F ) I RO TECTION OF MANSIONS KWtltSr«H'WUWS »; hvm COMPTON MERRY WE'^THER \ 1 t r FIRE PROTECTION OF MANSIONS. HOW TO PREVENT FIRES AND HOW TO EXTINGUISH THEM. WITH PRACTICAL REMARKS UPON WATER SUPPLY AND FIRE APPARATUS. BY JAMES COMPTON MERRYWEATHER, M.I.M.E. SECOND EDITION. MERRITT & HATCHER, 2, GROCERS’ HALL COURT, E.C. MDCCCLXXXVI. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION This little book is intended for the owners and occupiers of large country seats, and for their principal servants entrusted with the manage¬ ment of the mansions or estates. Its objects are to remind the owners of the special dangers from fire to which many residential mansions are exposed, the inevitable dangers to which all are necessarily exposed, and the consequent need and value of proper fire protective arrange¬ ments ; and to inform their estate agents and stewards as to the means by which these arrangements for preventing and extinguishing fires may be made and maintained, the best methods of guarding day by day against an outbreak, and of coping with it should one occur. Without any great presumption I may claim to speak upon the subject with some warrant and Preface. authority. I have had nearly thirty years’ ex¬ perience in designing and carrying out fire protec¬ tive works in buildings of this class, in forming public and household fire brigades, and in con¬ structing fire extinguishing machinery, with the manufacture of which in England the name of my firm (Messrs. Merryweather and Sons, of Long Acre), with that of one other house, has become almost exclusively identified. Although I have not been able altogether to avoid them, my remarks have been, as far as possible, kept free from the technicalities of the fireman’s profession, and I do not think much will be found in the following pages the meaning of which a gentleman after half an hour’s practical acquaintance with his fire apparatus would fail to understand. One or two of the chapters, particularly those upon fire apparatus and water supply, are intended to furnish practical informa¬ tion which will enable those who have to decide upon questions relating to fire and water machinery to select that best adapted to the special requirements of the house. I have therefore been compelled here to deal with matters of detail, but I have not done so with Preface. the fulness and scientific accuracy which would be necessary if I were writing for engineers ; I have endeavoured to roughly sketch a tolerably complete outline which must, in each particular instance, be developed and filled in by the engineer who is entrusted with the execution of the necessary works. The book has a practical purpose, and has been somewhat hurriedly written in the intervals of my usual business avocations ; I have not, therefore, endeavoured after literary graces, nor given much attention to fine writing. The subject has been divided into as many short chapters as possible for convenient and ready reference. James Compton Merryweather. May , 1884. / I PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. The previous edition having been received with some favour, it has become necessary to prepare a second. I have taken the opportunity to revise the whole, and to bring the information down to date. One other chapter has been added, containing a few simple “ Fire Regulations,” applicable to smaller residences than those usually called Mansions, for the use of the general public, amongst whom the first impression of the book obtained a larger circulation than I had anticipated. Two appendices have also been inserted. The first relates to the important subject of oil lamps, one of the most fruitful causes of fires in residential houses ; the second, referring to loss of pressure by friction in hose, is intended for the information of superintendents of private brigades. James Compton Merryweather. December, 1886. / Contents. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I.—INTRODUCTORY. PAGE COUNTRY MANSIONS BADLY PROTECTED FROM FIRE—TOWN RESIDENCES SAFER THAN COUNTRY SEATS—MANSIONS DESTROYED DURING THE PRESENT CENTURY-NOT A QUESTION OF MONEY VALUE ALONE—INSURANCE NO “ PANACEA ”-DIVISION OF THE SUBJECT, FIRE PRE¬ VENTION AND EXTINCTION..5 CHAPTER II.—COMMON CAUSES OF FIRE. MOST FIRES PREVENTIBLE-STRUCTURAL DEFECTS—CARE¬ LESSNESS-OCCASIONAL CAUSES—HOW TO PREVENT FIRES - NIGHTLY INSPECTION BY A RESPONSIBLE SERVANT-REGULATIONS RESPECTING LIGHTS — OIL LAMPS—GAS-ELECTRIC LIGHTING-KITCHEN BOILERS -KITCHENERS-FIRE STOVES-HOT AIR AND WATER PIPES-SMOKING, ETC., IN BED - SPONTANEOUS IGNITION - LETTER FROM MR. SUPERINTENDENT TOZER UPON CAUSES OF FIRES IN MANSIONS - ”9 Contents. CHAPTER III.—WATER SUPPLY. i PAGE AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF WATER A PRINCIPAL PART OF THE FIRE ARRANGEMENTS—DESCRIPTION OF FIRE APPARATUS TO BE ADOPTED DETERMINED BY QUANTITY AND SITUATION OF THE WATER-DISASTROUS RESULT OF A SMALL DEFICIENCY—GRAVITATION-RESERVOIRS -RAIN WATER STORAGE—HYDRAULIC RAMS—WATER WHEELS—NEW PUMPING WATER WHEEL-TURBINES AND PUMPS — MECHANICAL MEANS OF DRIVING PUMPS- STEAM ENGINES-HOT-AIR ENGINES-GAS ENGINES-COMPARATIVE ECONOMY OF STEAM, HOT¬ AIR AND GAS ENGINES-WIND POWER-HORSE POWER PUMPS-HAND POWER PUMPS—EXTERNAL STORAGE—INTERNAL STORAGE-VALUE OF A GOOD SUPPLY OF WATER-EXTERNAL SUPPLY FROM LAKES, ORNAMENTAL WATERS, OR RUNNING STREAMS - - 22 CHAPTER IV.—UNSUITABLE AND DEFECTIVE FIRE APPARATUS. UNSUITABLE APPARATUS COMMON IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BUILDINGS-PLUMBERS’ FIRE PROTECTION-DEFEC¬ TIVE APPARATUS AT A FIFESHIRE CASTLE-CAUSE OF DEFECT-REMEDY APPLIED-RESULT OF THE ALTERATIONS-ANOTHER INSTANCE-DEFECT AND REMEDY-DEFECTIVE SYSTEMS-ERRORS IN DETAIL -IN FIRE VALVES -HOSE- BRANCHPIPES AND NOZZLES-LETTER IN THE “ FIREMAN ”-NARROW ESCAPE OF THE MANSION AT BLACKMORE PARK- ABSURD AND USELESS FIRE APPARATUS-REDUCTIONS IN INSURANCE PREMIUMS-HAND GRENADES-CON- Contents. PAGE TENTS OF THE GRENADES—CHEMICAL FIRE EXTIN¬ GUISHING COMPOUNDS-PHYSICING THE FIRE FIEND -PRACTICAL EXHIBITIONS - A CURIOUS FIRE AP¬ PLIANCE — A PRIVATE EXPERIMENT - PUBLIC FIRE BRIGADE PRACTICE.38 % CHAPTER V.—FIRE APPARATUS. APPARATUS SHOULD BE SUITABLE FOR THE BUILDING— INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL APPLIANCES-FIREMAINS AND HYDRANTS-TANKS MUST BE PLACED AT A SUFFICIENT HEIGHT-PORTABLE HANDPUMPS AND BUCKETS-CISTERNS —FIREMAIN PIPES-HYDRANTS- HOSE-REELS AND OTHER FITTINGS FOR HOSE AND TOOLS BRANCHPIPES •— PRESSURE AUGMENTER HAND FIRE-PUMPS AND BUCKETS-CHEMICAL FIRE ENGINES-HYDRANTS ON EXTERNAL MAINS-STEAM FIRE ENGINES-MANUAL FIRE ENGINES : THE LONDON BRIGADE MANUAL-THE MANSION FIRE ENGINE - 49 CHAPTER VI.—WELL PROTECTED MANSIONS. FARNBOROUGH HOUSE-RAGLEY HALL—EASTNOR CASTLE- SANDRINGHAM HALL-BURGHLEY HOUSE, STAMFORD- KNOWSLEY-MONTAGU HOUSE, WHITEHALL-ARUNDEL CASTLE-WILTON HOUSE-PATSHULL HALL, ALBRIGH- TON-BLENHEIM PALACE — EATON HALL—CLUMBER HOUSE-WARWICK CASTLE — HATFIELD HOUSE- HAMPTON COURT PALACE ; STEAM FIRE ENGINE AND WATER SUPPLY ; THE PALACE FIRE BRIGADE-TAY- MOUTH CASTLE ; APPLIANCES AND FIRE BRIGADE - 66 CHAPTER VII— MANSION FIRE BRIGADES. FIRE APPLIANCES NOT AUTOMATIC-PERIODICAL DRILLS— THE HOUSEHOLD BRIGADE—EXAMPLES OF PRIVATE FIRE BRIGADES-DRILL MANUAL-PERIODICAL INSPEC- Contents. PAGE TION BY THE FIRE APPARATUS MANUFACTURER- REGULATIONS FOR THE CARE AND WORKING OF APPARATUS—GENERAL RULES FOR USING INTERNAL APPLIANCES - INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THE HAND FIRE PUMP-INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THE CHEMICAL ENGINE — DANEBURY FIRE BRIGADE RULES (USING EXTERNAL APPLIANCES)—CARE OF ENGINE AND HOSE 87 CHAPTER VIII.—FIRE FIGHTING. GENERAL ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONS IN EXTINGUISHING FIRES—EACH MAN SHOULD HAVE HIS SPECIAL DUTY- APPLIANCES TO BE USED UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS —POSITION OF THE ENGINE—FRICTION IN HOSE— ATTACHING THE SUCTION HOSE-ATTACKING THE FIRE- NUMBER OF STREAMS TO BE USED-SMALL ENGINES AT A LARGE FIRE—DIFFICULTIES IN CON¬ NECTION WITH WATER SUPPLY—SAFETY OF THE BRIGADE—SMOKE—USE OF THE LARGER APPARATUS TO BE DISCONTINUED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE—DAMAGE BY SMOKE—FARM FIRES—REMOVAL OF HORSES FROM STABLES. - 96 CHAPTER IX.—SAVING LIFE. SAVING LIFE FROM FIRE—VALUE OF EARLY INTIMATION OF AN OUTBREAK—ELECTRIC FIRE ALARMS—PRESENCE OF MIND—DIRECTIONS HOW TO ACT ON AN ALARM OF FIRE BEING GIVEN-DOMESTIC FIRE ESCAPES—THE CHUTE ESCAPE-THE ROPE AND PULLEY ESCAPE-ROPE LADDERS-LADDER FIRE ESCAPES ON WHEELS - DIRECTIONS TO PRIVATE BRIGADE FOR SAVING LIFE -SEARCHING THE HOUSE-ENTRY BY THE WINDOWS -RESCUE FROM THE OUTSIDE—BRINGING PERSONS DOWN THE ESCAPE - LIGHT LADDERS - POMPIER LADDERS.I06 Contents , CHAPTER X.—FIRE RULES FOR SMALLER HOUSEHOLDS. AGE PREVENTION OF FIRE-GAS—MINERAL OR INFLAMMABLE OIL LAMPS-TO ESCAPE—ACCIDENTS TO PERSONS— PROTECTION. 113 CHAPTER XI.—FINAL. MANSIONS SAVED BY PRIVATE APPARATUS-CANFORD MANOR; SAVED IN 1879 } SAVED IN 1884-HAMPTON COURT PALACE; EFFICIENT VOLUNTEER BRIGADE ; HOW THE FIRE ORIGINATED ; PROMPT ACTION OF THE BRIGADE ; EXCELLENCE OF THE APPARATUS ; GALLANT EFFORTS OF THE BRIGADE; FIRE IN NOVEMBER, 1886-DESTRUCTION OF DUNCOMBE PARK ; BUCKETS ONLY AVAILABLE; A HAND PUMP WOULD HAVE SAVED THE MANSION-FIRE AT BARLOW HALL; HOW THE LOSS MIGHT HAVE BEEN AVERTED-FIRE AT WALCOTT HALL—A PARALLEL AND A CONTRAST-PARTIAL DEMOLITION OF CLUMBER HOUSE-DESTRUCTION OF BADMINTON AVERTED. - 117 FIRE PROTECTION of MANSIONS. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY, COUNTRY MANSIONS BADLY PROTECTED FROM FIRE-TOWN RESIDENCES SAFER THAN COUNTRY SEATS—MANSIONS DESTROYED DURING THE PRESENT CENTURY-NOT A QUESTION OF MONEY VALUE ALONE—INSURANCE NO “ PANACEA”-DIVISION OF THE SUBJECT, FIRE PREVEN¬ TION AND EXTINCTION. It is well known to those whose profession or business is Country concerned with the safety of country residential mansions, £^ly° nS that as a class these buildings are not well protected against protected destruction by fire. Most of them have been erected with little or no regard to safety in this respect; many are situated at a distance from a supply of water copious enough for fire purposes, and from any skilled assistance available when a fire breaks out, at the same time being quite without provision for dealing with it by means of apparatus on the spot. Mansions in the Metropolis are much safer. Although London is so T own large, so densely crowded, and is protected by a fire depart- residences saier tnan ment deficient both in men and machinery for the work it has country seats, to do, not the fiftieth part of the risk to a country seat attaches itself to the palatial town residence. About twelve large country houses are consumed by fire annually. The present B 6 Fire Protection of Mansions . Mansions destroyed during the present century. Not a question of money value alone. century has witnessed the partial or total demolition of many stately ancestral homes; amongst the most notable Belvoir Castle, Wynnstay, Warwick Castle, Hatfield House, Fryston Hall, Duncombe Park, Ingestre Hall, Blenheim Palace, Clumber Park, Morton Hall, Wrotham Park, Shern Hall, Lanhydroc House, and Cortachy Castle occur at once to the mind; but the number of the whole is legion, and represents a destruction of wealth which I will not attempt to estimate, but which there is no doubt whatever must be counted by millions of pounds sterling. If it were a question of money value alone, there might be little reason for calling special attention to the safety of this class of building. Such, however, is very far from being the case. English country houses contain treasures of art and vertu absolutely priceless, because they are irreplaceable. What can be considered to be the money value of the “Nativity” which perished when Belvoir Castle was burned ? or of the statuary and pictures which were destroyed with Duncombe Hall? It is stated by Dr. Waagen, in his “ Treasures of Art in Great Britain,” that if all the Continental works of the most famous sculptors and painters were lost, enough of their handiwork exists in these islands to perpetuate the memory of all of them. But the rapid destruction which during the past few years has overtaken so much which was esteemed precious not only in England, but on the Continent and in America, is sufficient to awaken general apprehension. The owners for life of the many noble mansions and their contents should not forget that they hold them in trust not only for their immediate successors, but for their fellow countrymen of the present and of succeeding generations. Such fabrics as Dunrobin, Chatsworth, Holkham Longleat, Hatfield, Wilton, Alton Towers, Castle Howard, Temple Newsome, Arundel Castle, Hardwicke, Lathorn, Knowsley, Alnwick, Burghley, Cothele, and many others, deservedly create a feeling of national pride; they are objects Introductory. 7 of interest to Englishmen in all parts of the globe, and the destruction of any of them cannot occur without being the occasion of widespread and poignant regret. The nation is also interested from the fact that the muniment rooms of many seats belonging to old and noble families are full of records capable of elucidating dark and unexplored passages of English history. It is known that the archives and documents of Alnwick Castle have furnished work for more than five years to the historian of the House of Percy. With what feelings of regret must the owner of such priceless family wealth contemplate its conversion in the course of a few hours into a heap of charred timber, twisted iron and calcined stone, through the carelessness of a maidservant, or a defect in the scullery flue ? For these reasons the chief consideration which operates in Insurance some cases where buildings are left unprotected from fire does Ti 0 P anacea ' not apply to ancestral country seats. The Insurance Office is the refuge of many who have valuable property subject to the risk of fire. Owners of family heirlooms are not able to rid themselves of responsibility in this way, and they are under the necessity of doing their best to prevent the loss of what they hold in trust, as well as to indemnify themselves pecu¬ niarily for it should the loss, in spite of all their precautions, occur. The subject of the fire protection of country seats is one, therefore, worthy of attention apart from the considera¬ tions which apply to that of other property: they are the unsafest, though one of the most valuable, of all the ‘‘ risks ” in the country. Protection from fire obviously divides itself into two parts Fire -—prevention and extinction. The former concerns itself with extinction.^ the causes and origin of fires, and with the manner of avoiding them ; that is to say, with the remedy of structural defects which create danger, and with the regulations which should be framed to enforce care on the part of servants and inmates. The latter has to do with the drilling and training of servants in the best methods of acting in emergencies, and the provision 8 Fire Protection of Mansions. of suitable appliances for their use ; and especially with the securing of a sufficiently copious supply of water, usually the most important, expensive, and difficult part of the fire arrangements. In writing upon the subject I shall observe this division; dealing first with the most common causes of fires, and with the best means of minimising the danger arising out of them. Common Causes of Fire. 9 CHAPTER II. V COMMON CAUSES OF FIRE. MOST FIRES PREVENTIBLE—STRUCTURAL DEFECTS—CARELESS¬ NESS—OCCASIONAL CAUSES-HOW TO PREVENT FIRES— NIGHTLY INSPECTION BY A RESPONSIBLE SERVANT— REGULATIONS RESPECTING LIGHTS—OIL LAMPS—GAS— ELECTRIC LIGHTING—KITCHEN BOILERS—KITCHENERS- FIRE STOVES—HOT AIR AND WATER PIPES-SMOKING, ETC., IN BED—SPONTANEOUS IGNITION—LETTER FROM MR. SUPERINTENDENT TOZER UPON CAUSES OF FIRES IN MANSIONS. There is no doubt whatever that a very large number of Most fires fires arise from causes which are easily preventible. In the P reventiWc * course of an extended investigation into the causes of the fires which occurred during many years in some of the larger towns ■of England and America, it has been demonstrated in the Fireman that only about 20 per cent, can be attributed to causes which could not reasonably have been foreseen and guarded against; the remainder with a little care and trouble might have been prevented. Buildings of all kinds are liable to special risks which Structural • • defects appertain to the class they belong to, and also to risks which are common to all buildings. The following are the most active causes of the destruction of residential mansions :— Structural Defects; such as defective flues, timber built into flues, hearths laid upon timber, &c. In most large houses there are, unfortunately, many such hidden and unsuspected sources of danger. Their presence in old buildings can only be ascertained by a careful and intelligent search for them Many fine palaces have been laid in ruins IO Fire Protection of Mansions. in consequence of a little inattention to some structural vice or deficiency. One recent instance out of many is that of Ingestre Hall ; the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot, writing to the World upon the subject, says, “ There can be no doubt that this most disastrous affair occurred through a beam having been placed, when the house was originally built, directly under and too near the hearthstone; and the wonder must be to all who either saw the fire, or who have since seen the ruins, that the old place had never met this sad fate before.” There are one or two quite unsuspected ways in which destruction may be brought about through the agency of defective flues. The first is a direct consequence of the use of wood for fuel, which still obtains pretty largely in many country houses. From the wood, in the course of combustion, a quantity of pyroligneous acid is formed, which enters the chimney in the form of steam, is condensed upon the walls as it reaches the higher parts, and is absorbed by the soot. The acid is corrosive, and eats its way into the mortar until the latter is completely destroyed. Rain washes down the soot, and the mortar which has been dissolved or loosened, until the upper parts of the chimney are frequently found to consist practically of a pile of bricks with wide and open joints. Some day a gust of wind blows a spark against an old beam; the dry timber smoulders for an hour or two and finally breaks into flame, perhaps in the middle of the night, and the mansion is burned to the ground in consequence. A second source of unsuspected danger is found in beams resting against hot brickwork and hot flues from furnaces; it is generally considered there is no danger because the timber never becomes hot enough to suggest the chance of its being fired. It is a fact, however, that wood when kept at a com¬ paratively low temperature for a considerable time is liable to become charred, and in this condition it acquires the property of absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere so rapidly as to be liable to become heated to a temperature above its point of ignition. It then bursts into flame, usually after smouldering Common Causes of Fire. ii a long time, and a conflagration occurs in a position which cannot very readily be reached. A little careful attention to flues will easily get rid of these sources of danger. The upper part should be pointed afresh with mortar whenever requisite, and no beam should be allowed to remain within six inches of the flue. An examination of all timber near hot pipes of any kind may be made periodically with great advantage; if any of it has commenced to char it is time to take the matter in hand and remedy the defect in arrangements. Timber left exposed in the construction of roofs has been a frequent cause of fire. There should be no exposed timber of any kind upon roofs, not even snow boards or slate protectors. Galvanised iron is preferable for both these purposes. Soot is liable to accumulate under snow boards; should a spark fall upon the soot it will very likely be set on fire, then the timber is ignited, next the lead guttering is melted and the rafters underneath are set on fire. The fire will probably burn a long time till finally flames burst out from the roof, and every effort is necessary to prevent the destruction of the building. There are many similar dangers, not very patent to the casual observer, but which it is the business of the fire engineer to find out and rectify. Carelessness of Servants and Inmates in one form or another, Carelessness, especially with lucifers, lamps, candles and other lights. Children playing with lucifers and other inflammable things. Linen left to dry too near exposed fireplaces. Cooking utensils put away too hot, or fire adhering to them. Smoking, reading or sewing in bed, and falling asleep with lights too near bedding and curtains. Filling mineral oil and spirit lamps too near exposed fires and lights. Leaving lighted tobacco in pockets. Smoking tobacco. Putting away hot ashes before extinguishing them. Leaving wax tapers (especially green tapers) smouldering. Putting away hot coke near timber. Carelessness in sweeping flues and in raking out fires at night. Carelessness of workpeople with temporary fires, especially upon roofs. 12 Fire Protection of Mansions. Occasional causes. How to prevent fires. Nightly inspection by a responsible servant. The above are the most frequent causes of fires in resi¬ dential mansions; the following may also possibly occasion disaster :—Sparks from fires. Curtains and other pendant things left too near fires and lights. Domestic animals over¬ turning lamps and other lights. Swinging gas jets. Gas brackets badly fixed. Explosions of the contents of mineral oil lamps. Birds’ nests exposed under eaves and in recesses on roofs. Dresses coming in contact with fires and lights. Persons seized with fits falling on to fire. Spontaneous ignition of oily rags, &c. Dissensions and fighting near fires and lights Intoxication. Incendiarism by servants to hide robbery, Sec- Monomania. Lightning (this can only cause fire when the conductors are not properly insulated or conveyed to earth). Electricity. Sun’s rays concentrated in various ways. It is evident upon consideration of the manner in which fires most commonly originate that by far the largest number are caused by carelessness of one form and another. To prevent fires, it is therefore essential to combat the carelessness of individual servants and inmates; a most difficult task, and one which can never be perfectly performed. For this reason, arrangements for extinguishing fire are indispensable, but there is no reason why what is possible should not be done to prevent them breaking out, notwithstanding that complete success in this direction cannot be hoped for. To this end I always recommend that the butler or some other responsible servant should be commissioned to examine the premises throughout before retiring for the night, and his attention should be specially called to the common causes of fires as before enumerated, so that he may know in what manner to make his search complete. He should always take with him one of the other servants, each in turn, for the purpose of impressing upon each the necessity of vigilance at all times in guarding against fire. A simple system such as this, if properly and punctiliously carried out, would ensure a large degree of safety, and would be under many circumstances as effective as many elaborate arrangements which have been Common Causes of Fire. i3 made for the same purpose. In chapter X. I have collected a few simple rules dealing with fire prevention, accidents to persons, escape from danger, &c., having special reference to smaller houses, and where no more can be done these, at least, may be strictly enforced. In larger mansions, where there is an organised “ fire brigade,” the servant charged with the duty I have just mentioned should be captain of the household brigade, and he should be empowered to insist upon the few regulations with respect to matches, lights, &c., which follow, being strictly carried out, and to make whatever small altera¬ tions may be necessary to perfect the gas arrangements. 1. —None but safety matches which light only by friction Regulations • respecting: should be allowed in any part of the building. lights. 2. —Matches must not be thrown upon the floor after use, nor unused matches left where children can get at them. 3. —Candles must not be allowed to burn down to the socket. 4. —Temporary lights must not be obtained by means of paper. 5. —Lamps must only be refilled by daylight, and only oil of the best quality used. 6. —Gas brackets if fixed in dangerous positions must be at once removed or made secure. 7. —As far as possible all gas jets should be protected by shades, and if there are any shields they should be of metal. Gas should not be turned off at the meter at night. The main gas pipe to the meter should be fitted with a tap by means of which the whole supply can be turned off from the outside in the event of fire. This is a very valuable precaution, and one which should on no account be neglected. Gas pipes throughout should be of iron, not of lead or composition, which easily melts, and which are also liable to be damaged by rats and mice. The number of fires caused by the explosion of a mixture Oil Lamps. I 14 Fire Protection of Mansions. of the vapour of mineral oils used in domestic lamps with air has been so large during recent years that a special investi¬ gation was made into the subject by Sir Frederick Abel and Mr. Redwood, Chemist of the Petroleum Association. The results were given in the course of a lecture delivered by the Professor, at the Royal Institution, in the spring of the year 1885, and the suggestions he made as the result of several years’ study of the question were subsequently embodied in a leaflet, which the Metropolitan Board of Works, with a view to the reduction of the many accidents (some of them fatal) caused every year by lamps, has widely circulated. They are so impor¬ tant that I have reproduced them at length in Appendix A. Gas. Gas is on the whole the safest means of lighting. Almost the only danger which attaches itself to this method is that of an undetected escape, or of improper proceedings when an escape has been noticed and endeavours are being made to localise it. Whenever the organ of smell has discovered an escape, windows should immediately be thrown open at top and bottom, that the immediate danger may be avoided; the gas turned off from burners already lighted, and then the main cock at the meter should be shut. Of course no light should be brought into the place. If an examination of the burners, plugs, taps and water cups does not result in the discovery of the source of the mischief, the gas may be turned on very slightly at the meter, and, as a last resource, the windows having previously been open tor some time, a lighted taper may be run along the pipes. Electric Dangers arising from electric light wires, &c., must be care¬ lighting. f u py guarded against, especially when the arc light is employed. Fire is easily propagated by this method of lighting in several ways. As the simplest means of indicating the precautions which should be adopted, I subjoin the rules and regulations recommended by the Society of Telegraph Engineers and Electricians. They do not all apply to the risk from fire, but as they are all useful I shall be readily pardoned for inserting them in their entirety. Common Causes of Fire. 15 I.—The Dynamo Machine. 1. —The dynamo machine should be fixed in a dry place. 2. —It should not be exposed to dust or flyings. 3. —It should be kept perfectly clean and its bearings well oiled. 4. —The insulation of its coils and conductors should be practically perfect. 5. —All conductors in the dynamo room should be firmly supported, well insulated, conveniently arranged for inspection, and marked or numbered. II.— The Wires. 6. —Every switch or commutator used for turning the current on or off should be constructed so that when it is moved and left it cannot permit of a permanent arc or of heating. 7. — Every part of the circuit should be so determined that the gauge of wire to be used is properly pro¬ portioned to the currents it will have to carry, and all junctions with a smaller conductor should be fitted with a suitable safety fuse or protector, so that no portion of the conductor should ever be allowed to attain a temperature exceeding 150° F. 8. —Under ordinary circumstances complete metallic circuits should be used ; the employment of gas or water pipes as conductors for the purpose of com¬ pleting the circuit should not in any case be allowed. (I may add that it is also very unadvisable to use “ down spouts ” for this purpose). 9. —Bare wires passing over the tops of houses should never be less than seven feet clear of any part of the roof, and all wires crossing thoroughfares should invariably be high enough to allow fire escapes to pass under them. 10. —It is most essential that joints should be electrically and mechanically perfect and united by solder. 16 Fire Protection of Mansions. 11. —The position of wires when underground should be dearly indicated, and they should be laid down so as to be easily inspected and repaired. 12. —All wires used for indoor purposes should be efficiently insulated, either by being covered through¬ out with some insulating medium, or if bare, by resting on insulated supports. 13. —When these wires pass through roofs, floors, walls,or partitions, or where they cross and are liable to touch metallic masses, like iron girders or pipes, they should be thoroughly protected by suitable additional covering ; and where they are liable to abrasion from any cause, or to the depredations of rats or mice, they should be efficiently encased in some hard material. 14. —Where indoor wires are put out of sight, as beneath flooring, they should be thoroughly protected from mechanical injury, and their positions should be indicated. N.B.—The value of frequently testing the apparatus and circuits cannot be too strongly urged. The escape of electricity cannot be detected by the sense of smell, as can gas, but it can be detected by apparatus far more certain and delicate. Leakage not only means waste, but in the presence of moisture it means destruction of the conductor and its insulating covering by electric action. III. —Lamps. 15. —Arc lamps should always be guarded by proper lanterns, to prevent danger from falling incan¬ descent pieces of carbon, and from ascending sparks. The globes should be protected with wire¬ netting. 16. —The lanterns, and all parts which are to be handled should be insulated from the circuit. Common Causes of Fire. 17 IV.— Danger to Person. 17. —Where bare wire out of doors rests on insulating supports, it should be coated with insulating material, such as india-rubber tape or tube, for at least two feet on each side of the support. 18. —To secure persons from danger inside buildings, it is essential so to arrange and protect the conductors and fittings that no one can be exposed to the shocks of alternating currents of a mean electro-motive force exceeding 100 volts, or to continuous currents of 200 volts. 