Fire prevention and fire extinctionBraidwood, James
History
Fire prevention and fire extinction
Braidwood, James
Fire extinction; Fire prevention
Messrs. Merryweather and Son.
Messrs. Shand and Mason.
Mr. Lee declined to produce his steam fire-engine for trial, alleging
various reasons for so doing, and though strongly urged, persisted in
his resolution, and declined the contest.
Messrs. Merryweather and Son expressed themselves ready to produce
their steam fire-engine on the appointed day.
Messrs. Shand and Mason informed the Committee that the engine which
they had intended to work would not be ready owing to an accident, but
requested permission to produce for trial two steam-engines made by
them for the London Fire-Engine Establishment, although they were not
in the Exhibition. All the arrangements having been made for trying
several engines together, the Committee granted this request, as
otherwise only one engine would have been present, and a complete
table of results could therefore not have been obtained.
The Committee assembled in the appointed place at eight o'clock on the
morning of the 1st of July, and found three engines present, viz., one
of Messrs. Merryweather and Son and two of Messrs. Shand and Mason.
After the Committee had examined the boilers and machinery generally,
the engine-makers filled their respective boilers with cold water from
the river, and fires having been laid, the three were lighted at the
same moment, and the makers were ordered to commence working into a
tank at sixty feet distance as soon as they had attained a steam
pressure of 100 lbs. to the square inch.
Messrs. Merryweather's engine attained the pressure named in 12
minutes 10 seconds, Messrs. Shand and Mason's large engine in 18
minutes 30 seconds, the small engine in about 30 minutes, some
mismanagement having occurred which compelled them to draw the fire in
the latter and light it a second time. Messrs. Merryweather's engine
commenced working as arranged when the steam-gauge indicated a
pressure of 100 lbs., and was 2 minutes and 50 seconds at work before
water passed through the nose-pipe. Notwithstanding this very serious
defect, this engine had poured 500 gallons of water into a tank 60
feet distant in 17 minutes and 15 seconds from the time at which the
fire was lighted. After the difficulty of drawing the water had been
surmounted, this engine worked well, and threw an admirable jet,
losing 15 lbs. steam-pressure during the first trial. After three
trials this engine became disabled; it was, however, repaired on the
ground in about an hour and a half, and resumed work at the ninth
trial, continuing to work well until the thirteenth, when it became
again disabled, and was withdrawn by the maker, to the great regret of
the Committee, who were thus left to continue the experiments with
only two engines, both made by one firm.
Messrs. Shand and Mason's large engine was 18 minutes 30 seconds
getting up steam to 100 lbs., and when started drew water instantly,
losing during the first trial 5 lbs. of steam-pressure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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