R E. 
F I 
order to render this pump occafionally ufefnl as an engine 
for extinguifliing fire, it is only necefTary to make the 
piffon air-tight in dcjcending, as well as in afcending, and 
to fix to the cittern an air-velfel communicating with 
pipes, in fuch a manner that the cittern be made air-tight 
in every part, excepting where it communicates with the 
air-veftel. No particular method of rendering the pifton 
air-tight is eltentia! ; any of the methods in common life 
may therefore be applied to it. The air-vefifel may, 
without any inconvenience, remain fixed to the cittern 
at all times, which will be an advantage, as the pump 
can thus, when necefTary, be inttantly applied to the ex- 
tinguifhing of fire. For the more fully underttanding 
the conttrudtion of this machine, both in its operation as 
a pump and as an engine for extinguifhing fire, a corredt 
reprefentation of its parts is given in the preceding En¬ 
graving. Fig. 3, exhibits a vertical feftion of the pump, 
in which the fuftion-piece is only fo far delineated as is 
necefTary to this illuftration. A, part of the fuftion-piece. 
B, the inner valve. C. the outer valve. D, the barrel. 
E, the pitlon. F, the cittern. G, the fpout: a, the air- 
valve in the pifton. H, the air-vefifel. I, the ajutage- 
pipe. K, a colander, which is necefTary when the water 
is mixed with any extraneous matter, to prevent the aju¬ 
tage-pipe from being choked : b, a ferew for feettring 
down the air-valve, when the pitlon is to be made air¬ 
tight in defeending. 
Fig. 4, exhibits a plan of the pump, wherein the Tame 
parts are marked by the fame letters as in fig. 3. The 
dotted lines reprefent a plan of the fuftion-piece. Figs. 
5 and 6, exhibit a front view and feftion of the flopple 
commonly ufed for plugging up the fpout, when the 
water is to be difeharge-d by the ajutage-pipe. This 
flopple is covered on the edge with leather, or fome foft 
material, and is made with a bevel inwards, fo that, 
when admitted by its oval form within the cittern, it 
prefents its lefs furtace outwards, and is prelfed tight by 
the water in the cittern. The drawing here given repre- 
fents the pump as made of metal, with every part exe¬ 
cuted under the inventor’s own diredtiori. The advan¬ 
tages and utility of this contrivance both by fea and land, 
mutt be obvious to every diferiminating mind. 
With refpedt to the common fire-engine, fome very 
valuable additions and improvements have lately been 
made to it by Mr. Jofeph Bramah, of Piccadilly, Lon¬ 
don ; and for which he obtained the king’s letters pa¬ 
tent, dated April 18, 1793. This machine, with its ad¬ 
ditions and improvements, are correctly delineated in the 
annexed Engraving, Plate II. the defeription of which is 
as follows: Fig. 1, reprefents a cylindrical vert'd made 
of wood, and may be of greater or lefs dimenfions, ac¬ 
cording to the intended lize of the engine. This vefiel 
is compofed of Eaves, heads, and iron hoops, the fame as 
any other piece of cooper’s work made for holding li¬ 
quor; but the hoops differ from tliofe of a common vef- 
fel, by being made to tighten with a ferew, as at B, in 
hoop A ; becaufe the vefiel, being cylindrical, cannot be 
hooped with driving hoops in tlie ufunl manner. CC, 
are two Hits, through which the levers pafs which re¬ 
ceive the handles of the engine. At D, is a man-hole, 
fufficiently large to admit a man into the infide of the 
vefiel occafionally, if required ; this hole is fiiut up, when 
the vefiel is full of water, by a bung cornpofed of the 
fame piece which is cut out of it, being cut bevelling out¬ 
ward's, as at D, fig. 2, having nailed round its edge fome 
leather, or other loft material, for rendering the junction 
water-tight. Fig. 2 and 3, reprefent the fide and end 
feftions of the fire-engine, and exhibit the true conftruc- 
tion of the cylinder fig. 1, and alfo how the pump, or 
hydraulic part, is fixed and connected therewith ; and in 
what manner the engine is to be filled vyith water, and 
worked ; and for the more clear and obvious difenmina- 
tion of its parts, the fame letters of reference are applied 
to the fame parts in both thefe feftions. EE, fig. 2, 
(hew the two heads of the vefiel, which are grooved into 
Vol.VII. No. 435. 
