FIRE-ENGINE. In Rome under the emperors there were bands of trained firemen kept. Ctesibius is believed to have invented some engine for the extinction of fires in the time of the Ptolemies ; and a few indications of similar inventions are met with in other quarters. But the first fire-engine which has been distinctly described was made by Hautsch of Nurnberg about 1667. Duperrier received a patent for making fire-engines for Franco in 1699. None of these earlier engines had either a flexible hose or an air-chamber : the first of these was introduced by Jan Vander in 1672 ; and the latter by Leupold in 1720. It was about the beginning of the same century that fire-engines came generally into use in England.
A fire-engine of the common construction consists of an oblong wooden chest or cistern, along the lower part of which runs a metallic . .
pipe, into which the water flows from a feed.
pipe connected at the other end with the street plug. The water having entered the interior pipe is elevated and forced into an upright air vessel by two pumps which are worked by manual power, by means of long handles or levers on the outside. From the air-vessel the water is forced into a pipe connected with the leather hose ; and from the latter it is forcibly impelled on the burning buildings. If there were no air-vessel the water would not flow out in an equable continuous stream, but would gush forth at intervals at every suc cessive movement of the pump-handles ; but by the aid of the air-vessel the stream is ren dered continuous by the elastic pressure of air within the vessel.
Numerous improvements have been intro duced in almost every part of the fire-engine, whereby it has been rendered much more efficient than formerly. In 1830 Mr. Braith waite introduced an ingeniously constructed steam fire-engine, which has occasionally been employed. The same engineer has also intro duced a steam floating fire-engine, in which the power of the engine ran be transferred from propelling the vessel to working the pumps when requisite.
Mr. Tilley, the fire engine maker, has re cently contrived a small fire-pump, calculated to be useful before the larger engines arrive. It is well suited for warehouses and shops, as it can be worked from a single bucket of water. It consists of a sort of double cylinder, one within another, the inner one being the barrel, and the outer the air-vessel. In the barrel works a piston, the rod of which ends at the top in a nob, which serves as a handle. The lower end of the instrument being placed in a bucket of water, nud the piston being worked vertically, water is drawn into the barrel, and is forced by the air pressure through a hose screwed. to one side of the air-vessel. The pump can discharge six gallons of water per minute, to a height of thirty feet.
Down to the year 1825 all the Fire Insurance Companies of London had their separate es tablishments of fire-engines ; but in that year the Sun, the Union, and the Royal Exchange Companies joined their fire. engine establish
ments, which were placed under one superin tendence. Soon afterwards the Atlas and the Phoenix Companies joined the association. The advantage of this combined system of action having been proved, most of the re maining companies joined in 1833, and formed a new association, which was to be managed by a committee, formed of one member from each of the associated companies. Loudon was divided into a certain number of districts, in each of which were two or more stations, provided with engines.
The plan has worked well : more companies have joined the association; and it is found that all are benefited. Thefiremen are formed into a corps, called the which is under the efficient control of Mr. superintendent of the establishment. The men are clothed in a uniform ; and a certain number of them at each station are ready at all hours of day or night. Each company pays its quota towards the expenses of the fire engine establishment.
A fire engine of great power was made for the London Docks a few years ago, with work ing barrels eight inches diameter. It would throw a jet perpendicularly to a height of eighty feet ; at an angle of the jet would reach to a distance of 130 feet.
The West India Dock Company employ a steam tug to move the vessels using the docks ; and their assistant engineer, Mr. P. Clark, has designed a simple method of making the power of the engines of the boat available in case of fire. A large Downton's pump is fixed on deck, and connected by gearing to the en gines, so that they can be readily disconnected from the paddle-wheels, and their power ap plied to the pump. The power of the engines is 30 horses, which, nominally, would be equal to 210 men, or 10 of the ordinary fire-engines, but in reality to a much greater number. Without using the whole power of the engines, a stream of water equal to GOO gallons, or 3 tons, per minute, is projected 20 feet higher than the highest warehouse in the docks. As the fires in the boilers are never allowed to go out entirely, this machine is always in readi ness, and in the event of a ship taking fire cuuld tow her out of danger, and extinguish the fire at the same time.
In the year 1850 there were 217 premises totally destroyed by fire in the metropolis, 621 partially destroyed, and 18 lives lost. Nearly 100 houses were more or less injured by explosions of fire-works.
The employment of saline substances far extinguishing fires has been long known. Dr. Clanny suggested, a few years ago, the em ployment of water for fire-engines, containing five ounces of muriate of ammonia to each gallon of water. Mr. Phillips's apparatus, now occupying a good deal of public attention, is briefly noticed under the heading of ANNI HILATOR, FIRE.
The engines employed in gardening and agriculture partake a good deal of the cha racter of fire-engines in their construction. [GARDEN ENGINE.]