12354 8CIENTIFIC AMEIU(;AN SUPPLEMENT, No. 773. OCTORER 2:'>, 1390.

perature alone, but also by the extent of the oxygen

still remainillg unIted with the iron.
T hus, if a mixture of two volumes of carbon mon-
oxide and one volume of car!:Jon dioxide is passed over
calcinf'd Cle\'ehmd ore at about 417 deg. C . , one-third
only of the oxvgen ean be removed, i. e., the ferric is
reduced to fer;'ous oxide.
I f, on the other hand, the gas consists in equal
volumes of the oxidizing and reducing gases. the same
etfect is produced, provided the temperature is raised
to a bright red, and �P{)ugy iron similarly exposed is
oxidized, and becolllPs also f"rrous oxide.
At a white heat the attraC'tion of the metal for oxy-
gen is so intensified that further action ceases when 12
pen' cent. of the combined oxygen is removed from the
ore. At the same time ten volumes of carbon dioxide
are able to keep in check the reducing power of ninety
volumes of carbon monoxide.
I see no reason, howen,r. why a close approximation
to complete reduction, in the direct process, should not
be effect'f'd by using a sufficient quantity of c3;rbon
mixed with the ore. in the manller already deSCribed.
The diffieulty to be apprehended is the reoxidation of
the spongy iron w hen. by the revolution of the furnace
a fresh surface i, exposed to the flame w hich is serving
to heat the materials under treatment. Certain it is
that Siemens failed to reduce the lossof metal to with-
in reasonable limits.
•
\ zines are of more consequence than 'I
the w�ole battery cracked through. but was whole, and no matf'rial \\as
of guns. becau,e the ship has become, by vlrt.ue of her splmtered out of the front or back of the plate.
ram and torpedoes, a powerful fi.;hting machme apart In the case of the untreated plate, the shot passed
from her guns. ,thro�gh, and the splmtermg of the steel round th�
Fonrth.-'1'he large use of side armor, by reason of hole m the front of the plate spread over a space In
its weight and cost, limits the number of ships obtain- inches across. The �plintering round the hole at the
able with a given sum of money. back o� the plate c<?vered a space 3ilmc�es a�ross. 'fhe
But while the side armor has been largely superseded p!ate did not remam whole, but went mto SIX separate
for these reasons, it still possesses one great advantage. pieces.
It prevents the entrance of water into the zone. be­ NOT A LOV ER OF ARlIIOR..
tween wind and water through holes made by lIght
I am myself no lover of armor. As a member of a
projectiles not capable of perforating armor, but capa-
great and peaceful trading community, I dislike every,
ble of damaging seriously an unarmored side.
thing which. by differelltiation, tends to lower the
'l'!lOse who have apprecia�ed most kee�ly the value
comparative fighting value of armed mercantile ships.
of Side armor at the water hne for preservmg t he float­
I dislike also that which reduces the available nu mber
ing power of the ship against light guns, have some­
by increasing the individual cost of ships of war.
times fail�d to see that my apparent unreadiness to
. There is, I think, no such necessary and vital distinc­
concur with them has arisen from real sympathy
tion between the man of war and the properly armed
My contention has been that all armed fighting ships
and protected state auxiliary of high speed as would
present equal claim� to be kept afloat against th� at­
justify the neglect of such auxiliaries for maritime
tack �f the guns w�lIch the,Y have to face. I . cons�der
warfare. One must admit that at preHent there are
that m all such shIps the first duty of the designer IS to
very great differences between them in tighting value,
enable the crew to inflict damage on the enemy. ArmH
ship for ship, due partly to the very superior subdivi­
and mobility, therefore, come first, enduranc,e under
sion and partly to the use of armor of high quality in
gun fire next. 'fhere must be degrees, varymg wI�h
the regular ship of war.
the size of the ship, in the strength of the arms, and m
The man-of-war proper will probably never abandon
the amount of the mobility. B u t all the fighting men,
the use of armor. WeJmay rather expect that steel and
except those in forlorn hopes, are equall y entitled to a
steel-facf'd armor of the higheFt quality, instead of be­