SQ'-i 
the fides of the cylinder, at proper difiances from each 
end, fo as to leave room at one end for the reception of 
the purnp, and one of the handle-levers; and, at the 
other end, room for the lever onlv. Between the heads 
EE is a fpace, which forms the interior of the vefiel or 
refervoir F, capacious enough to hold, in this engine, 
five hogfheads of water, ale-meafure. G, (hews the en¬ 
gine-pump, with one end of its axis parting through the 
head E, in the centre of the cylinder ; it is faftened, and 
made water-tight, by being ferewed down to the head E, 
all round one of its flanches, (having a piece of leather 
between the flatich and the head,) with the ferews hh, &c. 
H, is an iron-fpindle, which is connefted with the axis 
of the pump at L, at one end, and the other end partes 
through a ftufiing T box at K, fixed in the head E, which' 
caules it to be v\ater-tight. In the fpace M, the handle- 
lever is joined to the fpindle, by being driven up to a 
fquare, or otherwife; the fpindle H, is continued on to 
the exterior head N, and has a pivot, which falls into 
the bull) O ; this handle-lever moves in the flit C, which, 
being of a proper length, prevents the handle from being 
moved too far in either diredtion. The other handle^ 
lever is joined to the axis of the pump, in the ufual way, 
and works as reprefented at the pump end of the cylinder 
at R. P, (hews the handle of the engine, difeominued 
at that it might not interfere with the other parts. 
S, is a Aiding cock, which opens and flints the forcing 
arm, that communicates, for the purpofe of filling the 
refervoir, by the pumping of the engine from her own 
Tuft ion. T, is the fuftion-cock, one of which commu¬ 
nicates with the refervoir at U, and the other arm ex¬ 
ternally at V, where there is a ferew to receive the fuc- 
tion pipe W. X, is the handle of the cock, which, being 
turned one way, opens a communication to the relervoir; 
and, when turned the reverfe way, opens a communica¬ 
tion to the fuftion-pipe W ; fo that the engine will work, 
either by a fupply from the refervoir F, or by a fupply 
from the fuftion-pipe W, in the .ufual way. NN, are the 
two external caps or heads, which fiiut in all the works 
of the engine, and in which the brafs brufhes or bearings 
OO are fixed, for the fupport of the axis of the engine, 
and fpindle H. Y, is the forcing arm, parting through 
the head N, on the outficle of which is a ferew for the 
reception of the hofe-pipe, as ufual in other engines : 
there is alio a brafs-cap, attached to the chains vv, which 
(crews on to this part, when the refervoir is filled through 
the cock S. Z, is a box, fixed on the upper fide of the cy¬ 
linder F, made with, a lid, for the purpofe of containing 
the hofe-pipes, and various other implements belonging 
to the engine : there is a partition at b, for the fecurity 
of the air-vertel : aa are blocks, hollowed out on the up¬ 
per fide, fo as to exaftlv fit the circle of the cylinder F, 
as appears at a in the end feftion, fig. 3; thefe blocks 
are firmly fixed to the cylinder with iron-bolts. When 
the machine is thus prepared, it is mounted on a car¬ 
riage with four wheels, as ufual. The only particular 
to be attended to in making this carriage, is the height 
of the wheels, io that the centre of the cylinder,'and the 
axis of the engine OO, may remain in proper height for 
the handles which work the engine. Fig. 4, reprefents 
the top of a perforated bofs or nofe to the branch of the 
engine, made of copper, for the purpofe of fpreading or 
difperfing the jet of water in many direftions at the fume 
time. Fig. 5, is a fide view of the fame bofs or nofe, 
(hewing that the under fide of it is not perforated, no dif- 
charge of water dozonzuard being necefTary, on account of 
the immediate defeent of that which is thrown upwards; 
by this a wafte of water is prevented. The holes, per¬ 
forated in this bofs or nofe, nuift be of larger dimenfions 
than tliofe in the colander of the fuftion-pipe W, to pre¬ 
vent the bofs from choking with what palTes through (he 
engine when the water is dirty ; about five-fixteenths of 
an inch in diameter will be, in general, a proper fize for 
a large engine. This bofs or nofe is meant to be ufed 
in fuch cales as will admit of a near approach to the part 
5 H where 
