Show CHEMICAL CHEMI aal FIRE ENGINES they have done much to reduce the loss from water at tires mr charles T hill writes of the fire patrol in st nicholas the final paper in his series on the new york fire department mr hill says the chemical engine used considerably in tho the fire departments of several cities has aided materially in lowering the loss by water at small fires the preparation carried in the tanks of these engines has a double advantage not only does it extinguish a large body of fire with the use of a small amount of water hut but the liquid itself evaporates quickly leaving very little drip in the apartments or floors underneath the fire tho the tanks of these engines are charged with a solution of bicarbonate of soda baking soda and water with a small cylinder of sulphuric acid suspended at the top when the tank is inverted this acid is emptied into the soda and water and the mixture at once generates carbonic acid casata gas at a great pressure charging the liquid with this gas gives it the necessary pressure to drive it a considerable distance the hose is coiled around a reel on top of the engine and always connected with the tanks danl s so when the firemen arrive at a fire all they have to do is to run off as much hose as they need dash up stairs with the line give the order to dump one of the tanks there are two carrying 60 gallons each and they are all ready to go to work the chemical engine has extinguished more than 25 fires of considerable size since it has haa been in service in the now new york department a little over a year it is stationed on the upper west side of the cita where there are a great number of dwellings and rats flats and it has aided materially in keeping down th the e fire losses in that part of new york |