APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES. 



605 



ing, and the shape of the truck brings the base of the telescopic 

 pipe much nearer the ground, enabling the men in charge to stand 

 on terra fir ma. Two jacks act as adjustable legs to add steadiness 



while in action. The water con- 

 nection is made by means of a 

 three or four way Siamese coup- 

 ling that rests on the ground, thus 

 giving a free course to the stream. 

 This tower can be raised to a 

 much greater height than could 

 previous towers. The above-men- 

 tioned company has recently pur- 

 chased all the Hale patents, and 

 now virtually controls the build- 

 ing of water towers in this coun- 

 try. Every large department in 

 the United States is equipped with 

 one or more towers, and the small- 

 er cities are rapidly following the 

 example. The Davol tower is a 

 very useful contrivance manufac- 

 tured by the Cornelius Callahan 

 Company, of Boston. It is a curved 

 nozzle attached to a flexible pipe, 

 and can be placed on the upper 

 rungs of an extension ladder. A 

 guide rope enables a fireman 

 to direct the stream from the 

 ground. Recent tests have 

 shown that a great deal of 

 force is lost in a 

 stream from the 

 water tower on ac- 

 count of 

 the fric- 

 tion, and 

 there is 

 still much 

 for 



room 

 improve- 

 ment in 

 this piece 

 of appa- 



Fig. 14. Hale Watep. Tower. 



ratus. The small hose reels adopted in the early part of the cen- 

 tury were the forerunners of the large and gayly decorated four- 

 wheeled reels used by the volunteer hose companies. After the 