19. —If the difference of potential within any house exceeds 200 volts, the house should be provided with a “switch,” so arranged that the supply of electricity can be at once cut off. Kitchen boilers should be invariably fitted with a safety Kitchen valve, which should be periodically examined, especially in boilers, frosty weather. When the supply to them is taken from a cold water cistern, it should be ascertained that the valve is in order, and that the supply is free from impediment. Dis¬ astrous explosions of these boilers have frequently occurred. The manner in which new “ kitcheners ” and hot water Kitcheners, boilers are fixed is a frequent cause of fire ; the usual because the most convenient practice is to utilise some previously existing flue. The flue may have done very well for an old- fashioned kitchen grate, but with the improved “ kitchener ” the fire is more confined, and the draught greater, the flames often passing up the chimney with the roar of a blacksmith’s forge and reaching a considerable height; weak places are discovered not by the servants but by the fire, and disaster results. Perhaps the chimney has been casually examined before the new apparatus was fixed; there was no sign of exposed timber (because it has been lightly plastered over). But the furnace soon destroys the mortar, and leaves uncovered the end of a beam which has not previously been exposed; this in time chars, and is preparing for ready ignition, which i8 Fire Protection of Mansions. by-and-bye a particle of lighted fuel effects, and then comes the conflagration. Before, therefore, one of these cooking stoves is fixed, it is advisable to carry out a thorough inspection of the flue : all timber and faulty work must be removed, and the flue rebuilt with good fire-brick and clay. Fire stoves. Fire stoves should be provided with a wire guard ; the embers should not be raked out upon the hearth when retiring to rest, but left in the grate, which is the proper place for them. These guards are specially necessary in bedrooms. Linen placed to dry before a fire ought not to be left, but should be removed to a place of safety if the person in charge is leaving the room. Ashes should be allowed thoroughly to cool before they are put away. Hot air and Hot air and hot water pipes should not be fixed in water pipes. p rox j m ity to timber ; if they are, the continued heat may so char the wood as to cause it readily to ignite upon the least occasion, such as a spark coming into contact with it. If hot water pipes become unduly heated through a deficiency of water in the apparatus the risk is increased, and a fire may be looked for at any moment. Hot water pipes should therefore be fixed at least six inches from any wood work, and all timber in the vicinity of the pipes should be protected by a coating of non-inflammable paint or solution, of which there are several excellent kinds obtainable. Steam and hot water apparatus is frequently fitted up by experienced people, and so fixed as to cause little or no danger to the building ; but when some small addition or alteration is required it is not thought necessary to communi¬ cate with them, but the nearest tradesman is called in to do the work. He may, unfortunately, by want of a little know¬ ledge, or by inattention, so carry out the alteration he has to effect as to introduce a very considerable danger into the mansion, and he should not therefore be allowed to touch the pipes, except under very careful supervision. Smoking, &c., Smoking, reading, and sewing in bed, with movable lights near the curtains or hangings, it is needless to remark, are Common Causes of Fire. i9 dangerous practices ; the former especially so, because there is an additional danger in the sparks from pipe or cigar. Fires originating from this cause are very often fatal to persons in the room in which they break out. Many fires have occurred through servants and workpeople putting their pipes into the pockets of their coats before the tobacco is extinguished. Workmen at all times need careful watching, especially when it is necessary for them to light temporary fires; plumbers working upon the roof or within the house have frequently contrived to burn the whole structure to the ground. “ Spontaneous Ignition ” has been mentioned as one of the Spontaneous occasional causes of fire. The colloquial expression is “ Spon- combustlon - taneous Combustion.” A short time since Professor Abel told us there was no such thing. He was quite right, for the term implies an impossibility, and the words are mutually contradic¬ tory. What most fire brigade superintendents and insurance assessors mean by “ spontaneous combustion ” is a gradual ac¬ cumulation of heat consequent on chemical changes, involving ignition when a sufficient quantity of atmospheric oxygen ob¬ tains access to the highly heated body and the point of ignition is reached. This constitutes a very real danger, although the danger is present more in manufacturing establishments than in private residences. In the latter it has chiefly to be guarded against in the kitchen. Woollen or cotton rags, and paper, lamp black, tow, charcoal, coal, or wood ashes, and many other substances, if they have been allowed to become fouled with oil, will often ignite “ spontanously.” That is to say, the pro¬ cess that goes on is not visible, and so this expressive, though inaccurate, adjective has been applied. Superintendent Tozer, of Manchester, in a paper upon this subject, relates the following : “In one case a piece of rag not two feet square was kept in a kitchen table drawer to wipe spots off a fender ; the fender was regularly cleaned with other rags, brickdust and oil, every morning. The rag spoken of had not been used nor the drawer opened during the day. I attended the fire; it was on a summer’s evening, and there had been rain during the 20 Fire Protection of Mansions. Letter from Supt. Tozer upon Fires in Mansions. afternoon. The kitchen on my arrival was full of smoke ; neither I nor the firemen who preceded me could discover the cause for some time. I opened the table drawer, when I found the rag a charred mass.” Such fires as these are easily pre¬ vented ; they occur only when ordinary care and cleanliness are absent. Mr. Tozer, who has been for 22 years Superintendent of the Manchester Fire Department, wrote to me a short time since upon the subject I have in hand, and I have obtained his permission to print his remarks. Mr. Tozer has had much experience in the extinction of fires in mansions ; his brigade being charged with the protection of a large residential district round the city. He says :— “ I frequently think how great the pity is that so many of our fine historical old mansions are passing away by the instrumentality of that insidious tyrant fire. The fire demon, as the newspapers like to call it, is often introduced under the impression that he is going to adminster to the comfort of the inmates in the shape of heat and light. Our forefathers did with a great deal less of both than suffices for ourselves; they were, I suppose, more warm blooded, went to bed when the sun reached the horizon, and were up again with the lark in the morning. The old-fashioned fire of wood logs, in large open fireplaces, with plenty of fuel space, kept the enemy well in the front. It had no sly corners in every storey to lurk in, and could not hide under every floor, or behind skirtings, partitions, and cupboards. Now more home comforts are considered requisite, and less outdoor exercise is taken. So the gas-fitter, plumber, and carpenter have been impressed into service, and they have buried beneath the floors and other places I have just named pipes of various kinds for gas, heated air or water, or steam; in fact the whole edifice is a spider’s web of these tubes, more or less carelessly fixed ; they are, as a rule, too near the timber, they have right angle bends which concentrate the heat, defective joints covered with plaster, nails driven into gas pipes, the spaces so arranged that \ . Common Causes of Fire. 21 an escape cannot be detected for a time, until the vibration of walking or dancing causes the plaster to crack or the joints to give way. Then a scientific plumber is sent for from the village; he seeks the escape with a naked light, and finds it rather suddenly; or he leaves a small blue flame to work its destructive way for a time until it is strong enough to burst out furiously. “ I have known of many fires at mansions, the noble owners of which have never once considered the possibility of such events occurring ; the steward has fixed the amount of the insurance, and that is all the attention which has been given to the matter. The best Insurance is Care, Order, and Cleanliness. “ Artificial light and heat are indispensable, and must be obtained at any risk, but the flues which convey them are nasty, unsightly things, and must therefore be hidden away. In covering them up, it is forgotten how much danger their unseen presence involves. By-and-bye, unexpectedly, and when everyone is the least prepared for it, the cry of Fire ! is heard. Into the beautiful dwelling rushes a mob of mad headed clodhoppers; the valuable collection of centuries is torn down from the shelves, pictures cut or torn from their frames, musical instruments thrown from the windows, together with mirrors and blue china (let us hope upon the empty heads of the servants and others to remind them of their folly). Every door and window is thrown open instead of being kept closed, and the wildest excitement everywhere prevails. Then we read in the papers of the regret in the neighbourhood over the destruction of the fine old building and its priceless contents; a sort of informal inquest is held, and the usual result communicated to the world, ‘ faulty construction of a flue, escape of gas, or plumber s fire. c I 22 Fire Protectio?i of Mansions. An adequate supply of water a chiei consideration CHAPTER III. WATER SUPPLY. AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF WATER A PRINCIPAL PART OF THE FIRE ARRANGEMENTS—DESCRIPTION OF FIRE APPARATUS TO BE ADOPTED DETERMINED BY QUANTITY AND SITUA¬ TION OF THE WATER—DISASTROUS RESULT OF A SMALL DEFICIENCY—GRAVITATION-RESERVOIRS-RAIN WATER STORAGE—HYDRAULIC RAMS—WATER WHEELS—NEW PUMP¬ ING WATER WHEEL-TURBINES AND PUMPS-MECHANICAL MEANS OF DRIVING PUMPS-STEAM ENGINES-HOT-AIR ENGINES-GAS ENGINES-COMPARATIVE ECONOMY OF STEAM, HOT-AIR AND GAS ENGINES-WIND POWER—HORSE POWER PUMPS—HAND POWER PUMPS—EXTERNAL STORAGE -INTERNAL STORAGE-VALUE OF A GOOD SUPPLY OF WATER—EXTERNAL SUPPLY FROM LAKES, ORNAMENTAL WATERS, OR RUNNING STREAMS. The provision of an adequate supply of water is the chief consideration connected with fire extinguishing arrangements. It is evident that without a sufficient quantity of this but little can be done in coping with a conflagration, either by means of private appliances or by public fire brigades which may be in attendance. The water supply usually gives more trouble and causes a greater outlay than all the machinery necessary for its utilisation. The older mansions have been built for the most part without reference to the ease with which water can be brought to them ; when they are in favourable positions for this purpose, it is almost invariably the result of accident rather 'than design. New mansions are now usually placed where a good supply can be obtained without difficulty or Water Supply. 23 expense. It is a matter of great convenience and economy to build in proximity to elevated ground higher than the roof of the mansions, so that a reservoir can be placed thereon; in the absence of this natural advantage, a tower which will carry a large cistern should always form a part of the structure. The quantity and situation of the water supply govern the Question of decision of almost every question relating to the description, [je'te^mined'by size, and disposition of the fire extinguishing machinery. If quantity and there is merely enough within the house for domestic purposes, the water, but an ample quantity in lakes, ornamental waters, or streams in the grounds, it then becomes a question whether the internal supply shall be altered and increased, or whether reliance shall be placed upon steam or manual fire engines, working from the external sources. And this cannot be decided without reference to the size, height, and shape of the building, its age and the character of its interior, which together determine whether it lends itself with a reasonable amount of security to outside protection. Another considera¬ tion is the expense attached to the various systems that might be adopted. If on the other hand there is a good quantity of water, at a fair pressure, inside the house, the fitting up of the fire plant is easy and inexpensive, and if there is water in mains surrounding the building outside it may be possible by spending a few pounds upon hydrants and hose to furnish the very best possible protection without the provision of fire engines of any kind. I have known cases in which water in any quantity is not present within less than half a mile from the mansion, so that it became necessary (the owner objecting to the outlay necessary for improving the supply) to have a very powerful steam fire engine and a vast quantity of hose, the size of the engine being necessarily large in order to overcome the friction in the long stretch of pipe between the water and the mansion. I recollect attending upon one occasion at a mansion where Result of a small this was the case. There was an excellent steam fire engine, deficiency. 24 Fire Protection of Mansions. Gravitation. Reservoirs. but I found the quantity of hose there insufficient by about a hundred feet to reach from the water to the Hall. I recommended the noble owner to make good the deficiency and to keep half the hose at the engine house by the lake and half at the mansion, so that in the event of fire breaking out the brigade might commence to lay down the pipes from’ each end. Consideration of my report was postponed ; in the meantime fire did break out, and exactly what might have been anticipated occurred—the place was in ruins in a few hours. The best supply of water is undoubtedly that furnished by the power of direct gravitation. In all cases where a resi¬ dence is sufficiently near the mains of a water company to enable a connection to be made it will be found best to bring the company’s water to the house. The pipes, in order to make the water available for fire purposes, will have to be much larger than would suffice for merely a domestic supply. Pipes of any length, even the shortest, of a diameter less than 3 in., maybe considered comparatively useless for fire extinguish¬ ing. In many instances connections have been made of sufficient size for all ordinary purposes ; but when it is desired to lay fire mains through the grounds and house, it is necessary to take up all the connecting pipes and put down others of a larger size; in some cases it is found preferable to leave the existing domestic supply pipes and lay down an independent main for fire service. As I mention elsewhere, many elaborate systems of fire apparatus have been erected, which are simply useless, because the supplying pipes ore not of the proper calibre. There are, however, very few large country mansions so for¬ tunate as to be able to obtain a supply of water in this way. But many which are situate at low levels, with tolerably high hills in the vicinity, are able to procure a good supply by gravi¬ tation, without any very enormous outlay on the part of the owner. A reservoir being constructed on high ground as near as possible to the building, it is often possible to supply it by a stream or lake from some still higher level. The water may Water Supply. 25 be allowed to flow into the reservoir in an open stream, pro¬ vided no ground intervenes between the source and the inlet of the reservoir of a lower level than the latter; even in this case a short aqueduct may get over the difficulty. If not it will be necessary to take the water to the reservoir in an enclosed pipe, which may be laid at a little distance beneath the ground and follow the undulations of the surface, always taking care that no part is placed above the level of the intervening source or of any portion of the channel which is left exposed. Streams and springs, such as I have mentioned, are frequently found in the North and West of England, in Wales and in Scotland, where there is a large rainfall, and the rock surfaces are almost impermeable; but in the eastern and southern districts, where the geological formation is not so favourable, these streams are much more rare. As an instance in which this arrangement has been successfully carried out, I may mention the Earl of Kenmare’s new residence at Killarney. To quote the words of Mr. W. E. Rich’s paper, recently read before the Society of Arts, “ It is supplied from springs about one mile and three “ quarters distant. They yield about 15,000 gallons per day, “ and are collected in a covered reservoir holding 30,000 “gallons, and situated at an elevation of no feet above the “house floor; the water is conveyed thence to the house in a “ four-inch cast iron pipe, which bifurcates into fire-mains and “ service-pipes for drawing water direct all over the establish- “ ment.” On high ground, if water is very scarce, rain water storage will at least partially meet the requirements of the case; in some parts of the country the rainfall may be sufficient for all purposes. An artificial gathering ground may be necessary. Mr. Rich mentions an instance of a large gathering ground at Ashton Court, near Bristol, the residence of Sir Greville Smyth ; here a half acre plot of sloping ground near the summit of a hill behind the house is covered with a floor of impervious concrete with surface gutters for conveying any water falling on it to a 40,000 gallon covered reservoir below. For every inch ofrain- Rain water storage. 26 Fire Protection of Mansions. Artificial means. Hydraulic rams. fall upon this area, about 8,000 to 10,000 gallons of water should be delivered into the reservoir. Should it not be possible to fill the reservoir with water from a higher level, artificial means must be employed for raising it from a lower level, or from below the surface. There are many ways in which this may be done, and to the end that the most efficient and economical means may be selected, it is always advisable to obtain the advice of a competent engineer. If there is a running stream at a lower level than the reservoir the hydraulic ram may be brought into service. In situations where a limited supply of water is available, and a good fall can be obtained, this is very frequently employed with good results. It is a perfectly self-acting machine, and when once started needs no attendance whatever, that is, pro¬ viding the ram is a good one, and has been properly fixed, and the supply water is kept well clear of floating matter and grit. Too great care cannot be taken in the fixing of a ram, and without speaking disparagingly of local mechanics, I would here remark that it is always better in the end to have it fixed by the maker, leaving it to his discretion to use the proper pipes and fittings ; or at least, if it is fixed by a local tradesman, to stipulate that the supply pipe should be obtained with the ram, otherwise there is a danger of his using lighter and cheaper pipes than are requisite for the purpose. Fall pipes especially should be made of twice the ordinary thickness. A leak in the drive pipe is a constant source of trouble and annoyance, and its position is difficult to detect, therefore a little extra outlay in the first cost is well repaid. In many cases, where a ram might be employed with much advantage, its use is thought to be impracticable on the ground that a dam is not admissible in the stream available for working it. In such instances the difficulty may be frequently over¬ come by carrying the water alongside the stream in an open channel or pipe drain. The machine may be placed at any position in the length of the channel as may be most con¬ venient. Water Supply. 27 When it is thought possible to utilise a fall of water in any given position, the particulars mentioned below must be taken into consideration before it can be determined whether a ram would be suitable for the proposed installation, and also in order to decide upon the size which should be used :— 1. —Quantity of water at command in gallons per minute. 2. —The greatest fall that can be obtained by damming up the stream or spring. 3. —Perpendicular height to which the water must be forced. 4. —Distance measured along the surface from fall to place of delivery. 5. —Approximate quantity of water required. The working of the ram may be described as follows :— The water is conducted to the machine by the drive pipe, and escapes at the valve at the end of the ram until it has gained sufficient velocity to close the same. The flow of water, being thus suddenly checked at this outlet, however, tends to advance by its own momentum, and a portion of it is forced through a valve into the air vessel, compressing the air contained therein. The compressed air re-acts upon the water and forces it up the rising main. At this period of re-action the valve in the air chamber closes, and the water in the drive pipe being dormant the escape valve again opens, and the action is re-commenced. The air in the air-vessel, as in common pumps, is gradually absorbed by the water passing through it, and to keep up the supply a sniff or relief valve is fixed, so that at each stroke of the ram a portion of air is conveyed with the water into the air-vessel. The water from the ram is usually delivered into a tank or reservoir placed at an elevation, so that it can be led by pipes to the_various places where it is wanted, and thus enable a constant supply to be maintained. In some cases it is found that the water at command is not sufficient to work a ram continuously. For such instances an 28 Fire Protection of Mansions. Water wheels. apparatus has been designed which allows the ram to be worked at any desired interval, and being perfectly self-acting it can always be relied upon. It can be applied to existing rams if necessary. It is possible by the use of a ram worked by impure water to obtain a supply of pure water, for potable and other purposes. These rams are specially constructed, and are more expensive than the ordinary kind, but are equally self-acting. The pure water is generally obtained from a well some few feet deep sunk near the ram, into which the water filters from the supply or waste water used in driving the ram, or from some other natural source. The water is pumped from the well by the ram, and is forced through pipes to the point of delivery. This has given the name of “ Pumping Rams ” to machines of this class, and they are found to be very useful. I have given full particulars of these machines, because I know of many which havebeen fixed in unsuitable situations, or which from one cause or another are not working satisfactorily. A good ram properly fixed in a suitable position is one of the most efficient water raisers it is possible to employ. It must be borne in mind that to make water power avail¬ able in this way, or in any other, a material volume and a material fall are necessary. The efficiency of the hydraulic ram averages about 60 per cent., but taking 50 per cent., which is a perfectly safe calculation, the duty it will perform is as follows :—'Suppose a fall of ten feet and a quantity of „ . . ... 100 x 10 100 gallons per minute, the ram will raise - x 4 100 * = 5 gallons per minute or 7,20ogallons in 24 hours. Ofcourse the ram works continuously night and day, supposing the supply to be constant. It may be said roughly that the ram raises one-twentieth the quantity of water which passes through it, ten times the height of the fall. Water power may be utilised also to drive water wheels in situations where sufficient fall in proportion to the lift cannot be obtained to ensure the satisfactory action of a ram. This Water Supply. 29 is frequently the case where a watercourse in a valley furnishes the motive power, and although the supply of water is ample, a small fall only can be obtained. Usually a set of three-throw pumps is driven by gearing from the wheel shaft. An overshot wheel is more efficient than an undershot wheel, but the latter is very convenient for utilising low falls; some will work with falls as low as one toot only. A patent double acting pumping water wheel has lately been New pumping introduced, and has been fixed on many estates with success. water whee] - I am now fixing these machines in several places, amongst others at railway stations on the Maidstone and Ashford Railway. This wheel possesses the same advantage as the pumping ram in the matter of supplying clear water when the stream is turbid, owing to rain or other cause, or where the water is impure. In such cases the pump is arranged to draw its supply from a well, into which the water from the stream percolates through the surrounding soil, or if that is unsuitable through a bed of gravel interposed between the well and the stream. It is thus naturally filtered and delivered quite clear, for domestic as well as for fire purposes. The wheel is somewhat better to manage, and is not so complicated as the pumping ram, and costs very little in repairs. The standard wheel of this class is 3 ft. in diameter and 1 ft. wide. The buckets, shrouding, arms, and bosses are all cast in one piece complete, a chef cTceuvre of the founder’s art which never fails to attract attention. The whole is galvanised to prevent rusting, and it is thus practically everlasting. It is fitted on a substantial frame. The wheel is fitted with one or two pumps as may be required, which are constructed of gumnetal, fitted with phosphor bronze valves, and are of the piston and plunger type, which only require two valves instead of the four which are required in the more ordinary form of double acting pumps. These wheels have been made up to 1 oft. in diameter, cast in three parts. Turbine pumps. 30 Fire Protection of Mansions. It is advisable, if possible, to have 5 ft. fall for a wheel 3 ft. in diameter, but it will work satisfactorily with rather less if this cannot be obtained. and The turbine as a water motor is not generally familiar, and is therefore but little used for pumping purposes, although in some instances it is by far the most suitable appliance that can be adopted, especially in districts where floods are prevalent. The rising of the tail water does not affect the working of a turbine, except in so far as the available head of water is reduced, the power evolved, of course, being also reduced in proportion. A turbine wheel can be set in an open well; where it is admissible, this is the best and least expensive method that can be adopted. The water is led to the outside of a turbine house by an open channel, and then passes through the intake, which is of brickwork, and contains a wrought iron bar strainer to prevent floating matter entering the well. A pipe fitted with a flap valve admits the water to the well, which, after passing through the turbine, is led away either by an open channel, brick culvert, or by whatever means may be the most convenient. The turbine drives a pair of ever charged pumps, the gear¬ ing, &c., being carried by an elegant cast iron framework, which with the pumps is bolted down to a cast iron floor plate covering the wells, provided with a manhole and cover. The air vessel is separate, and both pumps deliver into it. The regulating spindle of the turbine terminates with a hand-wheel, which is conveniently placed for stopping and starting the turbine. This arrangement is very compact and self-contained, and is capable of dealing with large quantities of water. Turbines can be made in all sizes suitable for any height of fall; they can be used for falls of one or two hundred feet, as well as for those of two feet. “A twenty-horse power turbine on a hundred feet fall,’’ Water Supply. 31 says Mr. Rich, “would only be about the size of a dinner plate.” I would remark that too great care cannot be taken in deciding on what is the best means to adopt for utilising an available supply of water. It is a question in which one is very apt to be misled, and amateur engineers advocate the use of a ram, pumping, water-wheel, or turbine, without paying the slightest regard to the conditions under which the machine has to act, and which ought to govern the choice. The best way is to give full particulars of the site and requirements to some well-known maker of water raising machinery, and leave it to him to decide on the most suitable appliance for the purpose. Pumping machinery can be driven in many different ways Mechanical mechanically ; by steam, hot-air, or gas engines, or by wind, means of driving pumps horse or manual power. Pumps themselves, as Mr. Colyer in his work upon Pumping Machinery observes, are frequently made in a very indifferent manner by “pump makers;” engineers, with the exception of fire engine makers, do not care to have much to do with them owing to the unfair position they are placed in by the manufacturers of the nasty and cheap. “ The use of inferior pumps is very false economy, as the bad results they give in working, and consequent loss, much more than counterbalance the first cost of really good and well- made apparatus.” It is always desirable in order to avoid incessant “ breakdowns,” and loss and danger therefrom, to insist that first-class pumping machinery only is fitted up. Steam driving engines are so well known that it would be steam waste of space to make any remarks about them, except to say en § mes - that “ cheap ” engines like “ cheap ” pumps are always to be avoided. They are invariably unreliable machines, wasteful in fuel, and as a rule cause great trouble, expense, and inconveni¬ ence, by incessantly breaking down. Steam engines are in my opinion to be preferred to any other kind of mechanical power for driving pumps, whenever large quantities of water have to 32 Fire Protection of Mansions. be raised. They can frequently be arranged to perform other duties also upon an estate, such as driving farm machinery, sawing machinery, &c. Hot air Hot-air engines are simple and inexpensive machines ; although used somewhat extensively for the purpose, the principle on which they are constructed is still novel to many persons. To the non-mechanical, the hot-air engine looks like an ordinary horizontal engine of a short stroke, but with a cylinder of rather larger diameter. It is, however, an engine without a boiler and without steam, the cylinder having to play the part of the former and the air in it the part of the latter. The end of the cylinder is built in a slow combustion furnace, which requires attention about two or three times a day. As the cylinder becomes heated—it finally attains a dull red heat—the air in it expands, and the piston is forced out and works the crank, in the manner of an ordinary steam engine. The expanded air now requires to be cooled. This is accomplished by a smaller piston called the displacer, which, being forced into the air space by means of a crank action, drives the hot air to the front end of the cylinder, where it is cooled by a surrounding jacket of cold water. The ensuing contraction produces a partial vacuum, which assists in send¬ ing back the larger piston to its original position, so obtaining the'return stroke. The alternate expansions and contractions take place in a much shorter time than would be imagined ; a model has been made in which the operations are accom¬ plished a thousand times per minute. Gas engines. The gas engine is another useful motor for pumping pur¬ poses. The principle of these machines is too well known to render description necessary ; they are now made to run with the smoothness and regularity of speed of a steam engine ; they have- few working parts, and they possess the great advantage of starting at full power immediately the gas is lighted ; they require no boiler or furnace, and need little in the way of repairs and renewals. In a recent number of the Engineer I find an account of Water Supply. 33 some experiments undertaken in America for the purpose of testing the relative commercial efficiency of the steam, hot-air, Comparative and gas engine. The experiments were made with engines stearr^hot-air indicating eight-horse power actual. The cost of one-horse and gas power per hour, including fuel, water, lubrication, attendance, depreciation, and interest, is given at 3^ cents for the steam engine, 4 cents for the hot-air engine, and 8f cents for the gas engine; the price of the gas being calculated at ten shillings per 1,000 cubic feet! If the gas is charged at three shillings per thousand, the cost will be almost exactly the same as that of the steam engine. I am inclined to attach but little value to these experiments, and I think there is no doubt that the cost of running these motors under like circumstances is about the same in each case. It is occasionally possible to utilise wind power ; but in this Wind power, country wind is a very uncertain agent, and I think that on the whole it will be found most satisfactory to ignore it altogether in connection with constant supplies of water for any purpose. Many excellent designs of wind mills for raising water are obtainable; American machines are deservedly held in some repute, but their best features have been adopted by English manufacturers. Horse power may be employed under some circumstances, Horse-power but it is not recommended either in respect of its economy or pumps ‘ its results. A horse will raise on an average about 600 gallons per hour to a height of 100 feet; thus, working seven hours a day, 4,200 gallons would be pumped, and it would require a week’s work to fill a 25,000 gallon cistern, which is not a very large one for fire purposes. Mules and donkeys are similarly used, and considering the low cost of feeding them, their work is probably much cheaper than horse labour. When a horse is employed it should be harnessed to an ordinary horse-pole, and should tread a circular path about 24 feet in diameter. It should drive a three-throw pump, and should walk at a pace of about two and a-half miles per hour. TT , x -Hand-power Hand power pumps are very commonly used for the pumps. 34 Fire Protection of Mansions. External storage. domestic supply of smaller residences; but they are of little value anywhere for fire purposes, and even for the household supply in large mansions they are ill adapted, the quantity of water daily required for modern sanitary apparatus being much larger than a handpump will provide economically. A man will raise, as an average quantity, sixty gallons per hour to the height of a hundred feet; so that two men working together would hardly raise a thousand gallons in a day of eight hours. It is evident therefore that hand- pumps are not worth considering as a possible means of raising the quantity of water necessary for efficient fire service. As an important factor in a gravitation system underground reservoirs claim a word of notice. They are usually made of bricks or stone built in Portland cement or hydraulic lime mortar, and covered over with stone slabs or arches of masonry. The bottom should as a rule be formed with inverted arches, with or without a bed of concrete under, or with con¬ crete alone, according to the nature of the ground. The sides and bottom of the reservoir should be rendered in Portland cement well trowelled, and if there is any danger of surface water penetrating the walls, they should be backed in well worked clay puddle, at least 12m. thick, precautions being taken, if the tank is covered by an arch, to prevent the side walls, if thin, from being thrust outwards against the soft clay. On the other hand it is often desirable to introduce one or more transverse division wall in cases where the ground is likely to exercise a thrust inwards. In building a tank it is of primary importance to prevent unequal settlement, or any movement of the walls that would cause leakage. Under¬ ground reservoirs should be constructed in two or more com¬ partments, to admit of their being cleaned without interfering with the water supply. Each tank should have a man hole ; also an inlet, outlet, and overflow pipe. A covering of 12m. to 1 Sin. of sand or earth will keep the water cool in summer, and prevent it from freezing in winter. All covered tanks Water Supply. 