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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1900)
Januiiry 1-1. 1000. OMAHA ILLUSTRATED BEE. Some New Wrinkles for Fighting Fires Beyond a doubt tlio nicnien who "ran with the machine" In by-gone years \\cro as per sistent lighters of the llamcs and as Intrepid In the face of danger as their successors of today. Yet not one In ten of those brave old fellows \\onld bo competent to serve In any thoroughly up-to-date lire department of tlicso times. Vor fire lighting has been reduced to something appicaching an exact science and the now wrinkles therein that have been adopted In the past few years would puzzle anyone not specially trained to the llro lighter's trade those days when anyone who could hold a nozzle , swing an axe or tilt a ladder against a house front would do for. "the department" have per manently passed awny. Ot course tile net result flf the Introduc tion of scientific deices for lighting lire LIFE LINE GUN. tends toward the greater salvage of property. Hut the piimary object of nearly all the new wrinkles Is either to make the fireman's hazardous occupation less dangerous to himself or to Increase his efficiency as a life saver. And , as shown by municipal sta tistics , the diminution of fatalities at fires both among firemen on duty and Inmates of burning buildings has been very marked in recent years. The very newest fire fighting wrinkle is the "light" engine. The first engine of this typo will soon be put Into service by the fire department of the city of New York. It was designed by the recently appointed chief , Edward Croker. Once In use It will undoubtedly bo copied by every largo city In the country , and It has already been decided by the Now York department to add several others as speedily as possible. . Water , but Illiiiiiliintlnii. The new engine will not be used directly to help put out fires. Nor will It bo used at all In the daytime. But In the night time it will be invaluable to the firemen. It will have n high pressure boiler nnd a high speed engine , like all other flro engines , but In place of n pump and pipes It will have a big electric dynamo and a powerful searchlight. This searchlight will bo differ ent from all others. Instead of throwing a gieat beam a long distance , it will radiate Illumination over a wldo area. The ordinary seaichllght has a lens made of bars of glass running straight up and down. This concentrates the full strength of the light in a solid beam that carries any where from fiOO feet to five miles. In the light designed by Ohlof Croker the glass bars are placed hoil/.ontally In the lens frame. This spreads the light , as shot Is spread out of a chokoboro gun. It doesn't carry nearly so far , but covers much more space on the target. The introduction of the "light" engine will mean the elimination of one of the greatest sources of danger for the flro fight ers. Nothing Is so productive of accidents it night fires ns the darkness. In the day time and In light places men are seldom -'light In a trap even when a "smothered 'ire" ' has eaten away the props of floor or 1 of. if ho can only see , the fireman's prac ticed eye can generally discern preliminary is ) indications of danger when the support on f. Milrh ho Is standing , or the particular place f.tc 'hat ' ho Is approaching has boon undor- iy . nod. Hut at night he can discern nothing (8 ( ° ' these indications and must blindly take in ' ' ' "lees , trusting to luck and nglllty for r- Ms escape when the trap manifests Itself rat the trembling that nlwnjs precedes thu ng ' ' \ - of a roof or lloor. Even If he no- 'OB ' the trembling In time , or If a burst ol > wo shooting out of the smudge reveals , it to him , he frequently finds himself unable to escape , because hi the darkness and smoke ho does not know which way to turn for safety. Often c\eu after the lloor or roof has sunk under his feet the fireman might still save himself if he could only see. Somewhere In most "caves" there Is a way out , or n shelter , but at night the llreman , groping helplessly In the dark , must rely entirely on his sense of touch to llnd cither. With the "light" engine on the ground conditions will bo changed. Then the lire- man's work will bo almost as fully Illu minated at night as In the daytime and the record of fatalities will bo very materially lowoted. Then the flickering little night lanterns , peeping through the smoke HUe tiny yellow fireflies , will be things of the past. Moreover , there will be greater ef ficiency as well as greater safety and a noteworthy Increase of salvage. The "flio patrol" men will know just where to llnd the most valuable goods and how to cover them up to the best advantage. Like the otdlnary "steamer , " the "light" engine will have an upright btilcr. It will develop eighty horse-power , all of which will be employed In driving the dynamo The cost will be about $3,500. It will bo hauled by two horses and will bo stations 1 in the heait of the big wholesale dry goods district where fires are most dangerous an 1 costly and generally come at nlglit. The total weight of the machine will be bome- \\hnt over three tons ; It will carry a crow of three men an engineer , a flreman and a driver. In proportion to the benefits It will bring , the "light" engine's flist cost and the maintenance cost of about ? 