I 
on fire ; this bridge is flrongly fattened to the window by 
means of grappling irons, and is provided \v: , b rails. But 
on thofe tides of the parapet on which the cherts land, 
the ingenious inventor has contrived (winging gates, with 
parapets above them, which are puttied "atide by the chert 
at the moment of its ariival ; thus combining all the fe- 
curity and difpateh that can be.defined. But as too much 
facility cannot be given to the firemen in attending, the 
artift has added a rope-ladder, fattened at the top to one 
of the upper crofs-beams of the waggon ; this is joined 
by a ladder of wood, which Hands c-n the bottom of the 
carriage. Thefe two ladders afford the firemen every fa¬ 
cility to .fcend with celerity to the platform. This rope- 
ladder might likewife be fattened to the platform on the 
contrary tide to the fire. The waggon is kept in its 
pofition by blocks placed under the wheels.—Infteud of 
ropes, the above ladder, if it may be thought proper, 
may be made of brats, with fteps of wood ; as rope (teps 
are rather difficult of afcent. Ail the upper parts of this 
machine are of iron ; the platform may be lined with iron 
plates underneath, to preferve it from fire. The inventor 
has likew ife contrived an apron or fkreen, alfo of plate iron, 
fitted to and fufpended before this platform, towards the 
lioufe, to fecure the whole of the upper part of the ma¬ 
chine againft the fury of the flames. The commifiioners 
of the Lyceum, conceiving that this machine is calcu¬ 
lated to anfwer every purpofe for which it is intended, 
as a recompence for his labours, decreed M. Daujon their 
medal as a reward for the invention. 
Dr. Collins’s Elevator, defcribed in vol.vi. p.469, 
where a figure of it is alfo given, is an American inven¬ 
tion, well calculated to refcue unfortunate fufferers from 
houfes on fire. 
FIRE-EXTINGUISHER, a box or barrel, charged 
with a chemical preparation, the aftion of which is de- 
ftrudive of fire or combuftion. This invention is attri¬ 
buted to M. Fuc'nes, a German phyfician, who made the 
experiment in 1734, on a lioufe built on purpofe, of dry 
fir, on Legard ifland, in Sweden; the government having 
promifed 20,000 crowns for the difcovery. In the build¬ 
ing were placed feveral tubs of tar and pitch, and a great 
quantity of chips, all of which were fet on fire,' flames 
iflfuing through the top of the houfe, windows, &c. when 
he threw in one of the barrels containing the preparation, 
which immediately quenched the flames; a fecond barrel 
totally cleared away the fmoke ; and the whole was exe¬ 
cuted to the fatisfabtion of the fpectators, and to the no 
fmall fatisfabtion of the inventor, who was about to return 
home, when unexpectedly the flames broke out again, 
luppofed to have been let on fire fecretly by fome mali¬ 
cious perfon. Upon this the hafty mob fell violently 
upon M. Fuches, and he narrowly efcaped with his life. 
He foon after quitted the country, and never could be 
prevailed on to return. 
In England, a fimilar invention was not long fince pro- 
fecuted by Dr. Godfrey, wliofe contrivance is thus de- 
fcribed by Mr. Ambrole Godfrey, his grandfon.^ “ The 
» machine to be employed contifts of a fmall portion of gun¬ 
powder clofely confined in a box, which, when animated 
by fire, ads by its. elaftic force upon a proper medium, 
and not only divideth it into the minuted atoms, but dif- 
perfeth it alfo in every direction, fo as immediately to 
extinguith any fire within a certain di-dance. This me¬ 
dium is a liquor (trongly impregnated with a preparation 
of antiphlogiftic principles, which by their action upon 
burning materials extinguith the flames, and reduce them 
in general to the ftate of a black, coal; aiid, by its oppo- 
fite nature to fire, hinders the remaining fparks, notwith- 
rtanding the admilfion of the air, from kindling the flames 
afreth.' By this means, the great point is obtained, in 
giving {Efficient lime for totally extinguishing any remains 
of fire.” The mode of employing thefe machines, was 
that of throwing them into the different rooms of the 
lioufe in which the flames began to appear. On the 19th 
of May, 1761, Dr. Godfrey’s experiment for extinguith. 