35 should be properly ventilated. Where height is desirable they should be made circular. The pipes from a spring to the reservoir may be comparatively small; but from the reservoir to the mansion larger pipes are necessary; four inch or six inch are usual sizes, and the former should be considered a minimum. The water being brought by gravitation power or by pump- Internal ing to the house, it should be circulated in mains surrounding ,torage ' the mansion, having hydrants at suitable distances for throw¬ ing water upon a fire from the outside, and a connection should be made, with pipes leading into the mansion, and taken up a stairway, lift or light well, or in the most con¬ venient manner possible, to a tank on the roof or on a tower of the building. In a subsequent chapter upon fire apparatus I shall mention particularly how this tank should be constructed. Cast iron tanks are best wherever they can be used, but if on account of weight it is not possible to adopt them lead-lined wood cisterns or galvanised wrought iron may be employed. It is veiy desirable to have different cisterns for the domestic and fire supplies in order to avoid any chance of the tank being empty on an alarm of fire being given. When fixing tanks I always advise the fitting up of a tell-tale arrangement with a dial face in the steward or butler’s room, by means of which it can be seen at a glance whether the fire tank is full or not. A good supply of water is most valuable in a house, and in Value of a a large mansion there is scarcely an end to the services it may of^ a te r Pply be made to perform. Apart from ordinary domestic duties, it can work coal, luggage, or “ passenger ” lifts; it is by far the best, almost the only available auxiliary in sanitary matters; and there is no reason why it should not turn the spit in the kitchen, the lathe in the workshop of the clerk of works, the grindstone and circular saw in the carpenter’s shop, and blow the organ. The quantity of water it is advisable to provide for any house may be stated at fifty gallons daily per head of its inmates, the same quantity for each horse in the 3 ^ Fire Protection of Mansions. External supply from lakes, ornamental waters, or running streams. stable, five hundred gallons for each acre of garden; and according to the size of the mansion, from twenty to a hundred thousand gallons always in the tanks for fire purposes. If there is a lake, ornamental water, or running stream in the grounds at a reasonable distance from the house it is probably easy, without carrying out any very expensive works, to do something towards adapting it to fire purposes. Should the water be quite close to the house it is only necessary to see that a convenient spot is prepared for the private engine and for the engines belonging to any public brigade that may attend to get readily to work. If there is a pond, the bottom of which slopes very gradually towards the centre, a place near the edge should be deepened so as to give a depth of water at the margin of two or three feet, which will enable the fire engines to take suction much more readily. I have frequently been at fires where this operation has had to be carried out with spades and shovels, whilst the fire was blazing away and the engines stood idly by. It may be remarked that there is a great advantage in all surface drainage being taken into the pond, especially when the supply is limited or sunken tanks are used. Water thrown on a fire and not absorbed by the heat would then find its way back into the receptacle and might be used over again, waste being entirely prevented. Suppose, again, the water is ample in quantity, but is situate fifteen hundred or two thousand feet distant from the mansion. A steam fire engine working at the water side would exhaust a large portion of its power in overcoming the friction in tin hose. In this case it is desirable to lead the water by a pipe, four or five inches in diameter, to a covered tank sunk in the ground near the mansion; the supply to this reservoir is easily regulated by means of a ball cock or command valve. The plan is carried out on many estates with good results, as at Taymouth Castle (see Chapter VI.). The same engine, which, working fifty feet from the seat of the fire, would throw half a dozen large streams with good force upon it, working fifteen hundred feet would throw only two streams. If a manual Water Supply. 37 engine worked by 30 men were placed at the greater distance, it would throw only a very small stream upon the fire with any force ; but working from the reservoir close to the mansion it would give two or even three excellent jets. The plan also effects a great saving in cost, and a saving of time in getting to work at a fire ; the latter is of course a consideration of the greatest importance. Whatever tends to reduce the length of single lines of hose at fires is very advantageous. D 38 Fire Protection of Mansions. Unsuitable apparatus common in public and private buildings. CHAPTER IV. UNSUITABLE AND DEFECTIVE FIRE APPARATUS. UNSUITABLE APPARATUS COMMON IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BUILDINGS—PLUMBERS’ FIRE PROTECTION-DEFECTIVE APPARATUS AT A FIFESHIRE CASTLE-CAUSE OF DEFECT -REMEDY APPLIED -RESULT OF THE ALTERATIONS- ANOTHER INSTANCE-DEFECT AND REMEDY-DEFFCTIVE SYSTEMS —ERRORS IN DETAIL—IN FIRE VALVES-HOSE- BRANCHPIPES AND NOZZLES-LETTER IN THE “ FIREMAN ” —NARROW ESCAPE OF THE MANSION AT BLACKMORE PARK — ABSURD AND USELESS FIRE APPARATUS - REDUCTIONS IN INSURANCE PREMIUMS—HAND GRENADES —CONTENTS OF THE GRENADES - CHEMICAL FIRE EXTINGUISHING COMPOUNDS-PHYSICING THE FIRE FIEND —PRACTICAL EXHIBITIONS—A CURIOUS FIRE APPLIANCE —A PRIVATE EXPERIMENT •— PUBLIC FIRE BRIGADE PRACTICE. When inspecting the fire arrangements of both public and private buildings, I have very frequently been shown a great deal of costly machinery, quite unsuitable for the purpose it was intended to serve. In the majority of cases this has been procured at the instigation of some inexperienced person; usually by the advice of a plumber or builder, acquainted with fire protective appliances only as one of the occasional incidents of his business. Sometimes, with more success, recourse has been had to the local fire brigade superintendent. This gentle¬ man is probably very well acquainted with the drilling of his men, and the manipulation of his apparatus at fires ; but he is not always competent to deal with matters which belong ex¬ clusively t-tus an elaborate system of hydrants and pumps, which must have Castle, cost at least' three times as much as was necessary; but it was all quite useless, in consequence ot the perpetration of a piece of stupidity in connection with the water supply. There was a reservoir about five miles distant, at a great height, and capable therefore of supplying a splendid pressure of water; it was quite four times the height of the topmost part of the castle turret. The water was conveyed some distance by a 6-inch main, which decreased to a 3-inch main ; the 3-inch pipes took down the water to supply a village in a valley about 50 feet below the castle level; but the pipes to the castle itself were only i| inches in diameter, and the consequence was that Cause of when I had a hose attached to one of the castle hydrants, a Lhe defect - small jet of no force squirted up to the first floor windows. The pipe was not large enough to give a sufficient quantity, and the jet would therefore have been of no use whatever for fire extinguishing purposes : whereas, with pipes of the proper size, a dozen powerful jets could easily have been sent a hundred feet above the turret. In connection with this i^-inch pipe, other pipes were carried to cisterns at various elevations inside the building, and from these again more pipes were taken 40 Fire Protection of Mansions. Remedy applied. Result of the alterations. Another instance. Defect and remedy. to all parts of it, with hydrants in various positions; but all were so small that not one would give a stream sufficiently powerful to quench a fire which had obtained a hold upon the place. In this instance the remedy fortunately was very simple. I first traced out the 6-inch main, and fixed upon a point for an intercepting reservoir, at a height which gave about 150 lbs. pressure at the Castle. By a simple valve com¬ bination the flow of water for the village was arranged so- that it did not interfere either with the quantity or pressure available at the Castle in case of fire. This reservoir was about half-a-mile from the Castle, and from it I directed 5-inch pipes to be laid. They were brought up to the grounds, and continued round the building with hydrants at convenient positions. The result was that at the test I made on completion of these alterations, the clerk of works and other capable servants assisting, within two minutes from the alarm being sounded six large streams of water were poured with great force upon the spot where the fire was supposed to be raging. All the apparatus previously fixed was utilised, of course at some considerable outlay, and the old effete system was rendered useful and complete. But a great deal of money would have been saved had the work been properly done at first; and at any time before my visit the Castle might have been gutted without the smallest chance of a “stop” being effected by the inmates. There was an exactly similar defect in the water arrange¬ ments at another large residence I visited ; a reservoir was situated two miles distant, but the pipes to the house were again not of sufficient capacity. In addition there were six junctions to the pipes, which carried water to lower levels before reaching the mansion. Hence the quantity and pressure were both deficient. In this case I found it best to adopt another method of remedying the defect. Indoor hydrants were fixed in the passages upon each floor, con¬ nected to pipes which led from a tank on the roof. The Unsuitable and Defective Fire Apparatus. 41 supply in this tank would be sufficient to keep any ordinary fire in check, until the supply in the reservoir could be brought into service, and in order to utilise it as well as possible a sufficiency of small hand fire pumps was provided. To bring into action the supply of water stored in the reservoir, I fixed at each of the junctions with the mains, which carried off the water to the lower districts, a valve, which could be instantly shut down. The men about the stables were drilled to gallop off immediately upon an alarm being given to shut off these junction cocks, all of which could be closed in ten minutes, and the entire supply was then turned into mains, which were connected with hydrants laid outside the building. Defective systems are common enough, especially in cases Defective where the owner is unable personally to give attention to the s y stems ’ matter. I consider also any system to be comparatively defective which is not the best that could possibly be adopted for any particular mansion or estate, and I have frequently noticed that the expense of fitting up faulty systems must have been largely in excess of what would have been incurred had the correct thing been done. I will suppose, however, that the best system of fire protec- m tion has been adopted, there come in then many little matters of detail, which if neglected through ignorance or prejudice may vitiate the very best system, and render the whole useless when a fire actually occurs. I will take indoor appliances only. One would imagine there could be little variation in the simple iron pipe with its hydrant, length of hose, copper nozzle, and spanner; the fact is that large numbers of buildings, even in the heart of the City of London, are fitted up with apparatus of this class, more worthy of the days of Tubal-cain than of the nineteenth century. To begin with fire hydrants. I notice in the catalogue of Fire valves, a single manufacturer two hydrants of quite different con¬ struction, one of them quite right, and the other quite wrong in detail. The first is probably the hydrant the manufacturers 42 Fire Protection of Mansions. / Hose. would recommend. The pressure of the water when the hydrant is fixed is underneath the valve, so that the pressure does not act on the gland packing; there is therefore no continual leaking through the soft packing, and the packing, itself may be renewed without shutting off the water from the main. The water being excluded from the body of the valve is not liable to freeze. The pressure being underneath,, it assists the valve to rise from its seat when the screw is- slackened, so that the hydrant is rapidly opened upon an emergency. This hydrant is such an one as an engineer would make and fix; and its advantages are so well under¬ stood that all the best service cocks in houses, steam stop valves, ground hydrant valves, &c., &c., are made upon the same principle. The second is a fire hydrant, in every respect the opposite of the above. When fixed, the body is always full of water ; it is therefore readily damaged by frost. The pressure being continually on the gland packing, the water gradually soaks through and drips. If the gland has to be repacked the firemain must be first emptied. When the hydrant is to be used, it is necessary to use considerable force to open the valve against the pressure upon it; this is a serious objection,, for the safety of valuable property and many lives may depend upon the ability of some servant girl to bring the apparatus to bear upon a fire at the first moment of its inception. These objections are so well known to engineers that they never, unless compelled to do so, supply a valve for any purpose constructed upon such principles. Starting from the hydrant, I come next to the hose. Good hose of any kind is always reliable, but there is a best kind as well as a best quality. The most durable and serviceable hose is that made of leather; but indoors, it is often necessary to have it waterproof and clean, and the only description of hoge to which these adjectives can be applied is that made - of canvas and lined with rubber. There is a most extraordinary quantity of worthless canvas rubber lined hose in London. Unsuitable and Defective Fire Apparatus. 43 I lately saw a couple of lengths which were some two years old, and had never done any more arduous duty than hanging in the corridors of an hotel, where the even temperature and favourable atmospheric conditions should have preserved them for generations. Noticing some ugly symptoms in their inside, I asked if they had ever had water through, and was told no; the proprietor would have them tested at once. I advised him to carry out the test upon the external hydrants, in mercy to his walls and ceilings, and it was well he did so, for at forty-eight pounds pressure both lengths burst badly. It is almost impossible for the most experienced fireman to detect shoddy in well got up worthless hose of this kind, and that is one sufficient reason why rubber lined hose should always be avoided unless it is absolutely necessary to have waterproof hose. Good plain canvas, hand woven, is much better; it is less liable to deterioration, and may be relied upon, at least for a time. Good leather hose, properly attended to, always keeps its good qualities; in fact, it improves with age, and only want of care or very hard work will cause it to fail; and then repair is easy and inexpensive. A frequent fault in connection with fire hydrants and hose anc i noz "ii^. eS supplied by plumbers and builders is this—the couplings are screwed to a very fine thread with, a knife edge; the slightest blow upon the outlet of the hydrant will cause such damage as to render it impossible to connect the two. Often the hose screws scarcely pretend to be threaded to the same pitch as the hydrants; this defect, of course, brings about the same result. Even the copper branchpipe may be, and often is, made wrongly, and there are so many ways in which the nozzle may be made, so as to give the very least possible duty, that I am well within the mark in saying that fully one half of those now in use are made upon vicious principles; the size of the discharge orifice is also frequently determined without the smallest consideration to the quantity and pressure of the water available, by which, of course, it ought always to be determined. 44 Fire Protection of Mansions. Letter in the “ Fireman. Narrow escape of the mansion at Blackmore Park. Absurd and useless fire apparatus. Some curious examples of the way in which defective and useless apparatus has been introduced into large buildings are given by a writer in the Fireman , page 201, April, 1883. They are worth reproduction. The writer says :— “ One or two instances have recently been brought to my knowledge which show the utter absurdity of entrusting people without a proper knowledge with the arrangements upon which the safety of valuable property depends at an outbreak of fire “ There was an ancient and splendid mansion at Blackmore Park, belonging to one of the oldest of our old English Catholic families. Some three years ago this was the scene of an immense conflagration. The work of re- construction was proceeded with in due course, and the family were to re-occupy it early in the month of February last. When the mansion was in course of re-building, a local engineer was entrusted with the fire protective arrangements. “ A few hours before the family were to take up their resi¬ dence the mansion was again discovered to be on fire. There¬ upon recourse was had to the hydrants fixed on the different floors by the engineer just mentioned. Not one of them could be brought into use. The first one tried was found to have its cap secured in such a way that disconnection was impossible. The entire body of the second was unscrewed in the endeavour to take off the cap, and, as a matter of fact, no part of the fire apparatus was in such a condition as to enable a jet to be brought to bear upon the flames. Fortunately the servants were able to keep the fire in check by means of water cans and buckets, and upon the arrival of the Upton and Malvern Fire Brigades danger was found to be at an end. But the mansion undoubtedly escaped by the skin of its teeth. “ I might multiply many instances of the most absurd and utterly useless fire apparatus, which from time to time has been brought to my notice, usually fitted up by gas engineers or plumbers, who have bought the hose and fittings from fire engine makers, charged a good profit thereon, and contrived Unsuitable and Defective Fire Apparatus. 45 the water supply arrangements themselves. The following, however, will suffice :— I. —Elaborate fire hydrants and hose throughout a build¬ ing with a maximum water pressure of 15 lbs. per square inch, where a much less expensive arrange¬ ment would have secured 7olbs. In this instance the nozzles were large enough for a steam fire engine stream. II. —Hydrants fixed beyond the reach of the water pressure altogether. III. —A score of cases in which the hose couplings were quite a different thread from the hydrants, and could not possibly be coupled on to them. IV. —Six hydrants, each with two lengths of hose, and one branch pipe (which did not fit) to the whole. V. —Fire cocks, with no hose whatever. The building referred to is a school in the E.C. district; there has never been any hose, and the managers, having taken the matter into consideration, called in their plumber, and, on that gentleman’s instigation, decided it was not necessary, as the brigade’s hose could be used. An utter fallacy, as no hose in the brigade would fit these cocks. “ I believe insurance companies are now allowing large reductions from their premiums in cases where proper pro¬ tection from fire is provided. Their surveyor should see that proper protection is provided; for much of the apparatus I have seen, which purports to be for the purpose, would be exactly as much use as no apparatus at all if a fire broke out. The only way in which to secure appliances really valuable is to call in some firm or person who makes such work a speciality, and has experience in it. It is also a much less costly proceeding, for in the long run it always has to be done, sooner or later, and a double expense incurred. This has been the case within the last few weeks at the Reform Club, where some apparatus, fixed by a firm of hot- Reductions Insurance premiums. 46 Fire Protection of Mansions. lades. tents of Grenades. water engineers, was found practically next to useless; at the Bank of Montreal, where the builders had the matter in hand ; and at many others I could name, if I thought, Mr. Editor, your patience would hold out while I told the story. I fear, however, from past experience, it will not, so these must for the present suffice.” Whilst I am on the subject of defective apparatus it may be as well to say a word or two concerning hand grenades, and other patent contrivances of which 1 there have been a very large number placed in the market during the last few years. They consist of a great variety of compounds in bottles, canisters, tubes, or packages of one kind and another. The most widely advertised are the hand grenades. According to The Engineer a number of German savants have been recently engaged in investigations into the manufacture of these new weapons against fire, and it may be interesting to put on record what the contents of the bottles really are. One of the first grenades put on the market was found to contain some free carbonic acid gas—under feeble pressure—a considerable sediment of carbonate or bi-carbonate of soda, and a liquid containing in solution common salt and chloride of ammonium, also some sulphate of ammonium. Since this was made, how¬ ever, the composition has been simplified, and Dr. Geissler has made the following three analyses :—In another hand grenade the bottle was found to contain a yellowish, slightly turbid, aqueous liquid, containing in solution 15*7 per cent, of chloride of calcium, and 5‘6 per cent, of chloride of mag¬ nesium, with the usual impurities of crude salt. The contents weighed 760 grammes (450 grammes= ilb.) In a third hand grenade the contents weighed 555 grammes. This was a yellowish, somewhat turbid, aqueous liquid, containing in solution 19 46 per cent, of common salt, and 8*88 per cent, of chloride of ammonium. In the last grenade examined the contents weighed 440 grammes, and was a slightly turbid, almost colourless liquid, containing r66 percent, of carbonate of soda, and 6*43 per cent, of common salt. Unsuitable and Defective Fire Apparatus. 47 In connection with this subject two formulae are given in Chemical the Pharmac Ccntralhalle by Dr. Eng. Dietrich. Both com- extinguishing pounds are intended to extinguish fire, one by withdrawing or compounds, consuming the oxygen, the other by coating the combustible objects with a protecting crust. The former, or “ dry fire extinguisher,” is made as follows :—Nitrate of potassium, pow¬ dered, 59 parts; sulphur, powdered, 36 parts; charcoal, powdered, 4 parts; and colcothar, 1 part. These are dried thoroughly, and then mixed, and fitted into pasteboard boxes, each holding about 51b. Through an orifice in the side a fuse or quick match is fixed, which extends some 4 inches inwards and 6 inches outwards, and fastened on the outside. These extinguishers are intended for closed rooms, and are said to act automatically. The liquid fire extinguisher is made of chloride of calcium, crude, 20 parts; common salt, 5 parts; and water, 7 5 parts. . This solution can be thrown into the fire by a handpump, or in ordinary bottles. The burning portions become incrusted and cease to be combustible. With these receipts persons could very well make their own solutions and keep them in convenient places, together with handpumps for projecting the liquid. But I have very little belief in attempts to dose and physic Physicing the the Fire Fiend. He should be knocked out with a good jet fire fiend ’ of water, and nothing else will effectively control him when he is really in earnest. Small fires no doubt can be extinguished by any one of those contrivances, but fires which are not strong enough to withstand them could be equally well put out with a pint of water. The practical exhibitions which are usually Practical supposed to establish the efficiency of the appliances are in exllllnt ions. reality very deceptive. The fires are for the most part built up with wood saturated with paraffin, tar or something of the sort: the wood acts merely as a wick, and if the fire is not protected from the wind, it would very likely be blown out like a candle. It is not an uncommon thing for such fires to go out of themselves. After they have been extinguished, if the timber used is taken up and examined it will be found that it is scarcely charred 48 Fire Protection of Mansions. A Curious fire appliance. A private experiment Public fire brigade practice. below the surface, and as a matter of fact has never been thoroughly alight: there is a great body of flrme, and the fire seems to be roaring very fiercely, but the appearances are quite deceptive to the uninitiated onlooker. On one occasion, after a trial of the kind, Mr. Uriah A. Boyden, the inventor of the turbine which bears his name, demonstrated how easy it was to put out such fires in the very simplest way. The spectators who had been admiring the efficiency of the .patented contri¬ vance were astonished and highly amused when Mr. Boyden shewed them that a fire could still more easily be extinguished by means of a mop dipped in a bucket of water. Wishing to have a little experiment on my own account, some few months ago I invested i is. 3d. in three hand grenades, at 45s. per dozen. I then built two fires in my garden upon precisely the same lines. These two fires being lighted at exactly the same moment, a friend who believed in grenades threw one of them on to the fire whilst I screwed a champagne tap into a bottle of soda water (cost 2d). My fire was extin¬ guished by the bottle jet with two bottles of soda, whilst my friend expended his three grenades upon his fire and then left it smouldering. The only real criterion of the value of fire appliances is to be found in the practice of Fire Brigades in large towns, such as London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham. These depend entirely on the ordinary fire apparatus, no such articles as hand grenades, chemical extinctors, or anything of the kind being found in them. This fact is not to be pressed unduly against these articles for private use, as private apparatus is brought into action under somewhat different conditions ; its significance, however, need not be lost sight of. No objection can be taken to anything of the kind when its object is merely to supplement the ordinary appliances—even if valueless it does no harm. But it is the cause of mischief when it is relied upon as the only or even the chief means of fire protection. Fire Apparatus. CHAPTER V. i FIRE APPARATUS. APPARATUS SHOULD BE SUITABLE FOR THE BUILDING— * INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL APPLIANCES—FI REMAINS AND HYDRANTS-TANKS MUST BE PLACED AT A SUFFICIENT HEIGHT—PORTABLE HANDPUMPS AND BUCKETS—CISTERNS — FIREMAIN PIPES-HYDRANTS-HOSE-REELS AND OTHER FITTINGS FOR HOSE AND TOOLS-BRANCH-PIPES- PRESSURE AUGMENTER—HAND FIRE-PUMPS AND BUCKETS -CHEMICAL FIRE ENGINES-HYDRANTS ON EXTERNAL MAINS-STEAM FIRE ENGINES—MANUAL FIRE ENGINES : THE LONDON BRIGADE MANUAL—THE MANSION FIRE ENGINE. Having proved how easy it is to acquire systems of fire pro¬ tective appliances which are incapable of affording protection, and to carry out a proper system in such a way as to destroy, by inattention to some apparently trivial detail, its whole value, it remains for me to show what are the most suitable appliances under various circumstances, and how they should be disposed with the view to their being promptly brought into action when occasion demands. The most important point to bear in mind is that the Apparatus apparatus should be designed to meet the peculiarities of each should be i i ji i ■ i i r i suitable for particular building, what is the most suitable for one may be the building. useless or not so valuable for another of different size or situation. I will divide this part of the subject into two, dealing with Internal apparatus suitable for internal use separately from that and external employed in extinguishing fires from the outside of the build- ‘TpT- ncCS - ing. The great advantage of coping with fire at close 5 ° Fire Protection of Mansions. Fire mains and hydrants. Tanks must be placed at a sufficient height. I quarters is apparent; and for this reason, and because they can be brought into instant application, internal fire arrange¬ ments must be considered in most cases to be the most and valuable important. Indoor Appliances. The usual appliances provided for the purpose consist of fire mains, taking their water supply either from external sources or from a tank placed on the roof or in a tower of the building ; having hydrants on each floor, with the necessary hose and nozzles attached to each hydrant. Unless the height of the roof or tower is sufficient to give a good water pressure in the mains, this plan is not available without the assistance of the pressure augmenter, which I shall refer to later on. A common, and altogether an inexcusable error, is to place a large tank at a low elevation, the perpetrator of the deed being under the impression that a great quantity of water will be instrumental in putting out a fire, notwith¬ standing the small force with which it can be brought into contact with the flames. It should be borne in mind that under such circumstances water is not a solid weight in the pipes ; there may be fifty thousand gallons in the cistern, but if the cistern itself is only two feet above the seat of the fire there will be less than i-lb. per square inch pressure at the jet, so that the water will only trickle out of the nozzle, and will be quite impotent for fire purposes. The number of pounds pressure per square inchat the nozzle is somewhat less than half the number of “ feet head ” of water in the pipes ; fifty feet head of water give 21.68 lbs. per square inch, and this is the lowest serviceable pressure. There are sometimes reasons why hydrants should not be fixed inside the building, especially in the basement and ground floors. In such cases it is well to keep hose and nozzles hanging in the upper floors : in the event of fire, one end of the hose can be lowered down the staircase or lift well, and connected on to one of the outside hydrants, and the Fire Apparatus. 5i apparatus at once brought into play. I have carried out this system in connection with many buildings, amongst others at the Queen’s Hotel, Eastbourne, where it answers admirably. Its adoption avoided a large expenditure for cutting away walls and stone flooring, which must otherwise have been incurred. Although not quite so rapidly brought into action as hose connected to hydrants on each floor, this is still a practical and ready method. As auxiliaries to the large streams obtainable from the Portable hydrants, it is well to place upon each floor a small hand fire ^nd^uckets. pump, with leather buckets, for use when a fire is discovered very early, and when damage by water consequently can be avoided. These little articles are always handsomely finished and painted, and may be artistically disposed in the halls and upon the landings. Chemical fire extincteurs are also useful as adjuncts to other appliances, but for reasons which I shall presently give they are not to be relied upon in the absence of other means. I will now endeavour to deal with the various appliances in detail. When fire appliances are being fitted up in new buildings. Cisterns, cast iron tanks are preferable to any other kind; but on account of their weight they cannot always be used in old buildings, where galvanised wrought iron or wood lined with lead must be employed. At the Langham Hotel there are two of the finest cast-iron tanks in the country at an elevation of a hundred and ten feet above the ground, and there are also some very large tanks at Montague House, Whitehall, the town residence of His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch. The latter are placed above the roof of the main building, but they are roofed in themselves ; they are supported upon girders, a space being left all round for purposes of examination, repairs, and painting. At the new Law Courts similar cast-iron tanks are fixed at a still greater elevation. At Rufford Abbey I had a large tank to fix in an old tower ; a cast-iron tank could not very well be adopted on account of 5 2 Fire Protection of Mansions. Fire main pipes. its weight. I erected, therefore, one of wrought iron, the plates being made in sizes and shapes specially to suit the space the tank was to occupy; they were hauled up into position and rivetted and bolted together there. Upon another occasion I had to deal with an old country seat, the roof of which was interlaced with beams and girders in almost every conceivable position. A very large quantity of water for fire purposes was required, and in this instance a series of cisterns was constructed, the whole being placed on a level, and connected together by means of suitable short pipes. When joined they were, of course, similar to one large tank ; and the downright main which carried the hydrants was attached to one of the divisions only. Slate tanks and wood tanks lined with lead may also be employed, but they are objectionable on account of the ease with which they are destroyed should the fire reach them. Cisterns, of whatever material they may be constructed, must be carefully proportioned and of adequate strength for the weight they have to carry. Instances of tanks bursting from sheer weakness are not rare ; an accident of this kind took place some time since at the Middlesex Hospital, and more recently at the Crystal Palace; the damage occa¬ sioned was in both instances considerable. The fire mains both inside and outside a building should be of cast iron, and never less than three inches in diameter if a really efficient jet of water is to be put upon a fire. They should be coated with a suitable composition to prevent rust, and have easy bends and special tee-pieces where the direction is changed so as to retard the flow of water towards the hydrant as little as possible. This desirable arrangement is frequently lost sight of, even by Water Companies in the laying of street water mains. Wrought-iron pipes, galvanised, may be used inside a building if the mains are less than three inches in diameter. I have frequently seen, in old mansions especially, water pipes as well as gas pipes of lead, the astute plumber never having considered the possibility of their melting or of their being gnawed by rats. I noticed lead Fire Apparatus. 