1,000 a year , are insignificant , though the small towns will probably not be able to use It on this account. It would be Impossible to save this cost by adding a searchlight equipment to an ordinary steamer , for the reason that the light , to be of any real service , would consume all the powtr that the best engine could furnish. Life Savlnir Caive. Although the llfo saving cage recently adopted by the New York flro department has not yet been put to a practical test , the firemen expect great things from It. It looks not unlike a toboggan. It Is about six feet long and two and a half wldo , with wire sides and a curved bottom made of heavy metal. It is made to run along a strong lad der , elevated by means of a windlass and working on a revolving platform fastened at the front end of the hook and ladder truck that carries it. It is attached to a stout wlro cable which passes over a pulley at the top of the ladder and is under the control of a flreman whoso station Is on the truck. After the ladder has been raised , It Is swung around against the front of the building and then the "cage" Is ready for business. The operation of the cage Is very simple. The truck is brought close to the curb In front of the building In which the flre has cut off the Inmates , the ladder Is elevated and swung Into place and half a dozen agile firemen hhiii up like monkeys even before It has found the wall. Arrived at the top they make their way through the windows Into the rooms where the flrebound people await their coming. All who can climb are sent down the ladder In the ordinary way. When anyone unable to climb through phys ical disability , nervousness or fear Is found , the cage is sent up with a rush , the ladder serving as a runway. As soon as the cage reaches the window where it Is to be used the unconscious or unwilling person for whoso rescue It has come Is bundled Into it In an upright position. Straps furnished with strcng snaps are fastened about the GRAND ISLAND'S CRACK HOSE TEAM JIST BEFORE THE HUN AT THE HASTINGS TOURNAMENT head and shoulders and the cage Is sent down with Its human freight. The passenger could neither fall out nor jump out , oven if ho wanted to. It Is estimated that one per son can bo rescued every minute fiom a height of four stoilcs with the aid of this contilvance. Truck No. 20 , which carries the cage , is undoubtedly the best equipped flro truck In the world. It Is located at 1F > 7 Mercer street. "Babe , " "Sarah" and "Johnson , " the first a powerful bay and the others equally powerful gra.have the honor of hauling It , and , thougTi , with the extensive equipment of 'Mools" ami ladders , the truck weighs over bcven itons , the tlueo hortos have no dllllrulty In making short inns at the rate of a mile In four minutes. To I'roirnt Smothering. The smoke helmet , though not HO novel , Is an exceedingly useful contrivance. It Is an awkwaid-looklng affair , about two feet high nnd bomewhat over three feel In clr cuniference. It Is carried In a polished HUHGLAUIOUS TOOLS FOR FIREMEN. LIFE SAVING CAGE. haul wood cnso and IB guarded and tondc < ns carefully as a watih , for the firemen an very much attached to It. Though only a bhoit time In u.se , the hel met has already stood them In good Htead It IH made of leather. It covers the hum completely and Its base tests on the shout- ck'iB , wheio It Is held firmly In position bj means of straps that run under the armpit The writer put the helmet on the other daj to BOO what It seemed like Inside and wai wry glad to got It off again. It may In considered a luxury by flu-men , but to per- MIIIS wjio io accustomed to taking their air stialght existence In that helmet In not pleasant. It la Intended to bo worn In ( Cm ) limed on Eighth I'HRO ) Fastidious Men are the ones that are onsy to please with the celebrated REGENT JH.fiO SHOES , for they see at a glance that they get the same Identical styles and the same reliable qual ity of leather that they do In the high grade shoes other dealers ask $ ti.OO and $0,00 for our prlres are fli.fiO and $3.150 for your choice of any leather. Including patent leather. THE REGENT SllOt CO. 1SIIB So. If.tli St. , Oiiialiii. 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