chance of existence under the artillery fire which they

UNABLE '1'0 CHAXGE RESULTS. ing confined to a few ships, callerl battle ships. will be
must receive and endure. I have been unable to un­
em ployed universally f(lr the defense of the absoluteiy
Forty·five years ago I labored for some time with derstand the exclusive claim for protection by means
vital parts of every ship built expressly for war
Mr. 'Villiam Neale Clay, who was very Hanguine of of side armor in a particular class of ships in a large service.
being able to dispense, wholly or partially, with the navy, such ships not being d istinguished by exception­
Commander Barber, of the United States navy, was
blast furnare. The results, in our case, were the same allr large crews, nor as being centers of operation for
called upon by the president to offer any remarks on
as thosf' obtained bv othpr� who have followed us i n a fleet, nor as being required to attack fortresses. And
the paper. He referred to the importance of nickel in
t h e same path since that time. As regards the carbon the question as to the use of belt armor in classes of
conBection with the hardening of armor, and �aid that
required a� a sonrce of heat. for rai�ing the tempera· ships not distinguished as above is perplexed by the
the time would come when the armor would resist and
ture of the mixture of ore and carbon, I see no pros following consideration s:
break the best projectile.
pect of reducing thi� with any approach to the quan­
The third paper was by A. E. Heaton, on the "De­
tity predou�ly nalllPd, i. e., 1'27 cwt. per ton of iron. QUESTIONS OF EXPEDIENCY.
velopment of the Marine Engine," and the meeting ad­
Not only theore tically, but practically. in the Besse­ First, and generally, whether in strengthening the journed.
mer converter, the c ombustion of the metalloids and a water zone by side arlllor against feeble projectiles, we
On the following day visits were made to the IlIost
portion of iron sufficf's to rai�e the bath of melted cast do not expose it more to the very serious attack of
interesting localitieH and industrial works. For the
iron to a proper temperature for keeping malleable larger ones than it would be if forllled with an armored
foregoing reports Wf' are indebted to the Pitt:;lml'g
iron in a state of fu�ioll. Attempt the same thing in deck near the water. Secondly, whether with a ship
Dispatch.
a puddling furnace, rotating o r vtherwise, and the oxi­ of given size and cost we are not sacrificing active
dation of the same metalloids and i ron. producing the offensive qualities for the sake of a passive defensive
saUlt' (lUant ity of heat as in the converter, requires to quality Speed of ship, power of armament, or stored INDIAN MOUNDS.
be supplemented by the h eat afforded by 15 cwt. of up capital (expended in the ship) may he made to pay
To the EditM' of the Scientl/ic Amerir:an:
coal, m pach case cOlillnencillg with iron in a fluid too dearly for a passive defense against the invasion of
�tate. In both there iH a great loss of heat at the water at the water zone, s{'eing that the invasion of Seeing an article in the New York He1'alcZ in which
chimney. but this we will neglec1-. and regard the re­ water beneath that zone becomes a more imminent and the writer argued that America was known to some
mainder in each a� due to radial iOIl, convection, etc., more serious peril to the state in proportion to the re- civilized people before it was discovered by Columbus,
iuseparable from the larger size of the furnace and the duced speed and the increased cost. and basing his argument OIl the evidences of ci \'iliza­
slllall amount of work turned out a'5 compared with tion found in the mounds that are found so numerolls
So we arrive at an alternative arrangement, a solid
Be�selller's apparatu�. along our larger streams throughout the Southern
raft. body at the water zone in place of side belt armor.
Sir Lowthian, proeeeding, discu�sed the question of States, and also in the Ohio and MisSissippi valley �.
It appears that such a raft body can be made which,
the ('apabilities of a reverberatory furnace. as com­ when undamaged, weighs, with its cast.ings. not more and I might say throughout the Northwest as well.
pared with the united action of a blast furnace, and a than one-third the weight. of water and which, when I have been engaged in the explorations of 1lI0un(IH,
,
Besseme!' ('onverter, and the amount of labor required saturated, does not exceed the weight of an equal bulk caves, and burial grounds. of the prehi�toric race 01'
by the two sy�tems. races, for five 01' six years, and in that time have
of dry fir.
discovered lllany curious facts that woul(] lead one
AN I�TERESTING DISCUSSION. Such a system of water line defense may prove suit-
to believe that whoever constructed these mounds had
able for all fighting ships, large and small, by reason of
.\ discussion on Sir Lowthian Bell's paper followed, its lightness and small cost. As I understand the posi- different objects in view, as some of these mounds con-
pa rticipate(1 in by Profes�or How�', of Boston, G. 'V. tion, it is pro.posed to give a trial to tain a great many skeletons, while others contain none
this system in t he at all. And while some are built of alternate layers of
lIIaynard and Mr Snelus. Mr �nelus referred to the navy of t.he United States.
first attempts made in the direction of manufacturing earth and charcoal, others are made throughout of the
I think the tillle is coming. if it is not already come,
immediately around the
it'on direct from the ore. H e 'aid that the eleIllent of when there will be a demand. not only for tht" recogni- same kind of earth as that
eost was one that stood in the way of successful results, tion mound.
of the equal claims of all the fighting ships to be I opened a mound in North Carolina that was forty­
but that developments would no doubt be brought kept afloat against the attack of the g
UllS which they
about which would attach to the direct process more will h ave t o face. but also that their crews between eight feet in diameter and about nine feet high. At
t.he time I explored it there were five large trees stand­
att ention than was at preHent attached to it. He decks should be equall y protected against the over-
