Fire dress

A kind of dre or body-covering which enables the wearer to approach with impunity, and even to pa through, a fierce flame, to rescue lives or property, or to extinguish fire. Fire'-eater, n . One who pretends to eat fire; - hence, a cant term for a fighting character, duellist, or desperado. Fire-engine, n. A machine contrived for the purpose of extinguishing fires by throwing water upon them from a jet. Previous to the invention of the modern fire engine, there were various modes of extinguishing fires. Juvenal and Pliny both mention methods, and Pliny the younger speaks of pipes (siphones) being used to put out fires. August us appointed seven bands of firemen at Rome, each of which had the care of two divisions of the city; each band had a captain, and at the head of the whole body was the prefect of the watch. The earliest account, however, of any machine resembling the modern fire-engine is given by a Jesuit named Caspar Schott, in 1657. It was a sort of force-pump, and was worked by 28 men; it threw a stream of water, an inch in diameter, to the height of 80 feet. After that time, the use of fire-engines became more general; but two important parts of the machine were not introduced till a later period; viz., the flexible hose and the air-chamber. The rise of flexible tubes is obvious, and the air chamber, which depends for its value on the increased elasticity of the air when compre ed into le than its usual bulk, gives a steady and uninterrupted stream of water. The use of leathern pipes was first devised by two natives of Holland, named Vanderheide, in 1672. After the invention of the air-chamber, all new improvements were merely in details. The modern engine consists generally of two vertical double-acting (or sometimes 4 single-acting) force-pumps, worked by means of long brakes, that enable many men to a ist in using them. The pumps discharge into one common reservoir, the upper part of which contains air that by its elasticity causes the water to flow in a uniform stream through the discharge-pipe. From this pipe the water is conducted any desired distance through the leathern hose, and discharged through a strong tapering metallic pipe, that is held in the hand to direct the stream upon the fir a. A suction-pipe is attached to the lower end of the pump when nece ary, but it is not required when the stream of water introduced to supply the pumps has sufficient head. The whole machine is placed upon a carriage expre ly constructed for it, and Fig. 1019. - STEAM FIRE-ENGINE. furnished with such implements as are likely to be wanted at a fire. In working the F. E. , ropes are sometimes made fast to the brakes, and pa ing through blocks at the bottom of the carriage, are hauled upon by a number of men with each down-stroke. Some engines have the pumps arranged horizontally, and men sit on the top and work as in rowing a boat. Formerly, in the cities of the U. S., the engines were managed by volunteer companies of firemen, who served without pay, but were exempted from military duty. Such companies are now found only in towns and small cities, the larger cities having organized paid fire-departments, whose members are drilled for the work required of them, and are far more efficient in their performance than the older companies. In addition to the fire-engines, there are employed hose carriages, carrying a large supply of hose, and hook and ladder carriages, which transport long ladders, hooks and ropes for use in pulling down walls, . Hand engines have been superseded in most of our cities by steam fire-engines, of which those of the U. S. are considered the best examples of their cla in the world. The first F. E. of this cla was made by Mr. Bra i thwaite, of London, in 1829. Eric on produced a similar engine, though neither of these met with succe . The first steam fire-engines in the U. S. were made in 1840, the great difficulty in the way of their succe ful use being their weight and the slowne with which they raised steam. Their first succe ful introduction was in Cincinnati, by Mr. A. B. Latta, whose first engine was built in 1853. This was a ponderous and powerful machine, but very heavy, weighing more than 12 tons and requiring 4 horses to draw it. This, and some that followed it, were constructed to be self propelling, their steam being used to drive them through the streets; an idea which was soon abandoned as impracticable. Since that date other self-propelling engines have been tried, but until the present time the horse has proved the most practicable means of traction. Attention is, however, being given to electrical motors as a means of propulsion, an engine of this kind having an automatic arrangement when the alarm is given, the harne is so arranged as to fall on their backs, and within a minute from the sounding of the alarm they are harne ed to the engine. The men spring to their places, the doors fly open, and the engine is away in an almost incredibly short of time.