53 pipes in country houses destroyed by rats on three occasions within a period of six months. The strength of fire main pipes must be adapted to with¬ stand not only the pressure within them, but also the shocks which are occasioned by the pressure being suddenly turned on and off. Some few years ago I recollect a fire taking place at a well-known public building where light cast-iron mains had been erected in connection with tanks upon the roof. The fire broke out in the basement of the building, and the sudden opening and shutting of the hydrants caused such a concus¬ sion that the main pipes split vertically. The pipes had to be taken out, and stronger fitted in their place, and to prevent the chance of the recurrence of anything of the sort large air vessels were fixed in convenient positions to equalise the pressure; this was, of course, effective, and no similar accident is now to be looked for there under any similar circumstances. The hydrant or fire cock, as it is usually termed, is one of Hydrants, the most important parts of the whole apparatus, and it is therefore most desirable there should be nothing wrong with it. It must not be liable to freeze, nor to “ stick fast,” if not opened for a short time, nor to leak when shut; it must not under any circumstances be difficult to open, nor liable to accident of any sort. It is amazing how much ignorance exists in connection with these very common articles ; even experienced fire brigade superintendents have been known to recommend fire valves of the most inferior construction, and made in violation of every good principle, such as would be well known to an engineer’s apprentice. In the chapter upon defective fire apparatus, I have mentioned in particular one very bad case of hydrant which is in very common use. It is sufficient to repeat respecting it that the whole pressure of water, when the hydrant is fixed, is upon the “ packing ’’ which keeps the valve from leaking, consequently that this hydrant is almost always dropping water upon the floor beneath it; that when this packing has to be renewed, the whole fire main must be emptied ; that the body of the hydrant is always full E 54 Fire Protection of Mansions . Hose. of water, which, therefore, in frosty weather has the finest possible chance of freezing; and that before the hydrant can be opened, the whole force of the pressure of water in the mains has first to be overcome. A fire cock made on good principles presents the exact opposite of all these features. What is known as the “ plug” fire cock is objectionable on account of its being difficult to open after a short period of disuse. The “ gland ” fire cock is to be avoided for an exactly similar reason. The rack valve hydrant will frequently leak, especially if a piece of grit happens to get between the valve and the face; otherwise it is unexceptionable. The best kind is one which consists of a valve of metal, leather covered, shutting down upon a face cast within the body; the pressure when the hydrant is fixed being beneath the valve,so that the body of the hydrant is empty when the valve is closed > when it is required to open it, the pressure assists the valve to rise. The best description of hose, on the whole, is in my opinion that made of leather. Leather hose is without one advantage which attaches itself to some other kinds, it is not waterproof; but in every other way it is most undoubtedly superior to any other kind. It is more reliable and far more durable either than plain canvas, or than canvas lined with india rubber. Leather hose has been known to last forty or fifty years with moderate care and attention ; twenty years does not at all con¬ stitute a long life. I do not know of any other kind which can be depended upon to last more than four or five years. Canvas is very liable to deterioration from rot or mildew, and as this kind of hose is not even waterproof it should never be adopted for use inside a house, but if a great quantity is required for external uses, hand woven canvas hose may be partially em¬ ployed. India rubber hose, and canvas lined with india rubber, are both waterproof ; but, as is well known, the nature of rubber is to perish, and neither of these descriptions of hose should be selected, unless the outlay necessary for a fresh supply within a few years is not a matter of consideration. Fire Apparatus. 55 For outdoor use, with steam and manual fire engines, leather hose is preferable to any other ; its porous qualities are here of advantage; the “ sweat ” through the pores of the material will do no damage, or comparatively none, and will go a long way to preserve the hose itself should it come into contact with hot embers, &c., at an actual fire. Of course there is undoubtedly one important advantage in having waterproof hose for use indo’ors, because much less damage will be I occasioned by water in the extinction of a small fire. It is possible to repair leather hose, but no other kind can be effectively repaired. It is usual to keep the hose coiled upon a polished board of mahogany, walnut, or oak, whichever matches the internal fittings of the mansion, the branch-pipes and other small tools being also arranged upon the same board. Occasionally a cupboard is preferred. During the past few months a very ingenions plan has been introduced, by means of which the hose is kept always full of water ready for instant application. It is wound upon a reel which is connected by a watertight joint to the water main, a cock being fitted at the junction to turn off the water when required. There is another shut off cock on the nozzle. The hose is wound upon the reel and connected to it by a union. Under ordinary circumstances the cock at the junction with the main is open, and the hose, which in this case must necessarily be watertight, is full of water up to the nozzle cock. Should fire break out it is only necessary to take the end of the hose in the hand and walk to¬ wards the fire, the hose uncoiling as you proceed ; then on opening the nozzle tap a jet of water is immediately obtained. The branchpipes are the discharge pieces fitted to the end of the hose for directing the stream; they should always be of copper and about nine inches ora foot long. This gives just sufficient length to enable them to be grasped firmly and held in position, and more than that is not necessary. Leather branchpipes have been used, but they are slippery and greasy to the touch and cannot be held firmly; they are also liable to i Reels and other fittings for hose. Branch-pipes 56 Fire Protection of Mansions. Pressure augmenter. kink and to interfere seriously with the stream, particularly when there is only a low pressure of water. The size of the brass nozzle at the end of the branchpipe must be carefully adjusted to the pressure and quantity of water; there is a certain size adapted to every different combination of quantity and pressure. The same size nozzle will not therefore be correct for both the top and bottom hydrant of a firemain in a large house; and it is consequently important that each nozzle should be kept in its proper place and no change effected. The shape of the nozzle is of considerable importance ; if the jet is not made correctly the water cannot be made to do its full duty. There are, as a rule, more absurd mistakes made in connection with these little articles than with any other part of the fire apparatus. The pressure of water in the top parts of a building where the supply is stored in cisterns is necessarily very light, and it is therefore desirable to use some means of increasing it. For the purpose I have introduced an apparatus which I call the hydraulic pressure augmenter. By its assistance a powerful jet of water can be obtained at a point even on a level with the bottom of the tank. I have already said that, however great the quantity of water held by the cistern may be, a good fire stream cannot be obtained except at a distance sufficiently below the tank to allow the power of gravitation to produce an effective pressure. In some mansions the height of the tank is not adequate to produce a good jet at any part of the build¬ ing, and if the proprietor does not wish to incur the expense of providing other means of supply, the augmenter is a tolerable substitute. It is a fixture to the water mains, but is worked by manual power ; I have had the apparatus fitted up at the Empress Eugenie’s residence at Farnborough Hill, at Rufford Abbey, at Great Hadham Palace, at Laverstock House Asylum, at the General Post Office in London, and at many other places with such good results that although the water tanks are only from one foot to twenty feet above the level of the floors protected, a stream of water can be pro- Fire Apparatus. 57 pelled through a hundred or a hundred and fifty feet of hose, and come out at the nozzle with a force which will carry it forty-five feet vertically or to a horizontal distance of more than sixty feet. With this appliance, the water available, whether small or large in quantity, can be utilised to the very best advantage. Hand fire pumps and buckets are, perhaps, the most Hand fire ■common fire extinguishing apparatus, and for this reason and ^" 1 ^ s anii because they can be effectively brought into action at a moment’s notice they have probably saved more property in England from destruction by fire than all other kinds of apparatus together. The London Brigade Hand Fire Pump, as it is called, is to be found in mansions and in public buildings and fire brigades all over the world. It is a portable little appliance, weighing about 20 lbs. when empty; the cistern holds six gallons, so that the weight when full is about So lbs. A powerful jet of water can be projected by it to a distance of thirty or forty feet, and the water in the pail being replenished by means of buckets as fast as it is used, a con¬ tinuous stream of water can be directed upon the seat of the fire without exposing the person using the apparatus to the risk of personal danger or inconvenience. Half-a-dozen gallons of water, thrown upon the flames with the force which this little pump can exert, will frequently extinguish a fire that has obtained considerable proportions, with little or no damage by water to property not actually ignited. As a proof of the efficiency of this fire pump it is sufficient to mention that no less than 2,882 fires were extinguished by its instrumentality in London alone during the year 1882. It can be worked by a single person, even by a female servant or a boy; the handle being moved by one hand, whilst the nozzle is held by the other. The “ Tozer ” fire pump is the invention of Mr. Alfred Tozer, the able chief of the Manchester Fire Department, and is for its size and weight perhaps the most powerful pump in ■existence. Its cistern holds 12 gallons, and it weighs when 53 Fire Protection of Mansions. Chemical fire engines. full about a hundred pounds. One man can work it with good results, but its full power cannot be developed by less than two' persons. It is advisable to place one or other of these pumps at each convenient spot throughout a large building* Half-a-dozen leather buckets should be hung above it upon ornamental- brackets ; or an ornamental pedestal may be used for the pump to stand upon, with brackets in front and at each side for the buckets. A small fireman’s axe should also form a portion of the set. In order to add to the appearance of the pump and buckets, the coat-of-arms or monogram of the owner may be emblazoned upon them. The pump, pails and buckets should be kept two-thirds full of water, which ought to be changed every week. It is necessary to impress upon every servant in the establishment that the buckets are under no circumstances to be taken away for ordinary household uses. A small cock should be provided in the fire main upon each landing, for the purpose of readily filling the buckets in case of fire. Chemical engines have been successful in trained hands in extinguishing many small fires, but I should hesitate to advise \ anyone to rely upon them. They are unsuited to mansions where no private fire brigade can be formed. My experience is that many servants are afraid of them, and that only a very few would have the presence of mind to use them beneficially at an actual fire, especially after the first charge has been ex¬ hausted. As a charge of chemicals, costing four or five shillings, is used every time one of these machines is tried, proficiency in working them is very rarely acquired, and in the hurry and excitement of a fire it is usually the case that the handiest pump or water bucket is brought into operation, whilst the extinctor is quite neglected. Although I have made a great many of these machines when asked to do so, I have never recommended their adoption, except where a trained fireman is in constant attendance. The best kind of extinctors are made in such a manner that they can be brought into use by merely turning them over; in some of the older kinds a glass Fire Apparatus. 59 bottle has to be broken, but this is a very objectionable pro¬ ceeding, the pieces of broken glass being somet; mess difficult to expel from the machine. The principle upon which they work is well known'; by dissolving an acid and alkali in suitable pro¬ portions in the water carbonic acid gas is formed, and is forced under its own pressure from the nozzle in a state of solution. Undoubtedly water impregnated with carbonic acid gas is a most powerful fire extinguisher; but owing to the fact that car¬ bonic acid gas is heavier than atmospheric air, as soon as the jet leaves the extinctor the gas leaves the water and falls to the ground. At the end of the jet only as much gas is held in solution as the water can contain at atmospheric pressure. The chief use of an extinctor is to throw a jet of water without manual power being necessary; the disadvantages in bringing the machine into action I have mentioned are very great, and seeing, too, that the chemical ingredients are not always readily obtainable, my opinion is strongly in favour of the simple hand fire pump, which uses only plain water procurable anywhere. Outdoor Appliances. Where water has been carried at high pressure in fire mains round the outside of the building, jets from hydrants furnish one of the most efficient means of protection. The hydrants should be placed not more than fifty feet apart, and the stream from them should have a force sufficient to carry it well over the highest part of the building. There are many kinds of outdoor hydrants. The chief points to be observed in making a selection are very much the same as those which have to be considered in respect of the indoor fire valves. They ought not to be liable to get out of order, to hold fast instead of opening, or to leak ; and both the outside mains and the hydrants should be protected in the best possible manner against frost. It is as well not to have the mains too near the surface of the ground ; a depth of twenty-one or twenty-four inches is a good medium. When a hydrant is to Hydrants and external mains. 6 o Fire Protection of Mansions. Steam fire engines. be brought into operation, a portable standpipe is screwed or fixed to the hydrant outlet, and the hose is coupled on to the standpipe top, which should then stand about six inches above the level of the ground. Leather hose should always be used with outdoor hydrants ; it is the only hose which stands dragging about on rough paths without chafing through, and it will last much longer under such treatment and be found more reliable than any other kind. The hose, branch pipes and other small tools are best kept in wood cupboards placed as near to the hydrants as can be done with a due regard to appearances. In some cases the hydrants are raised above ground, they are then enclosed in ornamental cases and no stand pipes are required, the hose being coupled on direct. Where there is no water at high pressure surrounding a mansion, but a good supply in ornamental waters, or in a lake or stream, a steam fire engine should be adopted. It is in every respect superior to one worked by hand. The former can be brought into action by three men, in a few minutes, whilst a manual engine requires at least twenty men, and should a fire breakout in the night it might easily happen, would happen in fact in most cases at country residences, that so many might not be accessible. The cost of working a steam engine is about 2s. 6d. per hour for coal, oil and attendance ; the cost of a manual engine for pumpers at 6d. per hour, and refresh¬ ments for these gentlemen \ iis. od. A small steamer will pump say 3oogallons per minute at ioo lbs. pressure at the nozzle; the manual about ioo gallons at 40 lbs. pressure. The only point in favour of the manual is its first cost, which is about half that of the steamer; but the consideration that sufficient men to work the hand engine might possibly not be procurable upon an emergency is so important that steam fire engines are now rapidly replacing hand engines upon all large estates. It is often urged against these machines that they are difficult to understand, and some people consider them to be dangerous. By experience, however, it is found that any man who has the moderate allowance of sense that is required to Fire Apparatus. 61 understand a portable engine such as is used for sawing, thrashing, pumping, &c., can readily manage a steam fire engine ; it is as simple a piece of steam mechanism as can be made, and an intelligent farm labourer will learn all he requires to know during a couple of days’ visit of an engineer from the makers’ establishment. Steam fire engines are made in all sizes, and are designed upon many different principles. The kind I most recommend is to be found in the mansions of the nobility and gentry in all parts of the country. The size must be regulated by the work the engine has to do, which depends mainly upon the size and height of the building and the distance the water is situated from it. H.I.M. the Empress Eugenie has lately purchased a steam fire engine which I may call the typical mansion steamer. From a single jet this engine will throw water to a height of 160 feet and discharge about 300 gallons, or more than a ton per minute. There are two delivery outlets to the engine, but, when required, two other branches can be attached to these, and even with four nozzles at work water could be thrown from each over a tolerably high mansion. The engine indicates twenty-five horse power. The boiler is very simple and efficient; it will not explode if through inadvertence of the man in charge it is allowed to run short of water while a fire is burning under it, and the time of replacing a tube, should one be burnt, in consequence of such a piece of negligence, is but a few minutes. The boiler gives a working pressure of 100 lbs. to the square inch in from eight to ten minutes after lighting the fire, so that steam can be got up almost as quickly as the hose can be laid and the tools can be got in readiness. The steam and water cylinders of the engine are not attached to the boiler, they are horizontal and direct acting, and, being fixed on a strong wrought-iron framing, they are very rigid. The stroke of the piston is long, and worked at a moderate speed, and consequently, the wear and tear are reduced to a minimum, while an excessive speed is not required to deliver > a maximum amount of water. The valve motion is extremely 62 Fire Protection of Mansio?is. simple, and enables the engine to run at any required speed. As already stated, the engine is capable of throwing 300 gallons per minute, but it is so regulated that it can be made to throw only one gallon per minute if so required, and of course any intermediate quantity. The pump is simple, direct and double-acting, made in one solid gun-metal casting, and has perfectly reliable valves with gun-metal back- plates. The opening of each valve is quite clear, without bars or grating, so that it will pass anything that .will come up the suction-way; gravel, straw, shavings, rags, &c., will never choke it oir account of the largeness of the valves. The pump is also frost-proof. The pistons being small, there is a minimum of friction, they are also self-lubricating, and require no oiling when at work. Both suction and delivery ways are fitted with capacious copper air-vessels, and there is a simple apparatus connected to the delivery air-vessel which keeps up a constant supply of air, enabling the pump to throw a compact and steady jet. On account of the extraordinary simplicity of this kind of engine it has been found to render the most satisfactory service in untrained hands. I have made similar machines, differing only as to size, for many English mansions; I recol¬ lect supplying Steam Fire Engines amongst others to the Duke of Norfolk for Arundel Castle, the Marquis of Exeter for Burghley House, the Marquis of Breadalbane for Taymouth Castle, the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot for Ingestre Hall, the Earl of Jersey for Middleton Hall, the Earl of Dartmouth for Patshull House, the Earl of Rosebery for Mentmor, the Earl of Pembroke for Wilton House, Lord Francis Cecil for Stocken Hall, Lord Leconfield for Petworth Park, Lord Ilchester for Melbury Park, Colonel Tomline for Orwell Park, Colonel Owen Williams for Temple House, Colonel Joicey for Newton Hall, John Lancaster, Esq., for Belton Grange, F. Bassett, Esq., for Tehidy Park, W. O:Foster, Esq., for Apley Park, John Hargreaves, Esq., for Maiden Erlegh, and to many other noblemen and gentlemen in England and abroad, espe¬ cially in India, where many of the native princes have adopted Fire Apparatus. 6 3 these machines. H.H. the Sultan of Johore took back Avith him one of the new “Greenwich ” engines on his return from this country in 18S6. Steam fire engines are very useful upon an estate, for pur¬ poses other than that of fire extinction. They can be employed in any kind of pumping or irrigation work, and are - therefore valuable auxiliaries in case of stoppage or breakdoAvn of the regular pumping machinery. At the Marquis of Exeter’s the steam fire engine is largely used for irrigation purposes. They have been employed occasionally in supplying water to towns and districts where disputes have arisen with the water company, and have then worked night and day continuously for many months. Some years ago my engines were working in this way for a long time at Richmond (Surrey), and later still at Caterham, where they pumped through some miles of iron pipes to Kenley; and during the Siege of Paris in 1870, a number of them, sent into the City by the last train which entered it before communication Avas cut off, were employed in supplying the inhabitants with water for drinking and culinary purposes, as well as for extinguishing fires during the bombard¬ ment. These engines are intended to be draAA'n by a couple of horses, and they have accommodation for the driver and seats for men; they are therefore available for travelling long distances. Many estate owners allow their men not only to proceed to fires on the estate, but to render assistance at fires in the neighbourhood. This is to be recommended to keep the men in practice, and to give them a little experience Avhich may some day be valuable at home. But arrangements should always be made, so that the mansion is not left unprotected in case of accident arising during their absence, the Avhole of the men and apparatus never being allowed aAvay at one time. The most efficient hand Avorked fire engine is that known as the London brigade pattern. Like the steam fire engine it 64 Fire Protection of Mansions . Manual five engines— The London brigade manual. is fitted for horse draught, and has a seat for the driver, ac¬ commodation for men to ride upon it, and stowage room for the suction and delivery hoses and all the working tools. It is, therefore, equally adapted for travelling to distant parts of the estate for the protection of the home and outlying farms. This kind of engine is made in eight or nine sizes, the largest being capable of pumping 220 gallons of water to a height of 150 feet; it requires 46 men to work it at its full power, but as so many will scarcely ever be available for the work upon a gentleman’s estate, I may set it down as too large for the pro¬ tection of private residences. The engine of this class, usually found at mansions, throws 115 gallons to a height of 125 feet when worked by 26 men; its cost, with a full complement of hose and tools, is from to ^200, or about half the cost of a small size steam fire engine. The London brigade manual is arranged to take its suction either from a reservoir, lake or hydrant, or from its own cistern, which has then to be filled by means of buckets. I have several times seen these engines working at a considerable distance from the water supply; they were served by buckets passed from hand to hand along a line of people formed from the engine to the water, the empty buckets being returned to the water along another line. Occa¬ sionally, when there are two or more engines, and but a few people present, one engine stationed at the water has been made to pump into the cistern of another, placed as close as possible to the fire. Engines of this class are to be found at Osborne and Sandringham, and at the mansions of the follow¬ ing, amongst many other noblemen and gentlemen—the Dukes of Buccleuch, Portland and Marlborough, the Marquises of Hastings, Downshire and Waterford, the Marchioness of Londonderry; the Earls of Burlington, Carnarvon, Crawford, Derby, Faversham, Hardwicke, Leicester, Darnley, Ilchester, Lathom and Somers, Lords Bolton, Bradford, Calthorpe, North wick, Sidmouth and Tredegar, Baroness Willoughby d’Eresby, and Countess de Morelia. There are 87 of these engines now in the London Fire Brigade. Fire Apparatus. 65 The “ Mansion ” fire engine is constructed upon the same principle as that mentioned above, but it has smaller wheels, and is without the horse pole, seat and arrangements for horse draught. It is not intended to be taken far away from the house, but there is a hand draught pole, by which it can be pulled by two or three men. The power of the larger engines is similar to that of the London brigade manuals, but very small engines of the class are also made ; the smallest is worked by six men, and throws 45 gallons per minute to a height of 80 feet under favourable conditions. The capacity of the engine usually adopted is 85 gallons per minute, nofeet high, when worked by 16 men. Manual engines of 20 men power and upwards will throw two good streams, and three or four very useful jets ; but as a rule they should not have more than two lines of hose attached. There are many other kinds of hand-worked engines, made to suit special requirements, but I do not intend to add particulars of these. A statement of the conditions it is desirable to fulfil will always enable a fire engine maker to send what is best for the purpose. The “ Mansion ” fire engine. 66 Fire Protection of Mansions. CHAPTER VI. WELL PROTECTED MANSIONS. FARNBOROUGH HOUSE-RAGLEY HALL—EASTNOR CASTLE- SANDRINGHAM HALL-BURGHLEY HOUSE, STAMFORD— KNOWSLEY — MONTAGU HOUSE, WHITEHALL-ARUNDEL CASTLE—WILTON HOUSE-PATSHULL HALL, ALBRIGHTON -BLENHEIM PALACE-EATON HALL-CLUMBER HOUSE— WARWICK CASTLE—HATFIELD HOUSE—HAMPTON COURT PALACE ; STEAM FIRE ENGINE AND WATER SUPPLY ; THE PALACE FIRE BRIGADE—TAYMOUTH CASTLE ; APPLIANCES AND FIRE BRIGADE. I have stated that country residences, as a rule, are not well protected from fire. But there are numerous instances where exactly the opposite is true, and I have thought it advisable, having described in detail the water supply and apparatus, which together with the human agency referred to in the succeeding chapter go to make up a complete system of fire protection, to furnish accounts of the manner in which these have been combined for the safety of a few of the largest mansions. In making my selection, I have necessarily been governed by this consideration chiefly ; the extent of my own knowledge of the arrangements obtaining in these mansions; with reference to nearly all of those I mention I have been personally consulted, and for the most part the arrangements were adopted at my recommendation, and were fitted up under my own supervision. Farnborough The residence of H.I.M. the Empress Eugenie has been blouse • • furnished with apparatus for dealing with fires of the most modern and improved type. In the new block of the mansion four galvanised wrought iron tanks have been fixed upon iron Well Protected Mansions. 67 joists in the upper part of the staircase tower. All four tanks are connected and have a combined capacity of about 6,000 gallons of water, which is pumped up by means of a Turbine, and the arrangement is such as to ensure the tanks being continually full. Thence 3-in., 2^-in., and 2-in. wrought iron distributing mains are carried to various points of the mansion, and are mounted with eight fire hydrant valves inside the mansion and with seven additional hydrants outside the building. Each hydrant is furnished with a length of patent rubber-lined canvas hose (chosen because of its waterproof qualities) and a nozzle, so fitted that the person directing the stream of water may at any moment shut off the supply. Some four dozen leather fire buckets, beautifully emblazoned with the Imperial Crown, have been hung in sets of four throughout the mansion and stables, while a portable hand fire engine, always full of water, and mounted upon wheels, stands upon each floor, for instant use upon the discovery of a fire. On the second floor of the old portion of the mansion two tanks of a capacity of 3,500 gallons are in connection with a platform fire engine and 220-ft. of hose and fitttngs. This engine is so arranged that in the event of a fire occurring upon the lower floors no pumping is necessary, as the water passes through the engine with good force, but when one, two, or more persons are at hand to work the engine the force is so augmented that the stream reaches the height of 70-feet above' the nozzle; and the whole of the hose fitting universally the engine can be of service for the new as well as the old wings of the building. Mention should not be omitted of the hand hatchets, which hang in leather sheaths along with the buckets, for use to cut away or remove fixtures, flooring boards, &c. In addition to these arrangements a reservoir of some 12,000 gallons capacity has been built under the ground at the west end of the mansion, to pump from which the light and handy single cylinder steam fire engine referred to on page 61 68 Fire Protection of Mansions. has been provided. This engine will stand in the glass roofed entrance court of the mansion. It weighs about 20 cwt., and will raise steam from cold water within eight minutes after the ignition of the fire and will pump some 300 gallons a minute, in either 1, 2, 3, or 4 jets, to a height greater than that of the mansion, and it stands completely equipped with suction and delivery hose and all necessary fittings. At an experimental trial steam was raised in the boiler to ioolbs. pressure within 8^ minutes of lighting the fire, not¬ withstanding unfavourable conditions of weather, and supply being taken from a fish pond, a stream was directed to a great altitude through a f-inch nozzle, after which a f and a f stream were directed simultaneously through two long lines of hose. The engine was then driven back to the mansion, and a trial made by pumping from the 12,000 gallon underground reservoir, which has been specially constructed for the engine’s supply. From this point three powerful streams were thrown at one time, and a jet from a |~inch diameter nozzle passed high above the turret surmounting the most lofty part of the mansion. It is intended to construct a second reservoir in front of the mansion, of the same capacity as that from which the engine was worked at the rear of the mansion upon the occasion in question. Ragley Hall. Ragley Hall, the seat of the Marquis of Hertford, is situ¬ ated upon high ground, commanding an extensive view of a deer-park studded with majestic oaks, and noted covers. The appliances for the protection of the buildings on the estate include a somewhat early specimen of the manual fire engine, known as the “ Bedposter,” made by the firm of Hadley, Simpkin and .Lott, of London. A more modem machine is the curricle fire engine. It is worked by six men, and will pump 50 gallons per minute, and throw a stream to a height of 70 feet. Both engines will work together, as the gear is interchangeable, and thus a double effect can be Well Protected Mansions. 