The Latest Ambulance.
Page 11
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Splendid Result of a Combined Effort in Design.
The Swansea Corporation has recently taken delivery of a unique motor ambulance, of which two illustrations are given on this page. The chassis is 20-25h.p., four-cylinder Panhard, but the body work and stretchers have been completed by Messrs. Wilson and Stockall, the well-known manufacturers of ambulances and conveyances for medical purposes, of Bury, Lancashire.
Our readers will recollect that-Cap-. tam n J. Colquhoun, the Chief Constable of Swansea, took a Very active part in initiating this departure, and that he
obtained numerous subscriptions towards the equipment of the ambulance, the maintenance of Which is to be borne by the Swansea Corporation.. Owners and employees of different works, and others in Swansea and district, may well be gratified at the outcome of the support which they gave to Captain Colquhoun's efforts, and we have no doubt that the expenditure on the operation of the vehicle, which will now be incurred by the Corporation, will be amply repaid in the more prompt means for rendering aid in case of accident. We should note that a number of the details in the fittings were made on the suggestion of .Mr, John Player, of Clydach, and Dr. Brook and Mr. John S. Brown, of Swansea.
There are four stretchers, two on each side, with a space up the centre ; both the top stretchers fold to the side of-the body, when not in use, and so may be put entirely out of the way. Each bottom stretcher is furnished with
14-inch, rubber-tired wheels and elliptic springs, and can be used to run, a paticnt along the floor of any works or mill, or along the roadway. All the parts below the stretcher proper are easily detachable, so that any patient can be carried up and downstairs with
out delay. Each of the bottom stretchers runs in grooves on the bottom. of the ambulance floor, to which it is run upon a portable tramway, which is fitted at the back of the body, and is always ready for use, provision being made for its being folded out of the way in a neat manner.
In the ordinary course of use, all the .stretchers are not in service, • and there is, then ample seating capacity on the off-side, these seats providing the necessary support for the fourth stretcher when it has to beused. There is also one seat, at the forward end, between the'stretchers, for an attendant. Ample provision has been made for ventilation at the sides, top of the doors, and in the roof, and the interior is heated by an X-ray radiator, the heat being obtained from the engine, and being Under control of the attendant. Electric and candle lamps are fitted, and a supply of hot and cold water is arranged in connection with the water-cooling system of the engine, the washing basin being electro-plated, as used in first-class railway carriages. The body is painted in a special white enamel, and has the Corporation arms on the centre panels, whilst the chassis and wheels are painted a rich, bright red. On each of the four glass panels is embossed "County Borough of Swansea Ambulance," with the town's coat of arms. The first-aid cabinet, as well as various cupboards and drawers, go to complete the outfit, and the ambulance, as a whole, is one of the most complete that has been brought under our notice. The framework of the body is in English ash, and the paneI8,are of bay wood.-The vehicle, in fact, is a veritable ambulance deluxe.
We are indebted to the Chief . Constable of Swansea, and to Mr. Thomas Wilson, of Bury, for the details and illustrations now published.