agrepd with �ir Lowthian Bell that the blast furnace whelminO' effects of the bursting ing on it, one of which measured thirty-four inches in
of high explosives diameter.
will still pontinu e to produce the bulk of the iron. and there. F r belt and battery armor it is still a matter
"o
even that requil'€d in steel illakin�. Mr. S,nelus co�ld of debate whether the process of manufacture first in- I opened this mound by first cutting a trench eight
not ag;ee WIth sOIl:e of tl.le dedu<:tlOns of Sir Lowth,lan I troduced, and since most successfully developed, by M. feet wide entirely through the mound from ea,t to west,
p
Bell fhp f'X preSIdent. 1II replYllIg at a later perIOd, Schneider. or that subsequently devised and manufac kee ing on a level with the natural surface. On reach­
- ing a point near the center of the mound I came upon a
handled ;'Ilr. t-1l1elu� withont gloves, and as if he did not t ured in Sheffield is the better.
like any doubt raised again"t the �tability of any of his ' stone cist or box in which was a large skeleton Iyin;.:;
arguments. SHEFFIELD'S GREAT EXPERIENCE. with its head to the eaBt. This skeleton was in a hori-
USES OF A R�IOR . zontal position, with the arms l ying cl ose by ItS
After this paper has left my hands, and befor{' it will and around the neck were a great many wampum beads.
' Sl'd e!:l,
.
Next eame Sir Nathalliel Barnaby's paper on . 'fhe be read, there will probably be an interesting series of At the .left hand was a very large and well finished pipe
Protection of Iroll and :"teel Hhips against Founder- trials of armor on both plans in the United States; made of steatite, and at the right hand were several
ing from Injury to their Hhells; Including the Use of what I say may, therefore, be very brief. Both sys- arrow heads. The stones were built up around the
Armor." 8ir Nathaniel in opening said that one-fif- tems have been in open competition from the begin- skpleton to a height of two feet, and leaning against
tiethof the value of the vessels in the mercantile marine ning, and gun trials have been made by all the mari- the wall near the skull was a large grooved stone ax.
is required annually to make good losses and repairs time powers. The experience of the Sheffield compound Around this stone cist were seven other skeletons all
entailed by collisions alone He said that the security armor plate makers as to their own manufacture and lying with their heads toward the center, and all rest.
of an iron or Hteel �hip against fatal injury depended that of their rivals has been very great. The amount ing on a thin layer of coals and ashe�. Every skeleton
upon two thing� only·-size and subdivision. of steel·faced armor which has been manufactured by was lying at full length and with their arms close down
On the qUf'stion of armor the speaker said: them, or by their licensee, during the last t welve years, by their sides, except the skeleton in the east quarter
Now, in Itl!JO, you have a perfectly regular material, together with that which is in process of manufacture, and the one in the northwest quarter. These two were
stronger and more d uctile than any of this iron, with equals 112,000 tons. lymg with their arms c rossed over their breasts. No
no trouble a� to surface blistering and lamination. They urge several considerations in favor of steel- relics of any kind were found with the seven skeletons
You can get 8iemens plates of 20 cwt., almost without faced armor. They say that steel armor cracks through outside of the stone cist in the center.
extras for allY increased size, delivered at the ship's under blows which are not sufficiently powerful to per- Was this some grand chief that had fallen in battle
sid� at less than .£8 per ton. It has, u nfortunately. forate the plate. 'l'hey consider that the manufacture that was walled up in the center, and those around
been as low as £G :is. 'l'his change from iron to steel of steel armor is less uniform and certain. because it is him seven of his faithful warriors slain to accompany
was not made without a vast amonnt of anxiety on of very great importance to oil-harden and ann{'al such him to the happy hunting ground? Who can tell ?
the part of responsible engineers who led the way. armor; a.nd these processes are not required for steel- Did the mound builders know or practice the rites
The result may not be altogether pleasant to the faced armor. They point out that this treatment can or ceremonies of secret societies? is a question asked
iron and steelllIakerH. '1'0 the ship builder and engi- only be applied commercially to large and awkward and argued by some who have made the mounds a
neer it call� for ungrudging acknowledgment of i n- plates. with great rh,k, expense. and difficulty. and study. While I will not attempt to answer the point,
debtedness to two elllinent Hritish subjects. Bessemer that under these circumstance� a �ood test plate offers I will here give a description of a mound that was ex­
and Siemens. and for the grateful recognition of the no security asto the quality of the plates it represents. plored on the Hiawassee River, on the farm of a Mr.
enterprise and skill of Fr,·nch. German and British It is conceded that hard-faced armor endures better Michael, in McMinn County, Tennessee. This mound
makers. ,Ve all owe (iermany a lasting debt of grati- under oblique blows. They say that a cubic foot of stands on tne level river bottom, near the mouth of a
tude for the birth and training of that true prince- steel armor weighs 492 pounds, whereas a cubic foot of creek. During the winter of 1889-1890 a high freshet
William �ielllens. III modern ships of war the main use compound armor weighs on Iv 480 pounds-a difference in the river washed the soil off this bottom all
of armor in the fOrluation of shot-proof decks adjacent of 2�� per cent. in favor of the latter. around the mound to a depth of two or three feet. and
to toh" loa-I water line. amI of more or leHs complete An experiment has recently been made in England to laid bare the bones of a great many skeleton." some
belts of side armor combllled with such decks, is to ascertain whether it can be confidently stated that oil- of them unusually large. And with these skt'letons