6 9 produced. Several yards away from the foundations of the Hall, and upon the east, north, and south sides, are situated large underground reservoirs, to supply the manual engines. These reservoirs not only collect the rain-water from the roofs of the Hall, but are partly filled from the overflow of the cisterns or tanks for the supply of water required for the usual domestic purposes. This supply is raised from the lake by self-acting rams, which are at a considerably lower level, and at a distance of half-a-mile from the Hall. The water is first delivered into these tanks, from which the overflow returns to the underground reservoirs. The overhead tanks are erected at the four corners, whilst two large tanks have recently been added and erected near the centre of the building; these are kept solely for fire purposes, and are always full of water. The tank system has been connected throughout, so that the whole supply is available from one or other of the vertical mains which descend to the basement. The “ Langham ” pattern fire cocks are conveniently arranged to command the different floors, with a plentiful supply of buckets and hand-pumps on the bedroom floors and near to the servants’ apartments. The value of these hand engines was, in the early part of the year in which this was written, fully appreciated by his late lordship’s eldest son, the present marquis, who resided about three miles from Ragley. He had been making extensive alterations and additions to his mansion, and expected to occupy the new buildings on the day following. Unfortunately, from some cause or another, the new portion caught fire and was burnt to the ground, and had it not been for the effective and powerful little hand engines, one of which was worked by his lordship, the other portion of the building would certainly have been burnt, and probably it would have extended to the coach¬ houses, stables, and outside premises, clearing off the whole of the offices. After this fire, the late Marquis of Hertford issued the following “ Precautions against Fire,” printed on cards, hung conspicuously throughout the Hall, and adjoining each fire station :— F 70 Fire Protection of Matisions. Precautions against Fire. 1. —Be cautious how you use matches and candles. See that they are quite extinguished before leaving a room. 2. —Mind that the wind does not blow a curtain over a gaslight or candle. 3. —Do not leave any paper, shavings, rags, &c., where a fire or candle could possibly set them alight. 4. —Report any unusual smoke, or smell of fire, to the Butler or Housekeeper. In Case of Fire. 1. —Don’t be frightened, but think calmly and quickly what is best to be done, recollecting that time is everything, and that a man’s cap or a jug of water, applied promptly, or a curtain pulled down and stamped upon vigorously, may save a serious fire. 2. —If this is insufficient, run and get help, closing the doors and windows as you go, and fetch the nearest hand pump, or extinctor, and apply it immediately. 3. —Maidservants cannot manage the hydrants or hose, but they can fill the fire buckets and cans, and pass them from one to another in line without confusion. 4. —If in the night, ring the house-bell and call up every¬ one, sending at once to the bailiff, the head gardener, head carpenter, the odd man, gas man, &c. 5. —A groom on horseback should be sent to those living in the village, and he should then go on for the engine and the police. 6. —The gas man, assisted by the stablemen, to take the fire engine from the coach-house to the nearest point where there is water, and attach the hose, nozzle, &c. 7. —The hydrants and hose in mansion should be got ready, but not let go without necessity, for fear of doing damage by water as well as by fire. Well Protected Ma?isio7is. 7 1 8. —The engines (at the lake) to be set at work, to keep the cisterns as full as possible. 9. —The odd men will get ladders, and always have saws and axes and a long rope for hauling the hose up, &c. Ladders always to be kept in the same place (viz., near the old brewery) after use, so that all may know where to find them. Mem. —If smoke is thick, cover your mouth and nose with a wet silk handkerchief, sponge, worsted stock¬ ing or flannel, and crawl on your knees. If your clothes catch fire, throw yourself down instantly on a rug, or thick shawl, or counterpane, and roll yourself in it. N.B.—There will be periodical trials of hose, engines, &c., at which everybody is requested to assist, regularly upon the first Wednesday in each month. Hertford. Eastnor Castle, Ledbury, the seat of Lord Somers, was built Eastnor in 1815 by the grandfather of the late Earl Somers; it is Castle, the Norman style, and is justly celebrated for its beauty, both of architecture and position. It is well supplied with water; in the grounds there is a large lake, and a gravitation supply has been lately completed for fire purposes. There is a large underground reservoir, capable of holding 25,000 gallons, which receives a constant supply from a spring at the foot of the Malvern Hills, about three miles distant. The elevated ground upon which the reservoir is built is 300 yards from the Castle; from the reservoir a 4-inch high pressure main sur¬ rounds the exterior of the Castle, and supplies seven fire hydrants, from any of which a deluge of water can be thrown in case of necessity. For the protection of the interior a junction has been made with this outside main, and a 3-inch branch carried below the ground level into the basement, thence wrought-iron 2-^-inch branches are taken to various positions, so as to protect the hall, library, drawing rooms, 72 Fire Protection of Mansions. Sandringham Hall. boudoirs, &c. The fire valves are of the well-known Langham Hotel pattern, and each is provided with lengths of water¬ proof hose and the usual fittings. The Castle has also an excellent supply of London Fire Brigade pattern pumps and leather buckets. In order to utilise the water in the lakes for fire purposes, a manual fire engine of the “ Paxton ” type has been acquired ; it is similar to the engines used in London, and by fire brigades throughout the world. There are facilities for carrying upon the engine all the hose, suctions and tools for working it, and it is arranged to be drawn either by men or horses as occasion requires. A fire brigade has been formed amongst the men employed upon the estate ; the engine is examined, and the men taken out for drill, I believe, upon the first Monday in every month ; the members of the brigade usually practice for two hours upon every drill day, during which time they go through all the different evolutions, so that each member is thoroughly well up in every part of the work. Upon a recent practice a jet was thrown over the flagstaff tower, the engine being stationed at the lake, and worked by twenty men; the water was pumped to a total distance of 377 feet, and to a height of 137 feet. About 300 feet of hose are carried upon the engine, in addition to special appliances for use at stack yard and other farm fires. The Prince of Wales, being no mean fireman himself, has taken care that nothing shall be wanting on his Norfolk estate for the protection, not only of the Hall, but also of his tenants, by whom his Royal Highness is regarded not only with the respect due to a future monarch, but also with the warmer regard which a generous and genial landlord always inspires. The Prince selected a manual power fire engine of the London pattern, and when it was taken to Sandringham I had the honour of personally drilling his Royal Highness. This type of engine is now popularly known as the 6-inch London Brigade Manual, extensively adopted by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Well Protecied Mansions. 73 for use in suburban districts, on account of its lightness, the facility with which it may be run by a few men on level roads, or be drawn by one or two horses where there are hills At the periodical tests, which are held very frequently, it has repeatedly shown what it could do on an emergency, having pumped over the house through as much as 700 feet of hose. The engine is kept in an engine house, the doors of which are always open, and a fireman is always in attendance. Through¬ out, the mansion is well supplied with fire pumps and buckets. Inside the Hall hydrants are placed on each staircase, with the necessary provision of branchpipes and hose, buckets, &c. The Marquis of Exeter’s residence at Stamford has a fine Burghley x _ House, external supply of water. There is a broad sheet situated Stamford, upon the sloping lawn on the south side, and on the north the ground slopes towards the river Welland. A steam fire engine of great power has been provided, and there is also a hand engine, both of which are kept in a building close to the mansion, and especial attention is given to their being ready for immediate use at any moment. A private fire brigade has been formed, and it is now quite an institution; the members are drilled periodically, the Marquis and Lord Burghley taking great interest in this department of the household. There are also various small portable appliances within the building placed in the corridors and passages. This magnificent seat of the Derby family, with its noble Knowsley. apartments, containing amongst other treasures invaluable paintings by Rubens and Rembrandt, is well protected from fire. In the park there is an inexhaustible supply of water, contained in a lake more than a mile in length. A large under¬ ground main is laid from this to supply small tanks placed at the ground level on the different sides of the house. The powerful steam fire engine which has been provided takes suction from 74 Fire Protection of Mansions. Montagu House, Whitehall. Blenheim Palace. these tanks, and is therefore available in a number of different positions. There is also a most complete system of outdoor and indoor hydrants, with all the requisite apparatus, fitted up under the personal superintendence of my late brother, Mr. Richard Merry weather, who, I recollect, took especial interest in the fire arrangements of this mansion. This is an instance of a large town mansion admirably pro¬ tected from fire. Montagu House belongs to His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch ; a conspicuous part of the mansion is the Mansard roofs. Each of these roofs contains a large cast-iron tank holding some hundreds of tons of water; they are supplied by a 4-inch rising main attached to the water company’s high pressure service, and are, of course, always kept full. To ensure the tanks being charged, there is fixed in the steward’s office an indicator with a clock face, so that the steward must necessarily be aware of the fact should the water for any purpose have been drawn off. From each of the tanks two downright mains are carried, having polished gunmetal hydrants neatly secured in recesses of the walls; these hydrants are placed in convenient positions throughout the building, and for each there is a full complement of leather hose, branch pipes, and the necessary fittings. The servants are well instructed in the use of the apparatus. The following particulars relating to Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, the residence of his Grace the Duke of Marl¬ borough, have been obligingly furnished by the Clerk of Works on the Estate :— The water supply is taken from the rivers Glyme and Dorn, which rise from springs out of the limestone rocks, and passing through the valleys, each receives various small streams before they join in one stream about three miles above Woodstock. From that point the river takes a very crooked and tortuous course through the flat marshy meadows to Woodstock, where it enters Blenheim Park; it then expands into a grand and Well Protected Mansions. 75 noble lake of nearly 300 acres in extent, formed in the valleys in the park. The water supply and the means for extinguishing fires at Blenheim Palace were very defective indeed till the year 1861. The palace, and also the town of Woodstock, was supplied by one set of treble pumps driven by water from the river Glyme just before it enters the lake in the park, through a 4-inch iron main to a tank formed between the parapets over the porter’s lodge, and lined with lead, which held about 20,000 gallons. From this tank it was conveyed into the basement through a 2^-inch lead pipe, and carried to the various departments of the household as required. In the year 1861 a fire broke out in a room adjoining the Titian Picture Gallery, destroying the room and several pictures, which were con¬ sidered of great value. This caused the late Duke to put his house in order, and provide means for extinguishing fire in any part of the building; he put in another set of treble pumps at the mill, and five rams at the bottom of the lake below the cascade, and constructed a reservoir on the highest ground in the park to hold fifteen million gallons ; he also laid down a 10-inch iron main pipe from the reservoir to the south-west angle of the palace; from this point there is a 4-inch iron main carried up the centre of the staircases in the south-west and south-east angles of the building. The water flows by gravitation from the reservoir through the mains before mentioned to the top of the palace, where suitable tanks are provided for the use of the house. There are fire hydrants provided in the main pipes at every landing, and a sufficient length of leather hose attached to reach to any room, or any part on the top of the building; one great advantage is, should a fire occur at one end and render it impossible to get at the pipes, by lengthening the hose it can be played upon from the other. There are several places on both sides of the house where the 4-inch main is carried for fixing stand pipes so that any part can be played upon from the ground. There is also one of Merryweather’s powerful manual fire 7 6 Fire Protection of Mansions. Eaton Hall. Clumber House. engines kept at the palace, and a fire brigade, composed of the house servants and gardeners, and they exercise with the engine. The arrangements are all tried once every month, so that everything is kept in working order. In 1880 the late Duke had another reservoir made nearly half an acre in extent, so that there is a great quantity of water ready at any moment for the purpose of reaching a fire. There is a policeman always patrolling round the building every night, so that if fire should break out he would give the alarm at once, and the men servants, who are thoroughly acquainted with fire brigade drill, could be at the spot directly,, before any serious damage could be done. The water supply to Eaton Hall, the residence of his Grace * the Duke of Westminster, is furnished by the Wrexham Water Works Company, by 5-inch pipes from their reservoir near Wrexham. There is also an additional supply from the River Dee, about 500 yards from the house, which is drawn up through a 5-inch main by a steam engine of 20 horse power. A supply is kept in tanks at the top of the chapel and library towers, which contain many thousand gallons. The house has hydrants both outside (all round) and in the staircases and passages inside, also hydrants on the roof. A large hand fire engine is kept on the premises, and there are extinctors and small hand engines inside. Fire escapes are also at hand in the upper rooms. The men comprising the fire brigade practice every month under the superintendence of Lieut.-Col. Scotland, and are thoroughly efficient. The water supply of Clumber House, Worksop, the resi¬ dence of his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, is obtained from a well, situate about 350 yards from the house, and is pumped by a turbine driven by a 4 ft. fall of water close to the well. The water is forced through a 5-inch main pipe to a reservoir, about 400 yards from the house. The reservoir is seventy feet above the ground floor level of the house, and gives a pressure Well Protected Mansions. 77 of about 30 lbs. to the square inch. In connection with this reservoir there are five 3-inch rising mains to the top of the house, one hydrant being fixed on the basement floor, five on the ground floor, four on the mezzanine floor, five on the first floor, and five on the roof; from the ground the water can be thrown to the top of the house, which is about 50 feet high. In connection with these twenty hydrants two thousand one hundred feet of leather hose pipe have been provided ; the necessary tools are fixed close to each hydrant on an ornamen¬ tal board with a length of hose, a jet, and key to turn on the water when wanted, and the workmen practice the use of these pipes and hydrants once a month. The reservoir will hold about 66,000 gallons of water, and the turbine can be kept continually working. The water is good, bright, and clear, and is used for domestic purposes. Warwick Castle takes its water from the town of Warwick, which is supplied by gravitation. The water is drawn from springs in a deep bed of sand four miles off. A 5-inch main is laid to the castle from the 12-inch main which supplies the town. There are hydrants both inside and outside the castle at all the important points, and standpipes and hose are kept ready at each of them. The pressure on the main is sufficient to enable a jet to be thrown on to the roof of the castle from the courtyard without the aid of any fire engine. The supply is a constant one. Hatfield House, the residence of the Marquis of Salisbury. The house is fitted with a 2-inch main throughout, with hydrants fixed at all convenient points ; the water is supplied by gravitation from a large reservoir in the park, the 4-inch mains from which are continued round the house and hydrants fixed on all sides. A second 4-inch main is laid from a pond supplied by a spring in the park at a lower level than the reservoirs. This is also fitted with hydrants, which throw the water by the force of gravitation to the first floor level. Two Warwick Castle. Hatfield House. 73 Fire Protection of Mansions. large tanks are erected in the turrets, and force pumps are fixed by them, so that water can be forced over the clock tower. Water can also be obtained by pumping direct from the river, one and a half miles away, on the top of the house from turbine and treble barrel pumps. The large reservoir in the park is also supplied from this source; other ponds are supplied by springs from which water can be drawn to the low service. In fact a water supply of eight to ten million gallons is always at command at a moment’s notice, and every appliance for bringing it into effective service is provided. ■' Hampton Hampton Court Palace has a most excellent water supply Court Palace, and fire equipment, special measures having been taken in 1880 for their improvement. Before this date the water supply was obtained from a reservoir or catch-water some three miles off, the water flowing by gravitation, and the pressure, which was not very great, being that due to the head of water at the reservoir. In order to improve this condition of matters, Mr. Lessels, of Her Majesty’s Office of Works, designed a more efficient arrangement. A handsome engine-house has been built of brick with stone facings, the design and appearance being more or less in keeping with the palace buildings. In this house is fixed a powerful, quick-raising steam fire-engine which was supplied by my firm, and which in construction and power is similar to those used by the Admiralty and the Russian and French Governments for naval purposes. The water for the supply of the engine is still taken from the reservoir, and is delivered through a 10-inch pipe into a deep well. Besides this, a 12-inch pipe has been laid down from a canal in the palace gardens, the water of which can also be delivered into the well. If one source should fail, the other can be tapped, so that there is an ample supply of water always at command. The water is pumped by the engine from the well and through 10-inch cast-iron mains, which are laid with branches about the grounds of the palace. To the Well Protected Mansions. 79 branches hydrants are attached at convenient intervals, and by attaching a hose to the hydrants the full force of the water can be available at any point and at any time. At the official trials, although, through the severe frost, the water was frozen in the boiler, steam was generated in four minutes from the fire being lighted, and in ten minutes a working pressure of ioolbs. per square inch was reached. The large fountains are supplied from the main which brings the water from the reservoir, and these were first started, the engine throwing the 200 jets of water of which they are composed to a height of about 60 feet, or double the altitude previously attainable. Water was next discharged through two large fire nozzles fixed on hose attached to hydrants 300 feet from the engine-house, the water being projected across the basins. After that, several jets were thrown over the Great Hall with good effect, and with such power that the authorities stopped the experiment, as it was feared the force of water might endanger the stability of the old stone pinnacles. A spray nozzle was then tried, which caused the water to be thrown in a gentle stream, such as it would be desirable to use for the protection of pictures, tapestry and furniture from fire. A private brigade was formed out of the palace employes, under the very able superintendence of Mr. Moorman ; this department of the household being placed under the charge of Mr. Chart, clerk of works. The members of the brigade were thoroughly trained, drills were undertaken at short intervals, and in a very few months the brigade was thoroughly efficient. In December, 1882, a serious outbreak of fire occurred, and the palace was saved, the men and means being at hand; I shall insert an account of this fire in its proper place. Another fire has also taken place during the time this edition has been in the press, the private brigade and apparatus again saving the building. The fire extinguishing arrangements at Arundel Castle are Arundel as follows :—In the first place there is a steam fire engine Castle, capable of throwing upwards of 300 gallons per minute, and 8o Fire Protection of Mansions. always ready at a moment’s notice; in addition to this there are a manual engine, and about a dozen hydrants with hose attached, in the different parts of the interior of the castle. Within a short distance of the castle is a- large lake, from which the water supply is derived; adjoining the lake is the engine-house, containing a large water wheel and two pumping engines, the latter being worked by the water wheel, with surplus water from the lake. The water is forced through a five-inch rising main to a height of about 150 feet into a large storage tank, which is called the fire tank, and which contains 400,000 gallons; an overflow pipe from this supplies a second tank containing 200,000 gallons more, which supplies the Castle and various hydrants in the town with water for domestic purposes. These tanks are situated about a quarter of a mile from the Castle, and are at a sufficient elevation to carry the water by gravitation to some fifteen feet or so above the Castle roof. The water is conveyed from the tanks to the Castle by two cast iron mains, a four-inch for the domestic supply and a five-inch for the exclusive supply of the steam fire engine; both mains, however, are available in case of fire. Wilton House* Wilton House, the seat of the Earl of Pembroke. Part of the previous mansion being destroyed by fire in 1648, it was rebuilt in its present condition by Inigo Jones. It is situated near the junction of the rivers Nadder and Wiley, and thus having a plentiful supply of water in close proximity, reliance is largely placed upon fire engines working externally. The water is pumped up from the Nadder by means of three throw pumps, driven by an excellent vertical steam engine, the steam for the purpose being taken from the same boiler that supplies the engine for the saw mills. From the pumps a three-inch supply joins a five-inch main, about midway between the mansion and the reservoir. The reservoir is built on the top of a hill in the Deer Park, and contains about 60,000 gallons. It is made of concrete and covered in. From the reservoir the five-inch main is led direct into an Well Protected Mansions. 81 old three-inch main, laid round the house, originally from the Town Waterworks of Wilton (an intermittent supply); on this main round the house and offices on the outside are eleven hydrants, and a two-inch branch is taken off at the four corners of the house, and a standpipe with fire cocks on each floor carried up in each of the four towers, with leather hose in the basement and canvas above. One hydrant is situated in the centre of the quadrangle, and from this a branch is taken to supply a fire cock fixed in the upper cloisters for the imme¬ diate protection of the state drawing-rooms, containing most valuable paintings. Last year the whole of the fire arrange¬ ments were overhauled ; two new hydrants were placed in the long passage immediately opposite the kitchen and laundry doors, which previously were somewhat unprotected. In addi¬ tion to this the external fire department was re-organised, three or four old useless manuals were done away with, one com¬ paratively new manual only being retained; and a steam fire engine, with 520 feet of hose, was added to the previous stock, new unions being put to old hose and manual engine to make it interchangeable. In the engine-house, immediately inside the lodge gates, are kept the standpipes for outside hydrants. The internal arrangements are in the charge of the house steward, who periodically drills the men inside ; the steam fire engine and the outside hydrants are under charge of the clerk of works, assisted by twelve of the estate workmen from the Fire Brigade, who are drilled periodically, and are ready to attend any fire in the neighbourhood. Besides these there is one hydrant at the saw mills, and one taken off the three-inch supply, as it passes the house and premises of the head gamekeeper. In the opposite direction from that of the main to the house, a three-inch mainffakes the water across the park to the Home Farm and kennels. Sup¬ plying both places at the farm are two hydrants with standpipe and hose, and one hydrant at the kennels. The hydrant at the Home Farm has been the means of saving the building, a fire breaking out there late one night in 1882, which could not Patshull Hall Albright on. 82 Fire Protect ion oj Mansions. possibly have been extinguished if the hydrant had not been there. Patshull Hall, the residence of the Earl of Dartmouth, ob¬ tains its water supply from a perennial spring in what was formerly an old quarry, in the red sandstone. From the quarry it is pumped by three hydraulic rams into a long brick-built reservoir on the side of the hill, forming what is known as the “ High Park.” The reservoir is situated at a point consider¬ ably higher than the Hall, to which the water descends by gravitation in four-inch cast iron pipes; the distance is about a mile and a half. This is the principal supply, and it has been recently constructed. The old supply is from a splendid spring of very pure and good water, situate at a farm and at a lower level than the reservoir just mentioned. The water comes to the Hall from this spring direct through two-inch lead pipes ; the distance of the spring from the Hall is also about a mile and a half. I noticed that the lead pipe is cast; every three feet of it bears the inscription :— Richd. Iames Bridgnorth, Plummer, 1738. The greater portion is as sound as it was when first laid down; the only part that has had to be taken up was that where the pipe lay in the “ Great Pool,” which it crosses; this had to be renewed a few years ago. Inside the mansion there are fire mains running up the principal and secondary staircases, with fire cocks conveniently placed ; these mains both extend up to and through the roof, where hose can also be attached. The mains are connected with the principal water supply from the reservoir at High Park. So are the firemains which quite surround the mansion outside, and to which the proper hydrants are fitted. A powerful steam fire engine has been acquired, which my engineer inspects and overhauls periodically; there is also a dog-cart engine to be worked by hand, and a hand engine which can either be mounted on a four-wheel carriage provided for the purpose, or carried into the building. In addition to these the mansion is well fitted up throughout with hand fire-pumps of Well Protected Mansions. S 3 various sizes, buckets, and other portable appliances. I believe it is intended to still further provide for the safety of the man¬ sion by securing another and larger supply of water, to be pumped by steam power; a reservoir for storage is now being constructed which will hold nearly half-a-million gallons, and this practically inexhaustible supply will be brought by four- inch pipes to the Hall, where it will probably be taken into the fountain basins as well as into the fire mains which surround the structure. Taymouth Castle, at the head of Loch Tay the splendid Taymouth . . r . . Castle, mansion of the Marquis of Breadalbane, is very well situated in respect to water supply; it stands within a bend of the river, which surrounds it on three sides, at a distance of less than a thousand feet. Most efficient arrangements have been made for the protection of the building, the quantity of water which can be brought to bear upon a conflagration being most satisfactory. Near the river an engine shed has been con¬ structed, which contains one of my new “ Greenwich ” steam fire engines, capable of pumping 750 gallons per minute. This takes suction from the river, through an 8-inch pipe, and delivers through a 5-inch pipe to a cistern near the house, large enough to hold a good supply for a hand engine, or to a standpipe to which hose or the suction of one or more of my smaller steam fire engines, which are also provided, can be attached at pleasure. There is also an excellent supply of water from an artificial lake on the hill near the mansion, which is brought down through a 6-inch main; it gives a pressure of 150 lbs. per square inch, and the lake is large enough to contain a supply which requires three days for drawing off through the 6-inch pipes. On pipes of similar size which surround the house there are thirteen hydrants. A 4-inch main supplies an underground reservoir on the opposite side of the mansion to that at which the cistern before mentioned is placed. This contains 7,000 gallons, and is intended for an additional steam fire engine supply. 8 4 Fire Protection of Mansions. Two cisterns are placed at the top of the Castle, to these small hand engines are connected. They are primarily intended for the household supply, and are filled from the 6 in. main. The interior of the Castle contains two hydrants and a number of hand-fire pumps and buckets. In addition to the two small steam fire engines kept at the Castle, there are a manual and a hose reel at the saw mills upon the estate a mile distant, and another manual at the home farm. The arrangements for bringing the appliances into action are very complete. A household brigade has been formed amongst the people on the estate; three of the members are engineers, two plumbers, three ships’ carpenters, five joiners, and one fireman : the remainder are men employed about the place in one capacity or another. The Brigade is drilled every month ; and every six months an inspector from my establish¬ ment attends to give them a special drill and make a minute inspection of the whole of the appliances upon the estate. A watchman is on duty nightly, and he of course is a member of the brigade. The staff of household servants is instructed in the use of the hand-pumps and smaller appliances, the men being drilled in the application of the external hose and hydrants. On the upper floors fire escapes are kept in the most convenient positions. The whole forms one of the most complete systems of fire apparatus in use at private establishments with which I am acquainted. i jr The following Rules have been drawn up by his Lordship to be observed at Taymouth, in case of fire in the Castle :— The butler, after being roused by the watchman, will alarm the servants in the Castle and the stablemen, and will then see that the men-servants go at once to the scene of the fire, taking the small hand-pumps and buckets with them, or using the small house- engines should it be possible to reach the fire with them. i Well Protected Mansions. 35 The under-butler, on the alarm of fire, will at once take the hand-pump and buckets from east wing passage, and run to the scene of the fire. First footman will take the hand-pump and buckets from the bottom of west wing staircase, and run to the fire. Second footman will take the hand-pump and buckets from the housemaids’ closet on the main landing, and run to the scene of the fire. If the fire is in the west wing, the two footmen will take the pump on top of west wing staircase, couple the hose to the cistern there, and take the end of the pump hose to the fire if possible. Should the fire be in the main part of the building, the two footmen will go to the engine on the top of the castle, and work it on the fire. The hall man will take the hand-pump and buckets from the passage by the servants’ hall, and run to the scene of the fire. The steward’s room boy will take the hand-pump and buckets from upper landing, and run to the scene of the fire. The coachman and stablemen will harness four horses and go to the engine-house and wait orders. They will also saddle a horse and take it to the engine-house, and get ready a horse and dog cart, and one man will drive off to Kenmore and bring back any of the engineers. Should the fire be in the stables or outbuildings, one of the stablemen will apply the hand-pump belonging to the stables to the fire, and another man will at once alarm the castle, the remainder getting horses ready as above detailed. In the event of a fire taking place in the day-time, one of the stablemen will perform the duties laid down for the watchman. G 86 Fire Protection of Mansions. The watchman, in case of fire in the Castle, will alarm the butler, or, in his absence, any one person in the Castle, and on their answering his alarm he will at once go the engine-house and get out the small hand- hose cart and take it to the nearest fire-plug to the scene of the fire, and after connecting the hose will keep up a steady stream of water on the fire until assistance arrives. He will always carry the key of the fire-engine house in his pocket when on duty. The housekeeper will telephone to the sawmill, and give the alarm. The housemaids will take the hand-pump and buckets from their own bedroom passage, and run to the fire. The housekeeper will send off one of the women servants to alarm the man at the chapel lodge. (This lodge is about 400 yards from the Castle, and is tenanted by the man in charge of the fire engines, &c.) The key of the fire-engine house is in a glass case above the post-box outside the pantry door. There are also other sets of rules for the guidance of gate¬ keepers, gardeners, &c., at outlying parts of the estate— Kenmore and Auchmore. Mansion Fire Brigades. 