FIRE-ENGINES FlllE. 



199 



small wheels. The hind axle-tree is fastened across 

 under the bottom of the cistern ; but the fore axle- 

 tree is put on a strong pin or bolt, strongly fastened 

 in a horizontal situation in the middle of the front of 

 the bottom of the cistern, by which contrivance the 

 two fore-wheels and the axle-tree have a circular 

 motion round the bolt, so tliat the engine may stand 

 as firm on rough or sloping ground as if it were level. 

 Upon the ground next to the hind part of the engine 

 may be seen a leather pipe, F, one end of which may 

 be screwed on and oft', upon occasion, to a brass cock 

 at the lower end of the cistern; the other end is 

 immersed in water, supplied by a pond, fire-plug, 

 &c., and the pipe becomes a sucking-pipe for fur- 

 nishing the pump of the engine by its working, with- 

 out pouring water into the cistern. To the hind part 

 of the cistern is furnished a wooden trough, G, with 

 a copper grate for keeping out stones, sand, and dirt, 

 through which the cistern is supplied with water 

 when the sucking-pipe cannot be used. The fore 

 part of the cistern is also separated from the rest of 

 its cavity by another copper grate, through which 

 water may be poured into the cistern. Those that 

 work the pumps of this engine move the handles, 

 visible at the long sides, up and down, and are assisted 

 by others who stand on two suspended treadles, throw- 

 ing their weight alternately upon each of them, and 

 keeping themselves steady, by taking hold -of two 

 round horizontal rails, H I, framed into four vertical 

 stands which reach the bottom of the cistern, and are 

 well secured to its sides. Over the hind trough there 

 is an iron handle, or key, at K, serving to open or 

 shut a cock placed under it on the bottom of the cis- 

 tern. L is an inverted pyramidal case, which pre- 

 serves the pumps and air vessels from damage, and 

 also supports a wooden frame, M, on which stands a 

 man, who, by raising or depressing, and turning about 

 the spout, which is made to screw to the pipe at M, 

 directs the stream of water as occasion requires. 

 This spout is made of two pieces of brass-pipe, each 

 of which lias an elbow ; the lower is screwed over 

 the upper end of the pipe that goes through the air- 

 vessel, and the upper part screws on to the lower by 

 a screw of several threads, so truly turned as to be 

 water-tight in every direction. The conic form of 

 the spouting-pipe serves for wiredrawing the water 

 in its passage through it, which occasions a friction 

 that produces such a velocity of the jet as to render 

 it capable of breaking windows, &c., whilst the valves 

 and leather pipes of the engine have sufficient water- 

 way to supply the jet in its greatest velocity. 

 Leather pipes, or hose, of considerable length, may 

 be screwed at one end of the nozle of the engine, and 

 furnished at one end with a wooden or brass pipe for 

 guiding the water into the inner parts of houses. 

 Between the pyramidal box, L, and the fore end of 

 the engine, there is a strong iron bar, O, lying in an 

 horizontal position over the middle of the cistern, 

 and playing in brasses supported by two wooden 

 stands ; one of which, P, is placed between the two 

 fore stands of the upper rails, and the other is 

 hid in the enclosure over the hind part. Upon 

 proper squares of this bar are fitted, one near each 

 end, two strong brass bars, which take hold of the 

 long wooden cylindrical handles, by means of which 

 the engine is worked; and the treadles by which 

 they are assisted are suspended at each end by chains, 

 in the form of a watch-chain, and receive their motion 

 jointly with the handles that are on the same side, 

 by means of two circular sectors of iron, fastened 

 together, and fixed by proper squares of the middle 

 horizontal bar ; the two fore ones may be seen at Q ; 

 the two hind ones differ from the former only in 

 thickness, for the fore sectors are made to carry only 

 one chain each, fastened by one end to their upper 



part, and by the lower end to the treadles ; whereas 

 the sole of the two hind sectors is wide enough to 

 carry two chains each ; one set fastened, like those 

 of the fore ones, for the motion of the treadles ; and 

 the other two chains are fastened by their lower ends 

 to the lower part of these sectors, and by their upper 

 ends of the top to the piston-bars, in order to give 

 them motion. 



In some engines, a single cylinder is used, the pis- 

 ton rod passing through a tight collar, and alter 

 nately receiving and expelling the water at each end 

 of the cylinder. In Rowntree's engine, and some 

 others, a part of the inside of a cylinder is traversed 

 by a partition like a door hinged upon the axis of the 

 cylinder, which drives the water successively from 

 each side of the cylinder into the air vessel. 



Braithwaite 's Steam Fire Engine, a recent inven- 

 tion, is an ingenious application of the moving power 

 of steam to the working of fire engines. The 

 mechanical arrangement consists of two cylinders, the 

 one of seven inches diameter, being the steam cylin- 

 der, and the other of six and a half inches diameter, 

 being the water pump. By the horizontal position 

 of the two cylinders the parallel motion is easily 

 produced. The boiler is on the construction and 

 principle of Braithwaite and Ericson's patent steam 

 generator. This engine will deliver about 9000 

 gallons an hour to a height of ninety feet, through 

 an adjutage of \ of an inch. The time of getting the 

 machine into action, from the moment of igniting the 

 fuel (the water being cold), is eighteen minutes. As 

 soon as an alarm is given, the fire is kindled; and the 

 bellows, attached to the engine, are worked by 

 hand. By the time the horses are harnessed in, the 

 fuel is thoroughly ignited, and the bellows are then 

 worked by the motion of the wheels of the engine. 

 By the time of arriving at the fire, preparing the 

 horses, &c., the steam is ready. The expense of 

 fuel is stated to be at London sixpence per hour. 



FIRE-FLY ; a small beetle which emits a beauti- 

 ful phosphoric light from the under surface of the 

 terminal segments of the abdomen. In America, 

 during the summer months, these little insects abound, 

 and are observed to be particularly active and lumin- 

 ous after slight showers of rain, studding the trees 

 and grass with their pale lights. Among naturalists, 

 the fire-fly is included among the species of lampyris. 

 The phosphoric light produced by these animals is 

 of a greenish yellow, and proceeds from a collection 

 of yellowish matter under the tail, which is kindled 

 or extinguished at pleasure. When separated from 

 the body of the insect, it continues to shine for some 

 time, but, gradually becoming paler, is at length 

 extinguished. This curious provision of nature is 

 said to be for the purpose of directing the sexes to 

 each other. In Europe, the fire-fly is replaced by 

 the glow-worm, a wingless female insect of this 

 genus. The male is not luminous, and is guided to 

 his mate by the light which she emits from a recepta- 

 cle of phosphoric matter similar to that with which 

 the American species is provided. 



FIRE, GREEK, was invented in the seventh cen- 

 tury. When the Arabs besieged Constantinople in 

 668, the Greek architect Cafiinicus of Heliopolis 

 deserted from the caliph to the Greeks, and took 

 with him a composition, which, by its wonderful 

 effects, struck terror into the enemy, and forced them 

 to take to flight. Sometimes it was wrapped in flax 

 attached to arrows and javelins, and so thrown into 

 the fortifications and other buildings of the enemy, to 

 set them on fire. At other times, it was used in 

 throwing stone balls from iron or metallic tubes 

 against the enemy. The use of this fire continued 

 at least until the end of the thirteenth century ; but 

 no contemporary writer has handed down to us any 