shell.
I
protect the machinery and magazines from shot and hardening and annealing, or som<il equivalent finishing around the mound were found some tine relics-such as
process, is necessary for �teel plates. Messrs. Brown ornamented po ttery, pipes, flints, stone axes, etc.

founded u pon the recognition of several facts:

I
There has been a wide ahandonment of side armor, �tnd Messrs. Cammell, the two great Sheffield firms, The mound standing in the center of this ancient
,makers of compound armor, are satisfied 8.'1 to this ne- burial ground was about sixty feet in diameter, and
cessity. - at the time it was worked was only six feet high, al-
WHY SIDE AR)lOR WAS ABAXDO:'i'ED.
A nine-inch plate of steel was manufactured and cut though the owner of t.he land told me he could recollect
First.-'1'he increasing penetrating power of the gun. into two plates each four feet square. One piece was when it was ten or more feet high.
The 12-in gun is now more than a match, at close left untreated and the other was oil -hardened and an- 'fhis mound was explored very carefully, and exactly
quarters, for the bf'st IS-in. steel plates. It requires nealed. They were fired at by the six inch gun with in the center of the mound, on the natural surface, was
HIe best \J-in. armor to keep out steel projectiles from Firth steel I?rojectiles weighing 100 pounds. a large flat stone, and on t his stone was a skeleton in a
the li·in. f-,"Ull at short range. The strikmg energy of the blow upon the untreated sitting position. Near by the skeletoll Wf're thref' long
8econd.-'l'he great volume and accuracy of shell­ plate was 2,389 foot tons, and the energy of the blow stones set up in the form of a trian�le around the
fire makps the orig-inal arrangellwnt of broadside ports upon that which had been treated was2,378'!) foot tons. skeleton. No rf'licH of any killd were with this skele­
in armored side inarlmisHible. The crowding of men In the latter case the projectile made an indent of 105 ton, but in the eaHt quarter of the mOlll)(1 was a hewll­
in the rear of an open or u narmored port can no longer inches, so that light was just visible through the center out stone set up, and on top of this storlf' waH a stone
be accepted. of the bulge at the back of the plate. I
The projectile ham mer, and behind. or at the outer side of the large
Third.-Tbe propelling machinery and the maga- rebounded, broken into three pieces. The plate was stone, was a skeleton in a sitting position, with the hand

© 1890 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. INC.

