
to victory last year, was in the driv
ers seat The only other track com
pany tested this morning was No. 2.
Twenty second and M streets. COM
manded by Capt w. j. Garner. Pvt |
J. T. Elliott was driving. 1t took |
IL 2-5 seconds to leave its quarters.