87 CHAPTER VII. MANSION FIRE BRIGADES. FIRE APPLIANCES NOT AUTOMATIC-PERIODICAL DRILLS—THE HOUSEHOLD BRIGADE-EXAMPLES OF PRIVATE FIRE BRIGADES-DRILL MANUAL—PERIODICAL INSPECTION BY THE FIRE APPARATUS MANUFACTURER-REGULATIONS FOR THE CARE AND WORKING OF APPARATUS — GENERAL RULES FOR USING INTERNAL APPLIANCES INSTRUC¬ TIONS FOR USING THE HAND FIRE PUMP INSTRUC¬ TIONS FOR USING THE CHEMICAL ENGINE—DANEBURY FIRE BRIGADE RULES (USING EXTERNAL APPLIANCES) -CARE OF ENGINE AND HOSE. There is no virtue in the mere possession of fire extinguishing F ; rf? appliances. They are useless unless they are in order at the appliances _ not automatic. time of the outbreak, and, not being automatic, they can render only chance service, unless also arrangements have been previously made to ensure their being promptly and intelligently brought into action. Having provided a good, efficient, and complete system of fire extinguishing apparatus, it is of the utmost importance to see that it is maintained in such a condition as to be always ready for use. I need not say that fire always breaks out when and where it is not expected. Most fires happen late in the evening or during the night, and naturally upon an alarm being raised the imme¬ diate feeling is one of panic. The servants, if they encounter difficulty in their first efforts to bring the appliances into use, are easily disheartened, and infected with the prevailing fright. Therefore every part of the machinery provided for fire extin¬ guishing should be known by the person in whose charge it is to be perfectly ready for use at all times. 88 File Protection of Mansions. Periodical drills. The household brigade. In order to maintain this desirable condition of affairs nothing is more effective than frequent periodical drills under¬ taken by the resident fire brigade. The servants whose duty it would be to work the appliances should be exercised at least once a month in their manipula¬ tion by the steward, butler, or other servant who has been constituted the head of the “ household brigade.” This will ensure everything being in its place, and in good order ; the drill would be as effective as a real fire in bringing to light any hidden negligence or accident. Fire drill is as easy and simple as a drill of any sort can possibly be, and an hour’s practice every month should make every servant pro¬ ficient. A certain number of the male servants would of course be told off to form the household brigade proper, and each member should have some particular duty assigned to him in case of actual fire, that of the superintendent being to see that no man is absent from any cause, or that if absent his place is supplied by another, and that the best possible water supply is available. The rest of the servants would be supernumeraries,, but all should learn the drill, which should consist of the bring¬ ing into use, in one way or another, of all the apparatus upon the estate. If there is a steam fire engine steam should be got up, the hose attached, and water passed through it; the machine should then be thoroughly looked over to see that nothing is missing or out of order. A manual engine should also be tried by actual use. It is a very good plan to offer small rewards to the man who can get the fire engine ready for work in the shortest time at these practices. All the hoses and tools being in their places upon the engine, they should be attached to the machine in the proper manner for duty as rapidly as possible, the quickest man, if his work is properly done, obtaining the prize. The hydrants inside the mansion should also be examined thoroughly, especially if it is not pos¬ sible to test them periodically by allowing water to pass through the hose. The handpumps and chemical fire extinc- 8 9 Mansion Fire Brigades. tors, if there are any, should be worked, the latter being carefully recharged before putting away. Any defects in the apparatus should be immediately reported, and remedied without delay. Private fire brigades, such as we have described above, have Examples of been most successfully inaugurated by many noblemen and brigades^ 6 gentlemen. I may mention in particular the brigade at Sand¬ ringham House (H.R.H. the Prince of Wales), which I have myself drilled, at the Duke of Westminster’s place at Cliveden, at Burghley House, the seat of the Marquis of Exeter, at Elton near Peterborough (the Earl of Carysfort), at Belton near Grantham (Earl Brownlow’s), at Northwick Park, Moreton-in- Marsh (Lord Northwick), at Petworth Park (Lord Leconfield’s), and at Taymouth Castle (the Marquis of Breadalbane). At the two latter especially a most efficient brigade has been established. Lord Leconfield’s not only protects the mansion and the rest of his lordship’s property, but the whole district, the Petworth Park Brigade being almost invariably the first to arrive at any local blaze. At Taymouth Castle the most complete arrangements have been made for making the efforts of all the servants available should fire break out. A good system of drill is a valuable aid to captains of Drill manual private brigades. I can recommend a very excellent manual of drills, some (but not all) of which are applicable to private brigades. It is the work of an official connected with the Stourbridge Fire Brigade, who has had I believe the advantage of a military training, and is published at the Fireman Office, at 2, Grocers’ Hall Court, London. The best check against that negligence and want of caution Periodical on the part even of our private brigade which long immunity the P fire ° n ^ from disaster may occasion, I hold to be a periodical inspection apparatus manufacturer. and drill by some person not connected with the estate ; pre¬ ferentially by the fire engineer by whom the appliances were made. Twice a year will probably be sufficient to keep the servants well up to their duty. He should go most minutely over the fire gear, and make himself personally acquainted 9° Fire Protection of Mansions. Regulations for the care and working of apparatus. with every man who is to handle it, and, after every such inspection, a written report should be furnished to the owner direct, or to the agent of the estate. The expense of these half-yearly visits is infinitesimal, their value on the other hand is very great; they ensure the maintenance of the whole machinery in its first condition and prevent the annoyance which must be felt if expensive and, in itself, good apparatus should fail, because, after years of idleness, it is found wanting in some small but essential particular when the necessity for its use arises. The well known surveyor of Canterbury Cathedral, Alderman H. G. Austin, wrote me a letter upon this subject some years ago which is worthy of reproduction ; he says :— “ I much approve of the system of periodical inspection by one of your staff, and I commend it unhesitatingly to those who have fire apparatus of any kind, and who are too apt to leave the appliances to the perfunctory care of indifferent subordinates, or perhaps, oftener still, leave them without any overhauling whatever. The regular attendance of your repre¬ sentative, who is influenced by no considerations but those of doing his duty, acts as a moral check against the possible carelessness of men, and contributes to the maintenance of the machine in a condition of constant preparedness for action.” The Duke of Devonshire, Lord Leconfield, Lord Dart¬ mouth and many other owners of large estates follow this plan, and have found it of great value, in fact there are between three and four hundred buildings which are periodically visited by my inspectors. For the guidance of the household brigade I append here two lists of regulations for the care and working of various kinds of fire appliances The first has reference to indoor appli¬ ances, the second to the external apparatus. In every mansion it will be necessary to draw up a code adapted to the special circumstances of the case ; its essentials will be found in those which follow. A couple of very good sets of rules will be found in Chapter VI., one drawn up by the late Marquis Mansion Fire Brigades. 9i of Hertford for the servants at Ragley Hall, and another com¬ posed by the Marquis of Breadalbane for Taymouth Castle. A copy of any rules adopted should be in the possession of every member of the household brigade, who should be made to read and understand them. It will be remembered that Cortachy Castle might easily have been saved a few years ago had Lord Dudley’s servants taken the trouble to acquaint them¬ selves with the use of the fire apparatus which Lord Airlie’s foresight had provided. GENERAL RULES FOR USING INDOOR APPLIANCES. Should a fire occur, at once make for the fire valve nearest ^ uting™ 165 the seat of the outbreak, remove the cap (if screwed tight indoor using the hose wrench) screw the female end of hose on the a lT liances - fire valve, and attach the copper branch pipe, with gun-metal nozzle, to the male end of hose, turn on the water, and carry the branch pipe towards the fire, get as near the fire as pos¬ sible, and direct the branch pipe so that the water may strike the burning material with force. Avoid twists and sharp turns in the hose. Buckets should always be full of water, and may be used either to throw water on the fire, or to supply the hand- pumps. The fire appliances should have their proper stations, with which every person should be acquainted; they must be kept clean, in convenient order, and must not be displaced or used for any other purpose than fire. Persons endangered should not stop to dress, but should wrap themselves in blankets, &c., and instantly seek the best means of escape; if the smoke be dense, they should place a worsted stocking or piece of flannel over the mouth and nostrils, and crawl on hands and knees. If no better fire escape is provided, a rope of sufficient length to reach the ground should be kept in each room; this can be fastened to a bedstead, the bars of a fire grate, &c., and would afford means of escape. 9 2 Fire Protection of Mansions. All doors and windows should be closed, as they afford draught to the fire. Should any fixture impede the extinction of the fire, imme¬ diately break or cut it away. Coolness and presence of mind should be maintained as far as possible. Instructions for using the hand fire pumps. INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THE HAND FIRE PUMPS. 1. —Keep the handpumps always two-thirds full of water. 2. —Keep three or six buckets two-thirds full of water hanging close by each handpump. 3. —When a fire occurs, take a handpump as close to it as possible. Work the handle quickly up and down, and hold the hose to the seat of fire, when it will be readily extinguished. 4. —Keep up the supply of water to the handpump from the buckets. 5. —Oil the leather hose and plungers occasionally with pure fish or neatsfoot oil. Change the water once a week. / Instructions for using the chemical engines. INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THE CHEMICAL ENGINES. To Charge. —Place the machine in an upright position and unscrew the cap. Into the opening put the contents of one of the packets, and fill up with cold water until it runs through the cock. Place a bottle mouth upwards, into the cage; remove the stopper and screw the cap into the machine. The extinctor should be placed on a pedestal about two feet high, and kept in this position until required for use. To Use. —Invert the extinctor so that the screw cap will be underneath, and put the arms through the straps provided for the purpose. Mansion Fire Brigades. 93 Turn on the cock with the left hand and hold the nozzle with the right. When the charge has been exhausted, the screw cap should be taken out and the empty bottle removed. Then proceed to charge as above. FIRE BRIGADE RULES AT DANEBURY. (USING EXTERNAL APPLIANCES.) The following set of rules was drawn up by me during the Danebury fire time this book has been passing through the Press, for the bri S ade rules, guidance of the servants at Mr. Tom Cannon’s residence at Danebury; they may, perhaps, serve as a pattern for similar rules at other places :— There are three sources from which water can be taken in the event of fire. i.—The pond in the garden near the house. 2 and 3.—From the underground tanks in the stable yards. On an alarm of fire being given, start the house well pumps at once, and run them as fast as possible to supply the pond. Run out the fire engine to the source of water supply which is nearest the outbreak of fire. Get the engine to work in the following manner: As soon as the engine is placed in position square the fore¬ carriage and secure it by placing the iron pin through the hole in the locking plate. Place in the water a length of suction which, with strainer and basket attached, is always kept screwed to the inlet of the fire engine. If the engine cannot be taken close to the water, so that a further quantity of suction hose is necessary, unscrew the strainer from the suction, screw on one of the suction hoses which are kept in the side pockets of the engine, and attach the strainer and basket to the further end of the length, see that the strainer is fast and kept well under the water, 94 Fire Protection of Mansions. Care of engine and hose. and that all the screws of the suction hose are thoroughly tightened up. Attach the delivery hose (which is carried on a reel) to the delivery outlet at the side of the fire engine and run quickly with the reel to the seat of the fire—the hose will uncoil as you proceed—connect the copper hand pipe to the end of the hose, and get as near to the fire as possible. To put out the fire see that the water strikes the seat of the fire directly. Attack the fire from the inside of the premises if possible. . II the fire is spreading rapidly in more than one direction connect the V piece to the hose, which will enable you to use two streams instead of one. One stream should be thrown exactly upon the seat of the fire, and the second manipulated to prevent the fire from spreading. The engine should be worked at the rate of 40 double strokes, once up and once down, per minute, and 8 men or boys should pump at each side. See that no sharp turns and twists occur in the delivery hose. After the fire has been effectually extinguished, replace the appliances on the engine, and on returning it to its place ascertain if everything is sound, and pump the engine quite dry. If the engine has been pump¬ ing dirty water, pump a little clean through it. Thoroughly clean all the appliances and replace them in the engine in an orderly manner, ready for future service. The pump barrels should be wiped out, and a quarter of a pint of prepared engine oil placed in each barrel (there is a can of this oil inside the engine hose-box, with instructions for its use). The leather hose after use must be well rinsed in clear water, hung up by the middle to drain, and before quite dry brushed over with a thin coat of prepared hose oil, then tightly coiled up, the rivets being kept 95 Mansion Fire Brigades. downwards; if the rivets are dirty scrape them with a blunt knife provided for the purpose, and finish off with a piece of cardwire, which is kept with the other tools in the engine. The hose must not be allowed to get dry and hard. If not used, it should be oiled at least three times a year. If any damage has occurred to the engine, or any hose and gear has been burnt or lost at the fire, report it in writing to Mr. Cannon and to the instructor, who will see as to its replacement. A drill will take place every quarter in presence of the instructor from Messrs. Merryweather and Sons. I have not added any directions concerning the manage¬ ment of steam fire engines. There are several types of these machines, and what relates to an engine of one style is of no application to one of another class. Instructions for working are always sent with the engines, and they should be closely followed. 9<5 Fire Protection of Mansions . General elementary instructions in extinguishing fires. Each man should have his special duty. CHAPTER VIII. FIRE FIGHTING. GENERAL ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONS IN EXTINGUISHING FIRES -EACH MAN SHOULD HAVE HIS SPECIAL DUTY-APPLIANCES TO BE USED UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS—POSITION OF THE ENGINE—FRICTION IN HOSE—ATTACHING THE SUCTION HOSE—ATTACKING THE FIRE-NUMBER OF STREAMS TO BE USED-SMALL ENGINES AT A LARGE FIRE—'DIFFI¬ CULTIES IN CONNECTION WITH WATER SUPPLY—SAFETY OF THE BRIGADE—SMOKE—USE OF THE LARGER APPARATUS TO BE DISCONTINUED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE—DAMAGE BY SMOKE—FARM FIRES—REMOVAL OF HORSES FROM STABLES. A few elementary instructions concerning the best manner of dealing with a serious conflagration, for the benefit of those servants who are entrusted with the management of the house¬ hold brigade, will be in place here. The particular duty which each officer and man is to under¬ take at a fire should always be clearly understood by himself and his comrades. It is usually arranged that upon the receipt of an alarm of fire the superintendent and his principal as¬ sistant, whom I will call the deputy superintendent, proceed to the mansion, while the third man, whom I will designate fore¬ man, goes to the engine house and brings the engine to the spot. To a person always at the house the charge of collect¬ ing the members of the brigade must be entrusted. On the arrival of the engine the superintendent gives his orders to the foreman as to placing it; he has previously inspected the position of affairs, and should understand exactly the certain¬ ties and possibilities of the fire spreading. It is a special Fire Fighting. 97 duty of the assistant superintendent to see that the proper quantity of hose is laid down in the best position. If the engine is a manual, the foreman arranges for it to be properly manned, and ascertains that it is in proper working order, and the fore-carriage locked; he keeps an account of the time, names, and number of the pumpers, and takes care they are not interfered with in their work. To him also belongs the responsible duty of distributing the refreshments, which, in the case of men at the levers, are, if not necessary, at least in¬ evitable, and in most cases are well earned. The branchman, in whom the whole operations of a brigade at a fire come to a focus, should always be one with a cranium sufficiently furnished, and on his appointment to this special work he must be impressed with its exact nature, and the manner he is to go about it; he should also be cautioned against throwing water upon the bystanders under any circum¬ stances, either at work or practice. The work of the rank and file is to lay down delivery hose, attach suction hose and strainer, and generally to get the engine ready, under direction of the foreman; to clear obstructions, pull down walls or buildings as necessary, or to save property or life where endangered, acting strictly under instructions of the officer in command. To him all enquiries or suggestions must be referred, if it be thought necessary to notice them at all. The brigade are expected to obey all orders promptly and silently, without excitement or shouting, and should be trained at drills to do this ; their united efforts will be much more effective than they could possibly be in the midst of riot and confusion. The officer in command decides w r hat appliances it is neces- Appliances sary to bring into use. A handpump or jet from the mains may under Various often be sufficient in cases where to an inexperienced eye it conditions, would hardly seem possible; the engine may be stationed near or even got ready for action, but must not be used till the necessity for it is apparent. The great object in view is to put out the fire with as little water, and therefore as little damage, 9 8 Fire Protection of Mansions. Position of the fire engine. as possible ; to attain it every drop of water must be made to do its work—not allowed to squander itself uselessly and to the detriment of the property. The engine, manual or steamer, will be placed as near the water supply as possible, and sufficient hose laid down to reach the seat of the fire. It is not advisable, as a rule, to get the engine very close to the fire, at least, to make any sacrifice in order to do this ; especially in the case of manual engines, for the pumpers, if in any real or fancied danger, will work much less steadily than they would at a greater distance. Of course, the less delivery hose there is on at a single stretch, the less friction has to be overcome, and the more easy is the work ; but if, by adding another forty feet, a better water supply can be obtained, clearer or more copious, it should certainly be done. That is, in most cases, but only a competent man on the spot can decide in each individual instance. It may be remarked that when there is a large quantity of hose available, and the distance to the fire is short, friction in the hose may be avoided, and as a consequence a better pressure obtained at the nozzle, by taking the water through two or more lines of hose for each jet, uniting the streams at the branchpipe. The loss of pressure by friction increases wonderfully with the quantity passed through a length of hose in any given time, and also if the waterway of the hose is contracted. I need not enter here into the scientific reason of this fact, but to shew how important a part of the work to be done the friction that must be overcome in the hose consti¬ tutes, I may mention that in a hundred yard length of 3 in. hose 16lbs. pressure per square inch are lost; in the same quantity of 2§in., 25 lbs.; and of 2^ in., 40 lbs, where 150 gallons per minute are passing through. If 300 gallons per minute are being passed, the number of pounds per square inch lost is 65 ,101, and 162 respectively. In the Dictionary of Fires, Fire Brigades and Fire Appliances, by the Editor of The Fireman, there is a full account of the loss of pressure in hose, which I have inserted as an appendix for the benefit of Fire Fighting. 99 those private firemen who are interested in the subject. If it is decided to lay down this double line of hose the engine may first be started with a single line ; the second having been laid down, the engine may be stopped or the hydrant shut off for a moment whilst the requisite connection is made. The first few. strokes of the engine should be made slowly; when the hose has been filled with w T ater and a jet appears at the nozzle faster strokes maybe made and full speed attained. In placing the engine care should be taken not to lay down the hose where it may be damaged ; within the building, if it is to be taken upstairs, it should not be laid upon the stairs if it can be avoided, but upon the banisters, where it is much less liable to injury. Great care must also be had in attaching the suction hose Attaching the to the engine to see that it is quite tight; the want of a leather suction hose, washer, or a faulty joint from any cause will vitiate the whole performance of the engine. A leak in the delivery hose is comparatively unimportant, but in the suction hose it is fatal. The fact that atmospheric pressure will not raise water more than about thirty feet, and that the vacuum generally obtained in the suction hose will not allow a lift of more than about four-and-twenty feet, is generally understood; but I mention it here, having in mind a case where some men, trying to get water from a well nearly forty feet deep, wondered why the engine did not work, and sent it up to the makers for examina¬ tion. To prevent the fire spreading is the first consideration ; Attacking the to extinguish it is the second. The best way to enter a burn¬ ing building is by the door, if it can be done; otherwise through a window by external means. The branchman must get where he can see the fire, and pour the water directly upon it; if he cannot enter the building he should stand upon a ladder. By some means he must if possible get himself elevated to the same level as the highest point the fire has arrived at; so that he may see the water actually strikes the burning mass, and may observe at once when enough has been applied. IOO Fire Protectio 7 i of Mansions. Number of streams to be used. Small engines at a large fire. The water should also be aimed at the highest point of the fire ; the water then, having done its work upon the burning material above, will fall below, extinguishing the fire as it does so. Let me again observe that each drop of water should be made to do some useful work ; if it does no good it will certainly do harm. At some fires the reckless use of water and hand hatchets has done more damage than could possibly have been done by the fire; indeed I know a public fire brigade which swamped out a three-storey residence and spoiled some hundreds of pounds’ worth of furniture, when called to extin¬ guish some burning rubbish in the basement. Goods in floors below the seat of the fire may be protected by waterproof sheeting, rick cloths, &c. The question whether one or more jets of water from one engine should be used must be very carefully considered by the officer in command, and with reference to all the circum¬ stances of the case. Unless the fire is spreading rapidly in two or more directions it is advisable to concentrate all the power available upon one jet. There is always a loss of power when two lines of hose are used with a nozzle at the end ol each. The delivery pipe from the air vessel in a manual engine is usually about the size of the hose, and it is evident that one pipe cannot keep two of equal diameter properly supplied when there is a large nozzle at the end of each length. In small size manual engines, by which I mean those with less than six-inch pumps, two streams are not, under any circumstances, to be recommended unless they are re-united at the branchpipe in the manner mentioned above. Where a building of large dimensions is on fire and the engines provided are of small capacity, should the fire once gain headway, the brigade will find some hard work cut out for them. If in addition the water supply is limited, the case may become an exceedingly difficult one to manage. Under such circumstances it is advisable not to take the engine to the water, but to place it as near to the fire as possible without Fire Fighting. IOI endangering the pumpers, and to select that portion of the fire where the small quantity of water obtainable can do the greatest amount of execution. The water should be taken to the engine in buckets or pails, and poured into the cistern, the suction cap having been adjusted to allow of the engine’s taking its supply in this manner. In cases where the fire is below the level of the water supply, as will sometimes happen, the water may perhaps be made to flow from the supply towards the fire, and a hole dug in the ground will act as a dam for the suction pipe. Where the supply is on one side of a hill and the mansion on the other, the difficulty can be overcome by fixing a standpipe with sufficient hose attached to carry the water over the hill; it can then be allowed to run through open hose towards the fire. If again the supply is taken from a pond, and there are two engines present, a good plan, as I have before mentioned, is to work one engine at the water to the top of the hill, whence the water can flow down towards the second engine, which must be placed as near the fire as is considered advisable. The officer in command must make it his business to see of . the brigade. that a clear way of retreat is open for the men within the building, and that they are in no danger from falling walls. One man should never be allowed to go alone into a building where fire has made headway. If the smoke is so dense that the men cannot stand erect for fear of suffocation, a stratum of fresh air is always to be found a short distance from the floor, and they can crawl upon their hands and knees without danger from this cause, and with little inconvenience. It is to be remembered, however, that after a fire has broken through a floor, this supply of fresh air is not to be depended upon. If danger be apprehended a life line attached to the belts of the men will enable them to be safely brought out should they become overpowered, and this simple precaution need never be omitted. Should it be necessary to enter a house by a window through which flame is bursting, so as to prevent for a time an entrance H Difficulties connection with water supply. 102 Fire Protection of Mansions. Use of the larger apparatus to be discontinued as soon as possible. Damage by smoke. being made, the water from the branch should be pointed in that direction, nearly perpendicularly, the water striking the ceiling will spread around and make an entrance possible. As soon as possible the large apparatus, if it has been brought into use, must be dispensed with ; that is to say, as soon as the fire is well under and can be kept sufficiently in check with less water than was at first necessary. Water should never be thrown from buckets, if a handpump is at hand; not a half the contents of a pail, thrown lightly upon the flames, will go where it is wanted, while every drop from the nozzle of the handpump hose can be directed to precisely the spot where it is required, and will strike that spot with sufficient force to be of service. Damage by smoke must be carefully guarded against. Many substances are spoiled by being subjected to a smoky atmosphere, and are of no more value than if they had been consumed. It is therefore sometimes necessary to break windows to let out smoke; at others it may be requisite to make an opening at the top of a burning building to allow the hot smoke and foul gases to escape, at the same time allowing a supply of pure air to come in below to replace it. To judge when this may be advantageously done requires a considerable amount of discretion ; it is a serious matter to feed the fire by introducing a new supply of oxygen, without which com¬ bustion could not be supported, and only when it is apparent that the goods may be saved or the flames better approached, and therefore more rapidly extinguished, should these critical means be adopted. It is to be noted also that the atmosphere must be sufficiently hot to allow an upward draught to carry off the smoke. Occasionally artificial means, such as the ignition of a gas jet, may serve to induce an upward current. As the manner in which smoke is to be dealt with very often causes much difficulty amongst private firemen, who are not (fortunately) in the way of obtaining much experience, it may be well perhaps to give the following concise and practical Fire Fighting. 103 observations made by the superintendent of the Manchester Fire Brigade : “ I have been asked the question is there a risk of complete destruction in admitting air into a building 'on fire \Vhen the smoke is so dense that the firemen cannot see the exact spot to apply the water upon the burning material ? The answer is most decidedly, no ! Many scores of instances occur when practical firemen are compelled to admit air to allow the smoke to escape, so that the branchman can get as near as possible to the burning matter, and make certain that the water is applied direct upon the fire, not the flames, for there would be none in a room charged with dense volumes of smoke, so much so that the fireman could not crawl at once upon his hands and knees, dragging the hose after him to the seat of the fire. By way of illustration let us take three cases, viz.: 1st.—A basement on fire, with a staircase at the far end of the room on the ground floor. In such cases the firemen attach all the necessary appliances ready to meet any fire likely to occur within the whole building, next they break at least two openings in the floor leading to the basement near the doorway; one of the openings will be comparatively free from smoke, and that generally is the nearest opening to the street door, ladders are passed through, the firemen descend thereby, hose in hand, and the result is in 99 cases out of 100 the fire is immediately checked. 2ndly.—A fire at the extreme end of a long room with windows on one side only, and the staircase at the opposite end to the fire, with the smoke so dense that you cannot enter —some of the firemen crawl to the nearest window and open it, or break the glass; having thus got a mouthful of fresh air, they go to the next, and so on from window to window, other firemen at the same time dragging the hose after them until they reach the fire, when the order is given to turn on, and the fire is extinguished. In my experience this plan has never been known to fail. 104 Fire Protectio7i of Mansions. Farm fires 3rdly.