 OC'I'OBEI{ 25, 189(t SCIENTIFIC AMERicAN SUPPLEMENT, No. 773. 12355

lJOlles rt'�tillg Oil top of the large upright stone. In the

south qUltrtt'r of the 1Il0und was another stone set up
r on ly one stream or the full capacity of the plant were
like the first, with a skeleton in the same position as
the o ther, auu restillg by the side of this stone was a
large grooved stone ax. And in the west quarter of
the Illound was st ill another hewn stone set up, and
a skelet.on by it in a sitting' position, with the hands
resting on top of the stoue i u front of it, alld Ileal' the
hand bone80f this skeleton were two large ornamented
shelIs and a large flint speltr head. The three large
stones were all of the same material and shape, placed
called for. These situations could also be made to
cover a considerable territory if desirable, and the
several districts included in a general system could be
connected together with suitable valves hetween them,
so that they could be operated separately or together,
as the exigences of the fire might demand.
A plant of this character, with a capacity of 200 horse
power, which would be capable
' of delivering about
present in use. The blowing out of a thermostat
or other device which now ilrings the sprinkler in·
to operation could abo be wade to start a 1II0tor and
pump, and thlls . furnish a practica!ly illt'xhausti ble
supply of water III place of rhe 11I1lIted tank supply
now in use. There are, however, numerous recordt-d
instances wlwre these autolllatic �prinklers have bt't'll
.. too previous," if ll11ay be allowed the expression. In
this connection I would ask your consideration of the

�I)
at about the sallie distallce frolll the triangle in the

l
center. Behind each stone was a skeleton in a sitting
position facing the large stone in front of it, one in the
east, one in the south, and one i n the west, and nothing
in the north. J. W. K
Bristol, Tenn., Aug. 5, 1890.

ELECTRICITY AS APPLIED TO THE

EXTINGUISHING OF FLRES.*
By H. F. LUFKIN.
To speak of electricity as even a possible agent in the
extinguishing of fires would seem ab�urd If we look
for our information only in the daily press, which
would lead one to believe that the mode or forlll of
motion known as electricity was potent only as an in·
cendiary to instigate conflagration and death. You
will readily concede that of all the elements in nature
none possesses 80 wide a range of applicability as elec­
tricity. Since its first commercial use by Cook and
'Vheatstone in their rail way telegraph in 18:�6 and 18H8,
followed by Morse iu 1844, its development has been
siruply wonderful, especially in the past fifteen years.
In the telegraph it is made to convey intelligible
characters; in th') telephone, articulate sounds; with
it lIletals JIIay be welded, light produced, power dis­
tributed, metals depositeu by electrolysis, surgical - }---
operations performed by electrocautery, nervous sys­
tems are tOiled up by galvanism and faradism, our
street cars are opera.ted by it and our steam roads will
soon follow, it pumps the organs in our churches, it
runs the sewing machine in household and factory, it
mines our coal and hauls it out, and why, I may ask,
should it not be applied to the extinguishing of fires?
Surely it is to-day all important factor in that direction,
for does it not, wi th wOl1<lerful intelIigence. advise you,
not onlr of the first manifestation of a fire, but of its
exact location by means of the automatic fire alarm?
Let us go a step further awl cause it also to turn the
water on, and thus extinguish the lire.
Retrospection in this application of electricity shows
us an almost un,leveloDed field. There has been some