R E7 395 
ing fire, was tried in a lioufe erected for that purpofe, 
near Mary-le-bone. Their royal highnelies the late duke 
of York, prince William Henry, prince Henry Frederic, 
a great number of perlons of rank and diltinCtion, and 
many of the learned world, gave their attendance on this 
interefting occafion. The houfe,- which Was of brick, 
confided of three rooms one above another, a flair cafe, 
and a wainfcotting round the rooms, of rough deal. Ex¬ 
actly at twelve o’clock the ground room, and that up one 
pair of flairs, were fet on fire, by lighting the faggots and 
fhavings laid in them for that purpofe: in about fifteen 
minutes the wainfcot of the under room was thought to 
be fufficiently in flames, and three of the machines were 
thrown in ; which, by almoft immediate and hidden ex- 
plofions, inflantaneoufly extinguillied the flames, and the 
very fmoke in that apartment in a few minutes totally dif- 
appeared. By this time the firemen, who had the care of 
throwing in the machines, gave an alarm that the flair-cafe 
had taken fire, and that it was necelfary direCtly to go to 
vvoik upon the next room ; which was accordingly done, 
and with the fame decitive effeCt. The experiment, how¬ 
ever, did not univerfally fatisfy : in the latt inftance efpe- 
cially it was thought to be too haflily put in execution; 
and the populace without-fide the paling, who were fup¬ 
pofed to amount to at leaf! twenty thoufand, and wliofe 
curiofity, from tlie very nature of their fituation, remained 
much diflatisfied, began to grow riotous and ncyfy. For 
the fake of the experiment, therefore, and to remove all 
manner of doubt, Mr. Godfrey contented to a third ex¬ 
periment in the upper room, which was entirely of wood. 
The flames were now fullered to get to a considerable 
height, and even the window frames were blazing, before 
the machines were thrown in : which, however, anfwered 
exaCtly as the former had done ; and, being quite in fight 
of the out-flanders, met with univerfal approbation_ 
Yet was this invention never encouraged in England.—. 
The hint of thefe machines is faid to have been taken by 
Dr. Godfrey from the invention of Zachary Grey!, who 
exhibited fimilar machines, but without meeting with 
adequate encouragement. He is faid to have ufed pot-alh, 
alum, fal ammoniac, and fome other faline matters. 
Some interefting attempts have been recently made on 
the continent, to bring thefe fire-extinguifliers into ufe ; 
and apparently with better fuccefs. In October, 1792, 
M. Von Aken, of Orebro, exhibited at Stockholm, the 
effeCt of feveral fire-extinguifliing folutions ; and in De¬ 
cember following, M. Nils Nyflroem, apothecary in Nor- 
koeping, fent to the royal fociety of Stockholm, a paper 
containing the principles of various Ample and compound 
folutions, for the fame purpofe. The general idea there--' 
in given is, to impregnate the water ufed in quenching 
fire with certain incombuflible materials, whether fahs 
capable of folution, or earthy matters held in ditfufion. 
The choice of thefe is reprefented as a matter of no great 
confequence. The articles mentioned for Ample folution 
or mixture, are wood-afties, pot-allies, common, fair, green 
vitriol, herring-pickle, alum, and clay ; the compounds 
are, clay, vitriol, and common fait; wood-aflies and clay; 
red ochre and common fait ; herring-pickle and red ochre. 
Thefe are chofen principally on account of the local op¬ 
portunities of ealily procuring them. They are to be 
mixed in large proportions with water, and the thicker 
the mixtures are, the more efficacious they are found. It 
is fuggefted that the cheapeft material in many parts of 
Great Britain, would be the bittern of fea-falt; which 
might be niixed to the confidence of honey with prepared 
clay, and kept in calks ready for dilution when wanted. 
M. Nyflroem, who obtained a premium of five hun¬ 
dred rix-aollars from the corporation of Norkoeping, in¬ 
forms us, that a fire in that town occationed him to pro- 
fecuie, witii greater afliduity,. a feries of experiments on 
the properties of fubttances capable of extinguifiiing fire, 
which he had begun feveral years before; on hearing, 
however, of the difcovery of M. Von Aken, he had 
dropped the inquiry; as the refpecuble atleflations of. 
that 