—A fire on the top floor of a long room—the smoke so dense that the firemen cannot enter—get the necessary extinguishing apparatus ready at the door, with sufficient hose attached to lead to the entrance end of the room, whilst other firemen go on to the roof. By placing their hands upon the slates they will feel the heat more and more intense until they get over the exact spot where the fire is burning—several men then remove the slates, the heat, smoke and perhaps the fire ascends, at the same moment the firemen can enter the room and breathe freely'—the water is turned on, and my experience tells me that success is certain. In entering a room charged with smoke firemen are com¬ pelled to exercise very great care. It often occurs that there is not oxygen enough in the atmosphere of the burning building to keep their hand-lamps alight. The men must then go forward with great circumspection. Many accidents have occurred in the course of discovering the whereabouts of a fire under such circumstances as these, through falling down openings in the floor, such as staircases, trap doors, and hoists. The safest method is to advance by sliding the foot slowly and cautiously along with the body inclined backwards, or to crawl forwards upon hands and feet. It will be remembered that a pocket handkerchief or a piece of waste held between the teeth will help to cool the smoke and purify the air passing into the lungs. Agricultural fires require a somewhat different treatment to fires of any other kind. If the brigade arrives at the home or an outlying farm before damage has been done to more than one stack, the chief consideration is to confine the fire to the stack already alight. For this purpose, those towards which the wind is setting should be covered carefully in with tarpaulins, if they are to be had; otherwise with blankets or anything of the kind that comes to hand, and a considerable portion ot the attention of the branch-pipe man should be directed to keeping these coverings wet. The burning corn or hay should be pressed together with hayforks; it is a fatal Five Fighting. 105 policy to open the stack and allow the burning embers to fly about the rickyard. Some farm labourers may be stationed at each stack to prevent it taking fire. If the fire is near the stables, and it is desirable to remove the horses, they should be harnessed, if there is time, and their eyes bandaged with a wetted sack, smock frock, or whatever of the sort is handy, and led out as to work; they can then generally be got to a place of safety without much difficulty. Removal of horses from stables. io6 Fire Protection of Mansions. CHAPTER IX. SAVING LIFE. SAVING LIFE FROM FIRE-VALUE OF EARLY INTIMATION OF AN OUTBREAK-ELECTRIC FIRE ALARMS—PRESENCE OF MIND -DIRECTIONS HOW TO ACT ON AN ALARM OF FIRE BEING GIVEN-DOMESTIC FIRE ESCAPES-THE CHUTE ESCAPE—THE ROPE AND PULLEY ESCAPE-ROPE LADDERS -LADDER FIRE ESCAPES ON WHEELS-DIRECTIONS TO PRIVATE BRIGADE FOR SAVING LIFE—SEARCHING THE HOUSE-ENTRY BY THE WINDOWS—RESCUE FROM THE OUTSIDE—BRINGING PERSONS DOWN THE ESCAPE—LIGHT LADDERS—POMPIER LADDERS. Saving life My work would be performed incompletely if I did not add from fire. a word or two concerning the saving of life from fire. It is unfortunate that in regard to this, the most momentous duty which has to be performed at a fire, all that can be said must necessarily be very general in its application, many modifica¬ tions having to be made in regard to particular buildings in view of peculiarities in size, shape, and position. A country residence standing alone is without the most valuable aid which a building adjoining or even opposite that on fire lends towards the rescue of endangered persons. It is therefore of greater consequence in these than in other build- Value of early ■ w j iere people reside and sleep, although it is of great an outbreak, importance everywhere, to secure the earliest possible intima¬ tion that a fire has broken out. For this purpose the most valuable assistance is perhaps found in an automatic electric apparatus. One of the most simple and certain, and simplicity Electric fire . . . . , , alarms. and certainty of action are the great points to be considered, is that known as “ Bright’s self-acting electric fire detector.” This apparatus not only gives warning instantly of undue heat Saving Lije. 107 existing in any room, but it also indicates the precise place. The detector itself occupies the space of about an inch in each room, it may be fixed out of sight if desired, and it can be set to give warning at any degree of temperature. It makes its communication to an alarm bell or bells, which may be fixed in any part of the building, by the simple action of the electric current. There are many other systems of more or less efficiency upon the same principle. Upon an alarm of fire being given, if there is real danger, Presence of but a good chance of escape, the safety of the inmates very largely depends upon their own presence of mind. In nearly every instance notice will be given early enough for all the persons in the building to escape by one or other of the stair¬ ways if their own proceedings are marked by ordinary prudence. Everybody of ordinary intelligence must be able to master a few practical directions such as those which follow. Unfortu¬ nately an outbreak of fire is liable to cause an outbreak of temporary insanity in the inmates of the house, but if they are invited to learn and consider a few easy rules in times of safety, there isat least a possibility that they may beremembered and acted upon in the time of danger. In many large establishments directions similar to these are brought to the notice of every to act on inmate. “ Be prompt, and as calm and quiet as possible; an alarm of , • . . fire being avoid all contusion and unnecessary noise; ascertain, as soon given. as you can, where the fire is, and what hold of the place it has obtained, and endeavour to make your way by the stairs to the outside of the house ; if you cannot do this, muster all the inmates in one room at the front of the house, taking care to ascertain that no sick or helpless member of the household has been forgotten. Shut as far as possible all the doors and windows; if in bed at the time of the alarm, do not stop to dress, but wrap yourself in a blanket or bedside carpet. Do not hastily take desperate measures for escape; in the absence of any fire escapes inside the house, and no assistance arriving, do not precipitate yourselves from the windows while there remains the least chance of help being afforded. Fire Protection of Mansions. Domestic fire escapes— The Chute escape. The rope and pulley escape. ] 08 Even in the last extremity a plain rope is invaluable, or sheets and blankets may be joined together, one end fastened round a bedpost or other piece of furniture ; this will enable one person to lower all the rest separately, and the last may let himself down with comparatively little risk. A window over the doorway should be selected rather than one over an area.” The above directions pre-suppose the total absence of life¬ saving apparatus—but this is a condition which can hardly be allowed to occur in a well regulated house of any consider¬ able size. To obtain the greatest amount of safety, there should be, first, means in the house for the inmates to aid them¬ selves, and secondly, means to afford them help from the outside. The most simple and the safest domestic or indoor fire escape I know, is one which is called the “ Chute ” or “ Flume ” escape. It consists of a shoot of specially woven canvas material, having an iron frame at the top of a shape which allows its easy adjustment by one person. The frame fits over the window sill, and a cross bar is made of a sufficient length to span across the window opening. The escape is kept in or near the room it is intended for, and when it is required to bring it into use the frame is adjusted to the window and the shoot is thrown to the ground. The first person descending may do so unassisted by outstretching the arms and legs so as to check the speed of descent by friction against the shoot. This is a much more easy process than might be imagined by one who has never gone down a shoot in this manner. When the lower end of the shoot is held by some person standing on terra firma, one person after another may go down as speedily as they can enter at the top. Male and female, grown persons, invalids and children may descend with equal ease and safety ; and so fast that ten or twelve can place themselves beyond reach of danger in a minute. Another useful domestic escape consists of a suitable length of patent rope working through a pulley, and fitted with a Saving Life. 109 safety belt. It has a strong hook, which can be attached to an eye-bolt to be screwed into the ceiling; the bolt is made additionally secure by means of an iron plate also fixed to the ceiling by strong screws. The belt is placed round the waist of the person to be lowered, the last leaving the room can without difficulty adjust the belt round his own waist and lower himself down. If this class of domestic escape is adopted, it is advisable to fit a bolt to the ceiling inside the window of every room from which an escape can be effected. The machine itself may be carried from one room to another; it is extremely improbable that a house would be well alight on all sides before the fire was discovered. It would of course be used on that side where there were no flames coming from windows beneath the room where the inmates were assembled. Rope ladders are sometimes used, but in my opinion they Rope ladders, are dangerous things to trust to ; there is a difficulty in making a safe descent without a considerable amount of practice, owing to the swaying of the ladder. An unpractised person stepping out of a window on to one of these ladders would feel it give under his feet, and as a rule would at once relax his hold. I always advise shoot escapes in preference to any others, and I have never heard of a serious accident with one of them. A coil of good strong rope where no better means of escape are at hand has often proved useful. For the assistance of endangered persons from the outside Fire escapes of the building a fire escape on wheels, similar to those used on wheels * in towns, may be provided and should find a place in the grounds as near to the house as can be arranged conveniently. The cost of these machines is only about ^50. I considet the best are those which have two ladders, one working telescopically within the other, as they can be adjusted to any height. The fire escapes used in London have a top ladder, which is turned over when the escape is required lor a build¬ ing which the main ladder does not reach; but these in unpractised hands are more difficult than the telescopic escapes to manipulate and mount, and are not therefore so iio Fire Protection of Mansions. Directions to the private brigade for saving life. Searching the house. Entry by the windows. safe. The escape ought to be kept under cover, and if it is locked up there should be a key in the possession of every trustworthy person connected with the house. Upon an alarm of fire being given, it should be the duty of three of the members of the household brigade to proceed at once to the escape shed, and bring the machine (whether it is likely to be wanted or not) to the building, placing it in a position of safety against one of the walls ; the escape will stand of itself in the open, being provided with a pair of wood legs for the purpose ; but it is preferable to rest it against a support of some kind. Every member of the household brigade should make himself perfect in fire escape drill, so that in case of emergency he may be able to act alone or with others. Upon the occurrence of a serious fire, supposing the master of the house or the servant who is in command of the house¬ hold brigade is not absolutely certain that every person who was in the house is in a place of safety, he should at once direct a thorough search of the building to be made. For this purpose the stairs should be used whenever it is possible to do so. It no doubt appears a much more glorious enterprise to rush up a ladder, cut away a window with a hand-axe, and dash into a room from the outside ; this must be done where it is unavoidable, but it should be remembered that where the house is well alight, it dooms the place, and if there are any persons at the top or back, it dooms them also to almost certain destruction. The best way to carry out this search, the most hazardous part of the amateur fireman’s duty, is to enter by the door, and go by the stairs to the top of the building, first being careful to attach a pocket line to the belt round the waist, and commencing at the top, to explore the rooms and passages as completely as may be, working gradually to the bottom. If an entry cannot be effected by the door, the frames of a window should not be ruthlessly hacked away with the hand- axe ; if the fireman breaks a pane near the hasp he can open the window, and by closing it after him considerably reduce Saving Lije. hi the danger to the building and inmates. If he wishes to clear the room of smoke, he may break another small piece of glass below or above the first opening, which will be effective. To breathe in a room full of smoke, the advantage of keeping the head as near the ground as possible is well known ; a pocket handkerchief, dipped in water, will make a tolerably good respirator if a better is not available. Should reliable information have been obtained that all the Rescue from _ , . the outside, persons are m one room, or one set of rooms, the fireman will of course at once proceed there; otherwise he will use his discretion as to what must be done. If he sees them at a front window, and knows that exit by means of the stairs is cut off, he will at once pitch the escape, placing the top of the highest ladder he has to use to reach it, just below the window. If he has a fly ladder escape and is compelled to use the turnover ladder in a narrow place, he must place the escape fore and aft and throw up the ladders in that position, pitching it after¬ wards with all the help he can get as may be required. The fireman will then ascend the escape, enter the room, and pass down the inmates by the shoot, if the escape has a shoot, other¬ wise by the ladder or by a line, according to the age and sex of the endangered persons; and other circumstances. If he elects to take them down the ladder upon his back, he must be careful to get upon the floor where they are to place them in position, on no account trying to do this while upon the ladder; he should then, carefully balancing himself, especially at the moment of placing his weight upon the ladder, get upon the machine with the greatest circumspection, and descend with his feet as wide apart upon the rounds as possible. To place persons in the shoot, the fireman should first lay Bnn S in S persons down them face downwards upon the floor, then raising them the escape, gradually, he should throw them across his shoulders, and ease them gently, face upwards from his shoulder, into the shoot. Women are usually sent down head foremost, so that their clothing may not catch in the shoot; men either way. The rule is to send down first the women and children, and 112 Fire Protection oj Mansions. Light ladders. Pompier ladders. afterwards the men, but circumstances frequently occur in which this is impossible, and the fireman must do what appears to him at the moment to be best. Unfortunately persons in a situation of danger have very seldom full command over themselves, or any command at all, and if the fireman is not self-contained and resolute serious difficulties may be placed in the way of successful action. He must, therefore, above all things, act promptly and courageously, and insist upon the most implicit obedience to his commands, because if he hesitate or shew signs of pusillanimity, he will throw away his chance of usefulness, or at least greatly diminish it. It is a good plan to keep also a few light bill posters’ ladders in the fore courts, with instructions that they are only to be used as fire escapes. The Pompier ladders in use on the Continent and in America are very valuable, but they require much pluck, agility and practice if they are to be used success¬ fully. They consist of light ladders fitted at the top with hooks for reaching over window sills ; these hooks are about three feet long, and they can be driven through a shutter if necessary. By their means a practised corps can ascend the highest buildings, bringing their ladders after them from storey to storey, can swing from one line of windows to another, and, in fact, can effect rescues of endangered persons from positions impossible to be reached in any other way. I am much afraid, however, that few, if any, private fire brigades could organise a corps to work them with safety and success. Fire Rules for Smaller Households. ii3 CHAPTER X. FIRE RULES FOR SMALLER HOUSEHOLDS. PREVENTION OF FIRE-GAS—MINERAL OR INFLAMMABLE OIL LAMPS-TO ESCAPE —ACCIDENTS TO PERSONS—PROTECTION. It may be desirable to reduce the more practically important remarks contained in the foregoing chapters into a short list of easy regulations for household guidance. This is intended for those residences which are too small to demand a private brigade and extensive private appliances. The following list does not of course cover the whole ground, but it contains the chief facts it is necessary to remember in order to prevent fires, and directions how to act when fire has broken out. I have purposely kept it within as small limits as possible, so that it may be of use to those who would not read or remember longer and more elaborate rules. It has been drawn up after consultation with Mr. Supt. Tozer, of Manchester, and can be had printed in a form for convenient household reference. PREVENTION. Care, order, and cleanliness are the best fire preventives, especially care with mineral and other inflammable oils and spirits, and with all movable lamps. Protect all fireplaces with a guard. Keep all chimneys properly swept and in good repair. Keep all gasfittings and pipes in good order. All moving gasfittings depending upon water joints should always have the water in the tube covered with oil, to prevent the water evaporating. Fix all gas brackets that are likely to be placed too near inflammable pendant things, as they may be blown into exposed lights. Wire guards should be used where glass ones are impracticable. 114 Fire Protection of Mansions. Use only safety matches, and do not leave them lying about. Do not read, smoke, or sew in bed with a movable light too near the bed clothing. Oily or greasy rags should not be allowed to accumulate in cupboards or corners. Cats and dogs should not be left in rooms where clothes are drying in front of fireplaces. Do not leave children locked up in a room where there is a fire, light, or lucifers. OAS. Do not turn the gas off at the meter at night. Do not seek for an escape of gas with a light. When an escape of gas is discovered open all the doors and upper parts of the windows, and extinguish all fires and lights, and turn off the gas at the meter and the stopcock out¬ side. Examine all the taps and movable fittings, especially the watercups in pendant chandeliers. Send for the nearest gasfitter, and watch him carefully, for he will sometimes seek for an escape with a light, and may find it at the risk of blowing up the building and all it contains. MINERAL OR INFLAMMABLE OIL LAMPS. The best lamp is one with a heavy and broad base. The reservoir is safest when made of metal, with no other opening than that made to receive the wick case. The light should be extinguished by a metal extinguisher. Do not blow down the glass chimney. The wicks should be soft, dry and only long enough to reach the bottom ot the reservoir, and should be soaked in oil before being placed in the wick case. Keep all oil lamps and bottles thoroughly clean and dry. Trim the lamps by daylight and away from any fire or light. If the lamp is upset and the oil takes fire do not use water; sand or ashes are better; or dip some woollen fabric in water and smother the fire with it. Fire Rules for Smaller Households. ir 5 TO ESCAPE. On discovering the house on fire, collect all the inmates in a front room as near the ground as possible. Do not open any more windows or doors than are neces¬ sary, they should be kept closed. Leave the house if you can by the front door, but if the lower part of the house is on fire make an exit by the trap door or by removing a few slates from the roof. If that cannot be done, then collect all the inmates in a front room, being careful to select one from which the wind will blow the smoke and flames, and wait as long as possible for outside assistance. Should there be no rope in the house, sheets and blankets may be torn up and knotted together to form a substitute, make fast one end to the bedstead or some other piece of furniture, lower the most helpless inmates first, and lastly slide down the rope yourself. If for some reason this cannot be done, throw bedding or any soft substance out of the window; a carpet or counterpane held by the onlookers over the bedding will break the fall, but do not jump from the window until there is no hope of being rescued by some other means. In passing from one room to another in the midst of smoke and heat, crawl upon the hands and knees, keeping the head as near the floor as possible; a wet handkerchief or any fibrous material held between the teeth will assist free breathing. ACCIDENTS TO PERSONS. Upon discovering any portion of your clothing on fire, lay down and roll upon the carpet or floor and call for assistance to smother the flames. In removing clothing from the injured part, be careful not to tear the skin or break a blister: apply flour, starch, or cotton wool, the object being to exclude the air until medical aid is obtained. n6 Fire Protection of Mansions. PROTECTION. Keep always ready at least— A few buckets filled with water. A small force pump like those used in the London Fire Brigade. A blanket. A hatchet to break open doors and to cut up and expose fire burning under flooring, &c. A long handled fire hook to pull down curtains and ceilings. One or more length of rope, according to the height of the house and number of inmates. A policeman’s whistle or rattle. A light ladder to lead to the roof, kept on the upper floor and another kept in a convenient place on the ground floor. It is the duty of the head of the family and every member of the household to make himself acquainted with the bes means to be adopted in the event of a fire occurring,and those who have anticipated such a casualty will be best prepared for the evil when it comes; if living in a town all should know which is the nearest fire engine station, the nearest life escape station, the nearest police station, the nearest plumber’s shop, the nearest surgeon’s residence, where the turncock lives, and the nearest plug or hydrant on the water supply to the house. Final. 117 CHAPTER XI. FINAL. MANSIONS SAVED BY PRIVATE APPARATUS-CANFORD MANOR ; SAVED IN 1879 ; SAVED IN 1884 -HAMPTON COURT PALACE ; EFFICIENT VOLUNTEER BRIGADE ; HOW THE FIRE ORIGI¬ NATED ; PROMPT ACTION OF THE BRIGADE ; EXCELLENCE OF THE APPARATUS ; GALLANT EFFORTS OF THE BRIGADE ; FIRE IN NOVEMBER, 1886 —DESTRUCTION OF DUNCOMBE PARK ; BUCKETS ONLY AVAILABLE; A HANDPUMP WOULD HAVE SAVED THE MANSION-FIRE AT BARLOW HALL; HOW THE LOSS MIGHT HAVE BEEN AVERTED-FIRE AT WALCOTT HALL—A PARALLEL AND A CONTRAST-PARTIAL DEMOLI¬ TION OF CLUMBER HOUSE-DESTRUCTION OF BADMINTON AVERTED. A I might fill a much larger book than this with accounts of Mansions the saving from destruction by fire of many noble residential houses during the past few years by apparatus which their apparatus, owners had provided against an emergency. Reports of very few of these “ stops ” reach the public ear; it is only when such appliances are not provided or are out of order, and the place is greatly damaged or destroyed, that the affair creates a local or a national sensation. I do not, however, think it well to increase the size of this little work by inserting a number of accounts of fires for the purpose of proving the value of efficient fire protection, which is not only self-evident, but is universally admitted even by those who do not avail them¬ selves of it. 1 have merely selected from the pages of The Fireman a few of the most interesting instances of the kind. The first relates to Canford Manor, the residence of Lord Wimborne, and the account appeared in the impression of that journal for February, 1884, as follows:— “ In another column we report the recent outbreak of fire I Canford Manor. Saved in 1879. Saved in 1884. 118 Fire Protection of Mansions. which occurred at Canford Manor, the country seat of Lord Wimborne, and it is assuring to know that at least one of England’s baronial halls, with its priceless heirlooms, has been saved from threatened destruction in consequence of the exercise of prudence and foresight. “ The value of possessing fire extinguishing appliances is in some instances doubted, because of the impossibility of employing a thoroughly experienced fireman, but we have now to record the fact that persons who have never before assisted in the extinction of a real conflagration have proved them¬ selves reliable amateur firemen, and have been successful in wresting noble wealth from fiery tongues. “ Many years ago one of Mr. Merryweather’s Manual Fire Engines, capable of pumping 100 gallons of water a minute, was procured, and housed in the stable yard at Canford Manor; it was not forgotten and consequently found useless when needed, but periodically worked, and the men upon the estate initiated in its proper use, with the result that on a November midnight in 1879, its services were demanded by an alarming discovery of a raging fire in the attic bedrooms. The servants were aroused, and quickly pulled the engine to the water supply and put it into action. After a few hours hard working, with the hose laid up the staircase, the damage was confined to the suite of rooms, without an alarm being conveyed outside the Manor gates. “ Roused by this narrow escape Lord Wimborne lost no time in having water pipes fixed from a reservoir, with hydrants and hose inside the mansion, upon each floor, so as to be available more speedily than the engine, and with need for fewer hands. Extinctors and buckets were also adopted. “At noon on Sunday, the 6th January, 1884, a servant found flames had broken out, from an unascertained cause, in a cupboard under the grand oak staircase, and the violent ringing of the house bell called Lord and Lady Wimborne and others of the household from Canford Church to the scene of Final. n 9 danger. No time was lost by his Lordship in giving directions as to the rescue of such property as was accessible; and Mr. Towse, the estate clerk of works, resorted to the nearest hydrant on the first floor, the hose of which was speedily put into good use, although the smoke was overpowering, and a second and even third hydrant were made use of to confine the increasing flames, while the house steward removed the valuable plate, and the estate agent superintended the hasty clearance of rooms in danger. The Manor fire engine was run down to the river Stour, and hose taken up over ladders to the roof, while about a dozen willing persons pumped a good jet of water, which broke the glass of the large window of the staircase, and caused the smoke to waft from the corri¬ dors, which were previously almost impassable. In this way good work was done, and the fire kept within the staircase walls, notwithstanding the excessive heat, radiated by the flames and the dense smoke, due to the bees-wax polish upon the timber work. The fire steadily passed under the flooring of the great hall, and hatchets and crowbars were necessary to break away the timber, while buckets of water were carried and applied to points of probable danger. “Three-quarters of an hour after the alarm being given to the Wimborne Fire Brigade, their engine was upon the scene and put into service to aid the Manor staff, but it is certain that had the servants been powerless to deal with the fire for lack of extinguishing appliances readily at hand, and had been 'forced to await the Wimborne engine, nothing but the bare walls of the entire structure would now be of value. “ Messrs. Merryweather, of Long Acre, London, have made an inspection of the building, and regard the manner in which the fire appliances were utilised as creditable in the highest degree. The amount of damage done is marvellously small considering the position of the staircase, which is entirely con¬ sumed from ground to what was once the emblazoned ceiling, while the great hall and other parts of the house have only sustained slight unavoidable damage by smoke.” 120 Fire Fro ted ion of Mansions. Hampton Hampton Court Palace, as will be remembered, narrowly Court Palace. esca p e q total destruction on December 14th, 1882. The Fireman for the following month says :— “ A thrill of delight may be said, not merely hyperbolically but literally, to have passed through the whole country when it was known on Thursday, the 14th of last month, that the ancient palace ofWolsey had escaped the imminent danger which threatened its destruction. The national loss which would have occurred had the priceless cartoons of Raphael,, and the choice works of Vandyke, Kneller, Lawrence, Lely, and Velasquez perished in the flames, cannot possibly be exaggerated, even by the longest string of adjectives which our language will afford. The building itself possesses- associations of peculiar interest, dating back not earlier than Tudor times, but connected since that period with the reigning Sovereigns till the days of George II. The old palace was built by Cardinal Wolsey, and by him handed over to his- Royal master, probably to avoid a more summary mode of transfer. This was mostly burned in 1690, and the rest of the present palace was built by William III. At Hampton, Henry VIII. spent much of his time; Edward VI. was born there, and resided for some years at the palace with the Duke of Somerset, his guardian. Mary and Elizabeth, James I. and Charles I. passed many years in its pleasant courts, the latter in the days both of prosperity and adversity. £ Our chief of men’ loved Hampton, and in his latter years spent there many anxious, weary, and sorrowful days. It -was during Cromwell’s residence at Hampton Court that his favourite daughter died, and among the more sombre memories of the place is one ‘ that during the dead of night the grief-stricken Protector bore the body of the child to the river side, and then, followed by a multitude of barges, rowed her down the silent Thames to that grave in the Chapel of Henry VII., where she still reposes.’ The associations of the Merry Monarch with the place are of a more joyful description. William III. resided there frequently, rebuilt part of. the Final. 12 I palace, planted the chesnut trees in Bushey Park, and gave much time to the gardens; in his favourite woods he met with the accident which caused his death. Queen Anne and the first two Georges held their courts at Hampton, but from the time of George III. the palace has ceased to be tbe home of our Sovereigns. It has, of late years, been a particularly favourite resort of London excursionists, to whom it is open both on Sunday and during the week; its apartments are devoted to the laudable purpose of a home, provided by Her Majesty’s bounty, for widows and other representatives of those who have deserved well of the State. “The Office of Works and Public Buildings, in whose charge Efficient . . volunteei the palace is, have been at great trouble to provide for it brigade, every possible protection against fire. A most efficient volunteer fire brigade was established some few years ago, under the command of Mr. Moorman, and its work has fre¬ quently been commended in our columns. We understand that weekly fire drills were carried out with unremitting punctuality; in fact, the night before the fire Mr. Moorman had put his men through their drill. Consequently, when a fire did actually break out, there was no display of ignorance or inefficiency, and the brigade were able to effect one of the most splendid “ stops ” it has been our pleasure to record. That the damage done was restrained within such narrow limits is owing entirely to the admirable system of hydrants in the building, and the efficient way in which they were used by the Fire Brigade of the palace, as, but for the promptitude with which they were got to work, and the good supply of water at hand, there is little doubt that at any rate the whole of the eastern wing of the building, if not more, would have fallen a sacrifice to the flames. This wing is in four storeys* the ground, second and third floors being tenanted, and the State apartments being on the first floor. The place where the fire originated was in a bedroom upon the second floor at the south-east corner of the palace, where a suite of apart¬ ments was occupied by a Mrs. Crofton and her daughter. 