r r-I ---------!�!----- l 1
work done in the line of electric motors applied to
pumps for domestic water supply where the city pres­
sure is insufficient for all domestic requirements; also
in the application of electric motors and pumps for : '
I
supplying water under pressure for hydraulic elevat­
ors. As applied to fire department uses, there have I , FIG. 1.-ELECTRIC FI RE-EXTINGUI SHING PLANT.
been devised a number of electric motors and pumps,
or electric pumping engines on trucks, whi. ch l uay 2,500 to 3,000 gallons of water perminute, o r say 165,000 diagram 2, which illustrates a sprinkler system which,
be hauled about as the present fire eng mes are. gallons per hour, against 150 pounds pressure, could be while not automatic in its action, possesst's some fea­
This involves the necessity of a couvenient place set up and piped to cover quite a number of city tures of ad vantage over the automatic system, e�pecially
for connection wit.h the electric light or power blocks, say ten or fifteen. at an expense of $20,000. 'l'he in stores or warehouses which are constan tly patrolled,
wires of a city at or near each fire hydrant, and
cost to operate this plant at its full capacity would not and therefore under surveillance. In this system,
also involves the maintenance of an expensive comple -
exceed $10 per hour, or at the rate of 16,500 gallons of the pump. G, and motor, F, are controlled by the sallie
ment of horses as in the present system. The pump- water for eVtry $1 of cost. When the fire is out the devices of piston, A, and magnet, B, as the systt'm pre­
ing capacity also of any portable engine is, of necessity, cost stops absolutely. The wear and tear expense on a viously described. Connected to the pump alld dis­
lilllited to a weight and construction which can be
large plant of this kind should not be as great as on a tributed through the several roo llls or apartlllents to
readily hauled by a pair of horses with reasonable single steam fire engine, to say nothing of the cost of be protected is the system of sprinkler piping, H. On
�peed o�er the vary.ing .g�ades of a city. This, at times, maintaining horses and harness. each floor, or in each department, if dt'sirable, is situ­
IS a serIOus Ilfatter. m CIties w here. heavy grades are fre- With this reference to a possible application of elec-
. ated a valve in a branch froUl the Illain pIping, con­
quent, espeCI ally m t�1e w mter tUlle, when streets are tricity to a pumping system for fire departmt'nt uses, 1 trolling the sprinklt'r system of the floor or apartment.
obstruc:ted by snow, Ice, e�c. PrOlppt response t.o . an! let us see what can be done in the way of protecting This valve is controlled by a piston, A, and magnet, B,
alarm IS, of course, a necessIty, and m v�lves. the drl�mg isolated buildings. The automatic sprinkler has be- silllilar to the ones controlling the motol' and pump.
through cro�,!ed strt' e!s at a speed WhIC�1 IS, certa m ly come a familiar sight in many of our large stores and
. The several magnets in the building are illdependently
to the ulllU1tlated, frightful, though s mgularly free warehou8e� and the reduction in insurance rates in series with the U1otor maglJet . On each floor, or ill any
from I!-ccidellt, . . , wherever tl;ese sprinklers are applied is ample evidence number of places on the floor, are convenient push
In lieu of these portab!e P!lmp m g eng mes and theIr of their value. A modification of the system as buttons or switches, C, which being closed act to start
sever�1 1I10l'e or less . 0bJec.tlOnable features, I .would at present applied suggests i tself to me in the use of the motor and pUIllP and at the bame time open the
SUbIll l t for your consIderat IOn a system of statIOnary, a Illotor and pump in place of the roof tank at valve in any apartment connected w ith the switch
pumping engines, the operation of which I trust I may i
be able to make clear to you with the aid of these
diagrams.
Let me first call your attention to the diagram, Fig.
1. illustrating a stationary system of water distribution
for fire purposes under electrical control.
In this diagram, A represents a hydraulic piston,

I
the val ves of which are controlled by the electro - H
magnet, B. the circuit through the lIlagnet, and there­
fore the piston valves, being con�rolled by the !Switches,
C C C, etc.
E represents a starting box or rheostat in circuit
with the electric motor, F. which is connected by helt
or gear to the pump, G. Radiating from the pump, G,
is a system of piping connecting to hydrants or pi ugs,
H H H, etc.
'l'he diagram here shown is supposed to represent a
city block or l'qnare. The pumping apparatus is re­
presented in the center of the block, though it is obvi­ c
ous that it mlty be placed in any convenient location
which may be available and where it will be out of
reach of frost. the system of piping being provided
with a draw·off valve near the pump, so that the sys­
tem may be completely drained, if necessary, after use.
The operation of this system is as folIows : The hose
carriage, with its complement of men. drives up to any
of the fire plugs; the hose being attached, the switch,
C, is turned. This operates through the magnet, B,
and the piston, A, to throw over the switch on the
starting box, and thus immediately throws the motor
and pump into action. Each district would, of course,
be provided with its motorneer, who would attend all
fires in his district and care for the motor. pump, etc.,
during the fi"re, and whose duty it 8hould also be to
daily inspect the apparatus in his district to see that it
is kept ill proper repair. The 1II0tors would in these
cases be connected to the mains of some company sup­
plying electricit�' for light or power, whose charge for
this service should certainly be merely nominal.
The water could be drawn from a city supply or from
an independent supply provided for fire purposes only.
The capacity of these stationary plants also may be
equal to l.he capacity of ten or fifteen engines if neces­
sary, and the motor so connected to the pump that the
prt'ssure would remain the sallle on the system, whether �--:.=-==---=.-==--::...�-=--;:::�-=-=--.{! ,
\.. -�

* A paper Iwfon' thp ('Otl\'t!lltion of thf' National Association of

If'irt� Enginet'r� at J)ptro\t. l\hch�. Augu�t 20, 1890. FIG. 2.-ELECTRIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHING PLANT.

© 1890 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC,