Invention of Fire Engines, ZJ^'J 



T can find no older engine with an air-chamber than that 

 'Jelcribcd bv Ferrault, and of wliich lie has- given a figure. 

 He favs it was prcfervcd in the king's library at I'arisj that^ 

 it was employed tor throwing the water to a great height 

 diirino- fires ; that it had only one cylinder, and \'et threw 

 out a continued jet of water. He neither mentions the pe- 

 riod of the invention, nor the name of the inventor ; and I can 

 only add that his book was printed in 1684*. The principle 

 however feems to have been pointed out before by ISfariotte, 

 who bv fome is, on this account, confidercd as the inventor; 

 but he does not appear to have entertained any idea of a fire 

 -engine, at lealt he makes no mention of it f. 



It is certain that the air-chamber, at leaft in Germany, 

 came into common 'ife after it had been applied to thele 

 anilines by Leupold, who (•onllrucl'ted and fold a gi&at many 

 of them. In the year 1720 he publilhed 'an account of them 

 in ? fmall work confilting of a few Ihcets in quarto: but at 

 firU he kept the conOniition a leeret ; and thofe engines 

 which he fold confilted of a Itrong copper Ijox, entirely fluit 

 and ftrongly foklered. it weisihed only fixteen pounds; oc- 

 cupied very little fpace ; had but one cylinder; and one man 

 by means of it could throw, the water, without interruption, 

 to the height of from twenty to thirty feet if. About the 

 vear 1725, Du Fay ia-.v one of thcfe machines of I^eupold at 

 Siwfburo;h. He conceived, as he lays, its conftrutt'ion, and 

 made it known in the Tranfaftions of the Acad«my of Sci- 

 ences for 1725. It is very fingular that Du Fav makes no 

 mention of Mariolte, nor of the engine preferved in the 

 iing's library at Paris. Leupold however, fo early as the 

 vear 1724, gave a figure and delcription of his engine in his 

 "rheatriim M chin, ilydraulicaruni, vol. i. p. 120. lab. 45. 

 fig. 3., which was not known to the French author. 



An ufekil improvement of this engine confilts m the hofe 

 added to the engine, which can be lengthened or fliortened, 

 and to which the fire- pipe is applied, fo that the perfon who 

 ■diiecls it can approach the fire with much Icfs danger. This 

 invention, as is well known, belongs to two Dutchmen, 



* I polTcfi only rlic fecomi cil.iiged edition of his Arihlle8.iat ik Vf 

 tru-vr, large folio, where ifae afcyunt, is to be found, p. 31S. Whttlier it 

 be in iht firft edition of J^'7j, I do not know. D.iiiitl Bernoulli has given 

 a figure and delcription of it in his liyiliad}'namica, Argentornt; 173s. 410. 

 p. 172. hg. SI- 



t Tilt: pafiagc may he found in I'nii/c du Moiinjcmf.nt dei Eiiux, p 4. 

 dil. i. i and in Ocuvns tk Marwi^e, Leide 1717. 2 vol. 4fo. i. p. 44c. 

 fig. it). 



J An cxtraft from his work may be feeti in Brrjlaiier Samluugo:, 

 vetfucli vi. p. i035, and vtrfutli vii p. 374. 



Q 4 both 



