Fire-Engines at Wimbledon.
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On Saturday last, the Wimbledon Fire Brigade gave a. demonstration with its two Dennis engines, which it has acquired within the last month. The machines are both of the well-known 65 h.p., 400-gallon type, and they are fitted with several of the latest appliances which modern fire-fighting experience has shown to be desirable. Compressed air-bottles are used to keep the pressure in the 20-gallon tanks. The off-side front and the near-side rear wheels are fitted with de Fornier non-skids, and lighting is supplied by means of Lithanode electric sets. The escapes are of the three-section sliding type, and have an extension of 50 ft. llydraulic reels house 180 ft. of first-aid hose, and a very complete set of first-aid hospital appliances is provided on both the vehicles. It was originally intended to run the machines up to the Rushmere, which is a small pond situated on Wimbledon Common, and various local fire-brigade committees had been invited to attend the demonstration. The chiefs of the Croydon, Hornsby, Ealing, Merton, Malden, Mitcham, Sheen, Putney and Hendon fire brigades had accepted the invitations, and they were interested spectators. Lieut. Sladen, Chief Officer of the L.C.C. Metropolitan Fire Brigade, and Lieut.-Col. Fox, of the London Salvage Corps, were also to be seen paying the closest attention to the performance of the machines.
Owing to the frequent rains of the last few weeks. the turf on the common had assumed a boggy state, and, in spite of clever manceuvring and driving, the machines gradually sank axle deep in the soft ground. It was decided to remove them to the harder roadway, some considerable distance from the pond, and the way in which they were extricated, by means of planks and their own power, proved that there are few actual service conditions of this sort likely to tax the resources of the machines more heavily than they can stand. Messrs. Downing and Pilling were the makers' representatives during the demonstration. As it was impossible to secure a favourable position in the vicinity of the Rushmere, it was decided to use smaller nozzles, and to take water from the mains. It had been originally intended to use 1i in. jets, but. owing to the adverse climatic conditions and the state of the ground, these were changed to smaller ones of in. diameter. Using 200 ft. of hose, a pressure of 179 lb. was obtained, and the water was shot from the roadway some considerable distance across the lake, an exhibition which impressed the onlookers very favourably. Smaller nozzles still were then substituted; these were 1 in. in diameter, and a pressure of 125 lb. was maintained.
Various other tests were carried out, and our readers will be interested to note that, on the turnout test, 11 mile was covered in four minutes. Half of this distance was on a gradient of .1 in 16. Under most depressing and adverse conditions, it was the opinion of our representative that the machines gave an excellent demonstration, and showed very fully their good qualities.
We took occasion to secure a few words with Supt. Butler. of the Wimbledon Fire Brigade.
"So you are satisfied with the engines? "
"Rather ! I can enjoy a night's sleep now, a thing I have not really done for years. My machines can turn out and get to the danger-zone while the old equipment was thinking about it. They are cheaper, quicker and more powerful."
"What is your opinion re the 'Turbine v. Reciprocating pump question ? "
"I have attended many tests of both kinds of pumps, and have read up the subject very carefully. My researches have convinced me that the turbine is much to be preferred of the two."
" An3rthing else ?"
" No, only that the Guildford Fire Brigade is going to buy a similar machine. When they have had it for a month or so, go round and ask the firemaster there. He'll be of the same opinion that I am."