122 Fire Protection of Mansions. On one side of these the outlook is on to the public gardens, while the windows in the opposite quarter looked into the cloistered quadrangle known as Fountain Court. The bed¬ room in question was used by a Mrs. Lucas, the cook of Mrs. How the fire Crofton, and it would seem that while she was dressing, at originated. about half-past seven in the morning, she overturned a paraffin or benzoline lamp, which at once set the room in a blaze. This she endeavoured to extinguish by throwing water upon it, but finding the flames spreading she ran through the drawing-room and alarmed the inmates, afterwards apparently returning towards her own room, presumably either to again endeavour to put out the fire or else to save some of her pro¬ perty. She was not after this seen alive. When an attempt was made to enter the drawing-room, the suffocating smoke drove every one back, and it was not until some time later that the body was found lying face downward upon the floor, close to the doorway leading to her own room. Prompt action “ Almost at the same moment that Mrs. Lucas gave the of the brigade. a j arm a servan t in the employ of Mrs. Fitzroy, who, with Lady Torrens, occupied the two suites of rooms upon the floor above, saw flames coming from one of the windows, and she sent for the firemen. Without any delay, Mr. Chart, the Clerk of the Works, and Mr. Moorman, the Superintendent of the Palace Fire Brigade, both of whom live upon the premises, were communicated with, and steps were at once taken to cope with the conflagration, which had now taken a strong hold. Instantly the men of the Brigade, some of whom live in and others out of the Palace, were summoned, and telegrams were despatched to Richmond, Kingston, and other surrounding places where there are Fire Brigades, as well as to the head-quarters of the Metropolitan Brigade in London, the latter only being asked to hold themselves in readiness in case they were wanted. At the same time steam was got up in the powerful stationary engine that supplies the hydrants, and within a quarter of an hour seven strong jets were playing upon the flames, now burning like a furnace* Final. 123 This machine is capable of pumping 700 gallons per minute; it was a Field quick steam-raising boiler, a pump of the Merryweather type, with large waterways, and cylinder with the simple twist bar arrangement. The excellence of this class of machine was never more conclusively demonstrated than when, in the dark of an early December morning, the safety of the fine old palace depended upon the engine bring¬ ing to bear immediately and without mishap upon the flames the whole force of which it is capable. Within fifteen minutes of the alarm being raised, as we said, seven jets of water were playing upon the fire, and by the skill and energy of Captain Moorman and his men, who, when called upon suddenly to act, were found, like the big engine, equal to their duty, the palace was saved. “ Not only are all the stairways furnished with hydrants, but so lately as about a year since a large main, with hose ready attached, was laid completely round the roof. From this point, through the ceiling, the firemen were enabled to throw an immense amount of water, as well as from the doorway and also through an inner window looking upon a small square that gave light to the surrounding rooms. A number of stone well staircases lead from below to the private rooms, every suite of which has two exits, and therefore there was no difficulty both for the inmates to escape and for the men to work almost on all sides of the spot where the fire was raging. All the walls are very massive, but the oak wainscot¬ ing and panelling favoured the flames, and it was not long before they reached the floor above, at the same time also crossing into the drawing-room in the front and through a small linen-closet to the dining-room at the rear. But by this time the firemen had fairly grappled with the fire, and, assisted by a large number of men of the 4th Hussars, who had turned out promptly on the call, were fighting the foe inch by inch to prevent its extending. Many of the soldiers, although half- suffocated with the heat and smoke, gallantly worked at re¬ moving the pictures and furniture, much of which was of a very Excellence of the apparatus. 124 Fire Protection of Mansions. Gallant efforts of the brigade. valuable character, from the burning rooms into places of safety. Shortly before nine o’clock the brigades from Kingston and Surbiton, followed by those from Richmond, Twickenham and Moulsey, arrived, and rendered valuable assistance. At this time it was seen that there was sufficient force to cope with the fire, and a message to that effect was sent to Captain Shaw. “ When the men of the Fire Brigades found that they were really gaining a mastery over the flames, not only preventing any further spread, but beating the fire where it was fully alight, they redoubled their efforts, with good effect. Portions of the leaden roof were pulled off, and hose attached to fresh hydrants, the stream of water from all quarters fairly drowning the fire in less than two hours from the time it first broke out. The men had great difficulty in getting close, as the smoke from so much woodwork was dense and pungent. When at last an entrance could be effected, and a thorough examination made, it was found that the bedroom where the fire com¬ menced, and a small corridor adjoining, had been burnt quite out; but, although the floor was reduced to a cinder, the ceil¬ ing below, above the Picture Gallery, had not given way. Here were found the remains of a lamp, which was, no doubt, the initial cause of the calamity. The drawing-room, adjoin¬ ing one way, and the dining-room, on the other, were also damaged by fire, though it had been mainly confined to the corners in which it had started, and along the wainscoting of one wall in each room. This wainscot had acted like a flue to carry the flames upwards to Mrs. Fitzroy’s rooms, four of which were considerably injured, though in neither case had it been permitted to extend itself over the entire room. The intense heat in the principal seat of the fire was shewn by the zinc water pipes outside the windows having been completely melted, and by many of the windows of the turret lights above the well staircase on to which the room led being broken from the same cause, though the flames never reached them. Though the injury to property caused by actual burning was so small, that by water and removal was considerable. Final. 125 “ Our hearty congratulations are due to Captain Moorman, and to the palace officials, upon their success in preventing a calamity to the nation, and to art. The fire should enforce a lesson we have long endeavoured to inculcate. A resident Fire Brigade, formed of inmates and servants, should be attached to every Royal Palace and other large public building or residential mansion; should be thoroughly drilled, and pro¬ vided with the necessary apparatus with no niggardly hand; then with proper attention paid to keeping the appliances ready for instant application, the buildings will be as safe as human care can make them. There are few more inflammable or fire inviting structures in the country than Hampton Court Palace, and what has been done there may, with like care and forethought, be done everywhere.” On November 19th, 1886, the Palace was again endangered, and was once more saved, mainly owing to the exertions of the resident brigade. The fire broke out in this instance also in the private apartments, and was caused by a lamp as in the previous case. The scene of the outbreak was one of a suite of rooms closely adjacent to the well-known Chapel and Haunted Chamber. Although standing on the Palace grounds, they were cut off from public view, and did not contain any relics or historical pictures. The frontage ran along Tennis Lane, facing a large garden, and forming the back part of the Palace. The tenant of the apartments in which the fire originated was Miss Cuppage, who, being absent from town, lent them to Lord Alwyne Compton, the Regiment of the 10th Hussars, with which v his Lordship is connected, being quartered in the adjoining barracks. At a few minutes after eleven in the morning his Lordship was in the sitting-room, and a servant had just previously removed a lighted lamp containing mineral oil. Under the impression that the light was extinguished she placed the lamp in a cupboard, sharply closing the door after her. Immediately an explosion followed, accompanied by flames, which, coming in contact with some inflammable material, rapidly made way. Lord Alwyne Compton touched Fire in November, 1886. 126 Fire Protection of Mansions. Destruction of Duncombe Park. one of the electric fire bells, with which the palace is well provided. His action had the effect of bringing Mr. Moorman, the chief of the Palace Fire Brigade, from his office opposite, and he, observing the flames bursting through the windows, ordered his men to get the manual to work while steam was being got up in the steamer. The hydrants were at once brought into requisition, and did excellent service. Telegraphic communication was also resorted to, which promptly brought up engines and men from Teddington, Surbiton, Kingston, Kew, Isleworth, Twickenham, and Richmond. A message was also sent to Captain Shaw at his head-quarters, Southwark Bridge Road, and he replied that he was ready to send on half-a-dozen steamers and ioo men. The force at hand, however, was able to cope with the disaster, and a reply was returned to that effect. At about a quarter to two the roof of one of the buildings fell with a crash, but the firemen were by this time masters of the situation. The firemain laid on the roof behind the parapet enabled the men to deluge the top of the Palace with water, which greatly assisted in the extinction of the fire. The fire had first attacked the apartments of Miss Burgoyne, then spread to those of Miss Somerset, and finished at the residence of Mrs. Cavendish Boyle. By dint of strenuous exertions it was mastered about four o’clock, but for several hours after¬ wards water was poured on the smouldering ruins. The official report stated that between twenty and twenty-five rooms with their contents were destroyed, and, about fifteen more damaged by fire and water. The estimated loss is about jQ 12,000, a trifle to what would hive been caused but for the efficiency of the fire arrangements. There is another picture upon which it is well to look. I quote again from The Fireman of February, 1879 :—“ The Earl of Faversham’s splendid mansion at Duncombe Park was one of the finest works of Sir John Vanbrugh. Built in 1718 by William Wakefield, of Easingwold, it was well known to tourists, the noble owner generously throwing it open to the Final. 127 public. Amongst the rare and valuable works of art contained within its walls were splendid antique statues of Mars, Mercury, Apollo, and Bacchus, together with two specimens of the famous Greek sculptor, Myron, who flourished 440 b.c. —the Dog of Alcibiades and a Discobolus, or Quoit-thrower. “ On Saturday morning, the 1 ith ult., at half-past five o’clock, a chimney sweeper from Kirby Moorside, who visits the Hall regularly to examine the flues, knocked at the door on his usual errand. Three of the housemaids, who slept in the green-room, were about the same time awakened by the smell of smoke. Jumping out of bed, they found the green-room floor and the ceiling of the grand saloon on fire. They instantly gave an alarm, and the butler and second coachman came to the spot, and stood in the room throwing water on the fire as jast as the servant girls could bring it in buckets. They were at last, however, driven out by the smoke and flames. The man who looked after the water pumping and the plumber and turn¬ cock were sent for, but all the taps were found to be frozen, and it was some time before the snow, which had fallen heavily during the night, could be swept from the ground in order to find the fire-plugs. The Kirby Moorside fire-engine and bri¬ gade were sent for, but their working was delayed owing to the water-pipes being frozen, and only a poor supply of water could be pumped up from the Rye. The York steam fire-engine was also sent for, but by the time it arrived the building was gutted. The contents of the grand saloon, including the library, and the historical and family portraits, were entirely destroyed, the interior of the premises being rendered a complete wreck. “ Now, it is very evident that the disaster would not have assumed such severe proportions had it not been for the frost, and the consequent limited supply of water. But there are two considerations that at once suggest themselves, and they are these: That at the first alarm hand-pumps should have been used instead of buckets, and that some competent person should have periodically inspected and tested the fire appli¬ ances; a precaution quite as important as having a sweep over Buckets o available. 128 Fire Protection of Mansions. Fire at Barlow Hall. A hand-pump from Kirby Moorside to look after the flues. We do not hesi- would have saved the fate to say that had a London Brigade or a ‘Tozer’ hand- mansion. pump been available the catastrophe would have been averted.” I shall conclude my accounts of fires in mansions by inserting another extract from the same journal (April, 1879):— “ Only in February last we had to speak of the fire at Dun- combe Park, now we have to chronicle disasters almost as severe at Clumber House and Barlow Hall. And both these fires might have been checked at their commencement, and much valuable property preserved, had there been appliances on the spot ready for action. “ Barlow Hall, near Manchester, is one of the residences of Mr. W. Cunliffe Brooks, M.P., and banker. It has some interest¬ ing historical and antiquarian associations, which have reference mainly to the older part of the building, erected some three centuries ago. It was here that the fire broke out, and before the flames were extinguished the greater part of this portion of the mansion was destroyed. On Wednesday, the 19th ult., the only occupants were the housekeeper and a number of servants. About four o’clock a servant had occasion to go into the oak- room, and found that the panelling near to the fireplace was on fire. She communicated with the housekeeper, who despatched messengers to summon to the house the workmen on the estate and on neighbouring farms. Two manual fire engines from Manchester, with a staff of men under Assistant- Superintendent Savage, arrived about half-past five o’clock. Water was obtained from the lake in front of the hall. By the time the firemen got to work the fire had extended to several rooms, and it was pretty clear that much, if not all, of the old wing was doomed. The room was soon on fire, and very quickly a large piece of it fell in. The firemen worked zealously to check the flames and to prevent their extending to the modern part of the house. Between six and seven o’clock there were indications that the fire was being mastered, though at this time the roof of the dining-room, which is in the modern Final. 129 portion of the hall, became ignited. The firemen were, how¬ ever, able quickly to check this alarming extension of the con¬ flagration, and shortly after seven o’clock the fire was declared to be entirely subdued. Practically, only the shell of the old wing remains ; although there are several rooms in it which are damaged only by water. The fire is believed to have been occasioned by the heat of a flue having set fire to a piece of timber in the wall of the oak-room. The walls were of the old-fashioned kind, composed of wood and brick, which made this part of the mansion peculiarly liable to fire. “ What a world of trouble, anxiety, and ultimate loss would How the loss have been saved had even so simple an appliance as a hand- been Averted, pump been at once available. A ‘ Tozer ’ or a ‘ London Brigade,’ vigorously worked for a few minutes, would have soon told a tale, and left but little for Mr. Savage and his engines from Manchester to do on his arrival. And this is no mere conjecture on our part. Only a few days before, between eight and nine o’clock in the morning, Walcott Hall, near ^ Stamford, the residence of Lord Esme Gordon, was discovered Walcott Hall to be on fire. Lady Gordon was awakened by smoke issuing from beneath the floor of her bedroom. She aroused his lord- ship, and he obtained assistance. A board of the flooring was removed, and a large beam of wood under the hearth, which was smouldering, burst into flames and set fire to the floor. There being proper means at hand, the fire was extinguished before much damage was done. The Stamford fire engine was sent for, but its services were not needed. “ Here we have a parallel and a contrast. The cause of fire A parallel and —a very common one, by the bye, in old country houses— a contrast, was almost the same in both houses; but the outcome was very different. In the former instance, reliance had to be placed on others at a distance; result: delay, danger, and destruction. In the latter case proper means were at hand, and were promptly applied ; result: speedy extinction, and but little damage. The Stamford fire engine, though sent for, was not needed. This should speak volumes to owners of Partial demolition of Clumber House. Destruction of Badminton averted. 130 Fire Protection of Mansions. property, who should remember that in fires, as in other anxieties, the proverb holds good, ‘ Heaven helps those who help themselves.’ “On the 26th ult., Clumber House, the seat of the Duke of Newcastle, had a very narrow escape of total destruction; as it was, being nearly demolished. The fire brigade from Worksop were summoned at half-past five o’clock, and on arriving found that the whole of the central portion of the mansion was in flames. Efforts were made to prevent the extension of the fire, but at this time that part of the building lying between the west front, facing the lake, right to the south front, was on fire, including the entrance hall, from the basement to the roof. The pile blazed furiously. The fire then spread to the large dining-hall, where the late Duke lay in state a month ago, and before the brigade could check its career in this part of the house, it had destroyed the door and a portion of the flooring at the junction with the entrance hall. At eight o’clock the fire was at its fiercest, and at ten o’clock forced its way towards the library and into one of the reception rooms. The whole of the centre of the house was gutted, only the bare walls remaining standing. It was found that the fire originated in a bathroom, where plumbers had been at work with a charcoal fire. It was discovered early in the morning by the housekeeper, who heard a crackling noise, and saw the reflection from her window. There was no resource but to send elsewhere for assistance; meanwhile the little fire, which might have been quickly trodden out, increased in intensity with such rapidity as to defy repression. A stitch in time would have done wonders. “ At Badminton, a few weeks ago, the destruction of the seat of the Duke of Beaufort, so famous for its hospitality, was averted by the use of hand appliances by his Grace and his eldest son. Well might the Duke remark, in writing to Messrs. Merryweather with particulars of the occurrence, Final. 131 * that but for such firms as theirs, there would be but little protection for life or property.’ “ At Hastings, about the same time, Colonel Byng, whose letter we publish elsewhere, prevented a serious fire by means of a London Brigade hand pump, and we might give a long list of instances of the usefulness of this simple and inexpensive apparatus. “ Are we singular, then, in expressing astonishment that month after month we have to narrate the destruction of time-honoured buildings, ancestral seats of the proudest of our old nobility, or receptacles of the accumulated stores of art and literature, older and prouder still ? ” 132 Fire Protection of Mansions. APPENDIX A. Mineral Oil Lamps. The following are the suggestions drawn up by the Metro- tropolitan Board of Works, referred to on page 14 of Chapter II. :— 1. —That portion of the wick which is in the oil reservoir should be enclosed in a tube of thin sheet metal, open at the bottom, or in a cylinder offine wire gauze,such as is used in miners’ safety lamps (28 meshes to one inch). 2. —The oil reservoir should be of metal, rather than of china or glass. 3. —The oil reservoir should have no feeding place nor opening other than the opening into which the upper part of the lamp is screwed. 4. —Every lamp should have a proper extinguishing apparatus. 5. —Every lamp should have a broad and heavy base. 6. —Wicks should be soft and not tightly plaited. 7. —Wicks should be dried at the fire before being put into lamps. 8. —Wicks should only be just long enough to reach the bottom of the oil reservoir. 9. —Wicks should be so wide that they quite fill the wick holder, without having to be squeezed into it. 10. —Wicks should be soaked with oil before being lit. 11. —The reservoir should be quite filled with oil every time before using the lamp. 12. —The lamp should be kept thoroughly clean, all oil should be carefully wiped off, and all charred wick and dirt removed before lighting. 13. —When the lamp is lit the wick should at first be turned down and then slowly raised. 14. —Lamps which have no extinguishing apparatus should be put out as follows :—The wick should be turned down until there is only a small flickering flame, and a sharp puff of breath should then be sent across the top of the chimney, but not down it. 15. —Cans or bottles used for oil should be free from water and dirt, and should be kept thoroughly closed. These suggestions apply to ordinary mineral oil lamps such as are generally used, and not to benzoline or spirit lamps. One cause of many explosions with mineral oil lamps is the mixing of a quantity of mineral spirits with the oil, the former being cheaper; the result is a mixture which gives a much better light than pure oil at a lower cost. This was once very com¬ monly done by small dealers, but the practice has become less general now in consequence of better supervision. Appendix. APPENDIX B. Friction in Hose. i33 (From the “ Dictionary of Fires, Fire Engines, and Fire Appliances .”) Friction in Hose.— This is an important factor in the working of fire engine or hydrant streams. The force expended in overcoming friction in the hose becomes, unless care is taken to properly adjust the size of the hose and nozzle to the quantity and pressure, a very large proportion of the whole force furnished by the pressure in the engine pumps or the firemain. The formula for calculating the amount of pressure absorbed by friction in the hose is as follows :— Let D = Diameter of the hose in inches. L=Length in yards. H = Head of water in feet absorbed by friction. G=Gallons per minute. G 2 x L Then H = (3D) 5 So that with three inch hose, fifty yards long, and one hundred gallons per minute, the loss is equal to 100 2 x 50 —^—x~3)5 = 8'4 feet head = 3*6 lbs. pressure. With 300 gallons per minute and the same length and size of hose 300 2 x 50 =76 feet head or 33 lbs. = the number of pounds pressure absorbed. It will also be observed from this formula that the pressure lost increases rapidly with the quantity passed through the hose in any given time. The diameter of the hose has a still more important effect. In our first example, if the hose had been two inch instead of three inch, I (° x ~~ p° “ ^ f eet head or 27*7 lbs. pressure would have been absorbed instead of 3’6 lbs., and in the second X CO A--= 278 feet head or 250*6 lbs. pressure instead of (3 x 33 lbs. only. From the latter example we may learn in passing that how¬ ever much a steam fire engine may be capable of doing, if hose too small for it is used the duty is not performed. Here an apparent difficulty arises. If 50 yards of two inch hose are attached to a steamer capable of pumping 300 gallons per minute, 25C6 lbs. pressure should thoretically be absorbed in the hose, whereas there is not at the utmost in the engine pump K 134 Fire Protection of Mansions. more than 140 lbs. pressure to be absorbed ; yet experience teaches us a stream will be forthcoming at the end of the hose. The fact is that the quantity passed is under these circumstances diminished, and with it of course the pressure lost by friction. The use of a small nozzle diminishes the quantity pumped, so reducing the pressure absorbed. If the nozzle were taken off altogether it would be seen at once that the water merely ran out of the open end of the above long stretch of small hose, the whole of the pressure having been absorbed by friction. The following table calculated by means of the above formula gives the pressure in pounds per square inch absorbed by friction per yard length of hose of each diameter :— Diameter. Gallons per minute. 150 ... 200 ... 300 ... 400 ... 500 ... 600 ... 2^in. •4oibs. '72lbs. r62lbs. . 2 - 89 lbs. . 4'51 lbs. ... ... 6'52lbs. 2jin. 3in. •25lbs. •i 61 bs. • 45 lbs - •29lbs. 1 ‘oilbs. •65lbs. 1 ’Solbs. ri 61 bs. 2 - 81 lbs. 1 ‘8ilbs. 3’961bs. 2 *61 lbs. Knowing the length in yards of hose employed, and the number of gallons passing through the nozzle per minute, it is only necessary to multiply the number by the pounds per square inch opposite the number of gallons of water, and under the given size of hose, and the total pressure absorbed is then obtained ; this being deducted from the pressure in the pump of the engine, the result will be the pressure acting upon the stream of water at the end of the hose. With some little trouble, the loss by friction may be diminished even when using small hose. An engine, with a pressure in the pump of 125 lbs., if it is pumping through two lines of hose joined at the other end, or “ Siamesed,” as they call it in America, passes only one half the quantity through each line, and the loss by friction is consequently greatly re¬ duced. Thus if two 50-yard lengths of two and a half inch hose be used with 150 gallons passing through each, 20 lbs. (50 yards by *40 lbs.) are absorbed in friction, so that there are 105 lbs. available pressure at the nozzle instead of 44 lbs. only with the single line. With two lines of two and three-quarter inch hose only 13 lbs. are lost by friction and 112 lbs. remain at the nozzle end of the hose instead of 75 lbs. as with the single line. To couple the hose in this way a collecting breeching must be employed and a single short length attached to it, to which the branchpipe can be connected. A new branchpipe adapted for use under these circumstances has been lately introduced, wdiich has two inlets, and is therefore connected to both lines Appendix . 135 at once, dispensing with the breeching. This branchpipe was devised more especially for the purpose of obtaining the best single jet possible from the new “ Greenwich” pattern steam fire engine, which does not nearly give the best result that can be obtained from it with the hose and branchpipes in ordinary use, although even with these it develops more power in pro¬ portion to its weight than any other steam fire engine yet con¬ structed. Of course it is not always convenient to lay down double the quantity of hose required to reach between the engine and the fire, especially when the distance is > considerable. It is much more simple and satisfactory to have the hose of the proper size to suit the engine; for a smaller first outlay for hose is necessary, time is saved in getting to work, and only one- half the quantity of hose being used the cost of keeping it in repair and replacing the lengths as they are worn out is less in proportion. From the foregoing figures it will be observed that there is a considerable advantage in using even larger hose than two and three-quarter inch, which is the largest size now in general use in this country. In the United States this is well under¬ stood, and a great deal of much larger hose is used ; for instance, New York possesses 6,322 feet of three and a half inch diameter, and we believe in all the large departments hose of this size is retained for use with the steam fire engines. The desirability of giving full scope to the engine by the employ¬ ment of such hose is patent, but in practice it is sometimes necessary to waive the point in favour of other considerations which have to be taken into account. When long distances have to be covered the delay in getting to work would be con¬ siderable if very large hose, which, if used in coils, must be in short lengths, had to be laid down. In such cases there is nothing to be done but to make use of a small nozzle. The figures above will prove the enormous value of getting an engine -close to the fire where it can possibly be done. t 4 ' f* \ Index. INDEX. Accidents to Persons, 115 Agricultural Fires, 104 Air Vessels on Firemains, 53 Alarms, Electric Fire, 106 Alnwick Castle, 6, 7 Alton Towers, 6 Apley Park, 62 Appliances, Indoor, 41, 50, 91 Appliances, Outdoor, 59, 93 Artificial Heat, 21 Artificial Light, 21 Artificial Water Supply, 26 Art Treasures, 6, 73 Arundel Castle, 6, 62, 79 Ashton Court, 25 Auchmore, 86 Augmenter, Pressure, 56 Automatic Fire Extinguishers, 47 Badminton, 130 Barlow Hall, 128 Beams the Cause of Fires, Dan¬ gerous, 10 Bedposter” Engine, 68 Belton, 89 Belton Grange, 62 Belvoir Castle, 6 Blackmore Park, 44 Blenheim Palace, 6, 74 Boards, Hose, 55 Boilers, Explosions in, 17 Boilers, Kitchen, 17 Branchman, The, 97 Branchpipes, 43, 55 Brigades, Private Fire, 89, no Brigade, The Household, 88, no Bright’s Fire Detector, 106 Buckets, 51, 57, 67, 127 Bucket Cocks, 58 Burghley House, 6, 62, 73, 89 Candles, 12, 13 Canford Manor, 117, 118 Canterbury Cathedral, 90 Canvas Hose, 43, 54 Carelessness, n, 12 Case of Fire, In, 70 Cast Iron Tanks, 35, 50 Castle Howard, 6 Causes of Fires, 9, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20 Chatsworth, 6 “ Cheap ” Pumps, 31 Chemical Fire Engines, 51, 58 Chemical Fire Engines, Instructions for Using, 92 Chemical Fire Extinctors, 51, 58, 92 Chute Fire Escape, The, 108 Cisterns, 51 Cliveden, 89 Clumber House, 6, 76, 130 Coating Firemain Pipes, 52 Cortachy Castle, 6 Cothele, 6 Couplings, Hose, 43 Crystal Palace, 52 Cupboard, Hose, 55 Curricle Fire Engine, 68 Damage by Smoke, 102 Dam, Water, 26 Danebury, 93 Danebury Fire Brigade Rules, 93 Defective Fire Apparatus, 24, 39, 41 Defective Flues, 9, 10, n, 17 Deficiency in Water Supply, 23 Difficulty with Water Supply, 101 Dog Cart Fire Engine, 82 Domestic Fire Escapes, 108 Drainage, Water, 26 Index. Drill, Manual, 89 Drills, Periodical, 88 Dry Fire Extinguisher, 47 Duncombe Park, 6, 126, 128 Dunrobin Castle, 6 Eastnor Castle, 71 Eaton Hall, 76 Electric Fire Alarms, 106 Electricians, Society of Telegraph Engineers and, 14 Electric Lamps, 16 Electric Lighting, 14 Elton, 89 Engine and Hose, Care of, 94 Engine, Position of the Fire, 98 Engines, Economy of Pumping, 33 Entrance into Building, 99, 101, no Escapes, Fire, 108, 109 Escape, To, 115 Experiment, A Practical, 48 Explosions, 12, 13, 14, 17 External Mains, 59 External Storage of Water, 34 External Supply of Water, 36 Extinction of Fires, 7, 96 Extinctors, Chemical Fire, 51, 58, 92 Extinctors, Instructions for Using Chemical Fire, 92 Extinguishers, Dry Fire, 47 Extinguishers, Liquid, 47 Farm Fires, 104 Farnborough House, 56, 66 Fire Apparatus, 24, 38, 44 Fire Appliances Not Automatic, 87 Fire Brigade Rules, 13, 70, 84, 90, 91, 93, 107, 113 Fire Brigades, Private, 89, no Fire Cocks, 53, 54, 59 Fire Engines, 31, 32, 33, 60, 64, 65, 68, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 118, 122 Fire Escapes, 108, 109 Fire Escapes on Wheels, 109 Fire Fighting, 96 Fire Mains, 50, 52, 59 Fire Valves, 41, 50, 53^59 Flues, Defective, 9, 10, n, 17 Flume Fire Escape, The, 108 Fly Ladder Escapes, 109 Foreman, The, 96' Freezing of Hydrants, 54 Friction in Hose, 98, 133 Fryston Hall, 6 Fuel, Wood Used for, 10 Gas, 13, 14 Gas Engines, 32 Gas, Rules respecting, 13, 114 General Post Office, 56 Gravitation, 24 Great Hadham Palace, 56 Grenades, Fland, 46 Hampton Court Palace, 78, 120 Hand Fire Pumps, 51, 57, 128, I 3 I _ Hand Fire Pumps, Instructions for Using, 92 Hand Grenades. 46 Hand Power Engines, 33, 64 Hardwicke, 6 Hatfield House, 6, 77 High Park, 82 Uolkham Hall, 6 Horse Power Engines, 33 Hose, 42, 54 Hose Boards, 55 Hose, Canvas, 43, 54 Hose, Care of, 93 Hose Couplings, 43 Hose Cupboard, 55 Hose, Leather, 42, t;4 Hose Reel, 55 Hose, Rubber Lined, 42, 54 Hot Air and Water Pipes, 18 Hot Air Engines, 32 Household Brigade, The, 88, no Hydrants, Fire, 41, 50, 53, 59 Hydrants, Freezing, 54 Hydraulic Rams, 26, 82 Indiarubber Hose, 54 Indoor Appliances, 41, 50, 91 Indoor Appliances, Rules for Work¬ ing, 91 Ingestre Hall, 6, 10, 62 Inspection, 12, 16, 89, 90,91 Instructions for Using Chemical Engines, 92 Instructions for Using Hand Pumps, 92 Insurance, 7, 21, 45 Insurance Office, 7 Insurance Premiums, 45 Internal Storage of Water, 35 Kenmore, 86 Killarney, 25 Kitcheners, 17 Knowsley, 6, 73 Index. Ladders, Fire, 112 Ladders, Rope, 109 Lamps, Electric, 16 Lamps, Oil, 13, 14, 114, 132 Langham Fire Cock, The, 69 Langham Hotel, 51 Lanhydroc House, 6 Lathom, 6 Laverstock House Asylum, 56 Law Courts, The New, 51 Lead Pipes, 52 Leaky Hydrants, 53 Leather Branchpipes, 55 Leather Hose, 42, 54 Lighting by Electricity, 14 Lighting by Gas, 14 Lights. Regulations Respecting, 13 Liquid Fire Extinguisher, 47 London Brigade Hand Fire Pump, The, 57 _ London Brigade Manual Fire Engine, The, 64 Longleat, 6 Maiden Erlegh, 62 Mansard Roofs, 74 Mansion Fire Brigades, 87 Mansion Fire Engine, The, 65 Mansions, Letter from Mr. Superin¬ tendent Tozer upon Fires in, 20 Manual Fire Engines, 33, 64, 118 Matches, 13 Mechanical Means of Driving pumps, 31 Melbury Park, 62 Mentnor, 62 Middlesex Hospital, 52 Middleton Hall, 62 Mills, Wind, 33 Montague House, 51, 74 Montreal, Bank of, 48 Morton Hall, 6 Newton Hall, 62 Northwick Park, 89 Nozzles, 43, 56 Nozzle, Spray, 78 Oil Lamps, 13, 14, 114, 132 Ornamental Waters, 37 Orwell Park, 62 Osborne, 65 Outdoor Appliances, 59, 93 Outdoor Appliances, Rules for Using, 93 Patshull House, 62, 82 Paxton Manual, 72 Periodical Drills, 88 Petworth Park, 62, 89 Pipes, Lead Destroyed by Rats, 52 Pipes, Water, 24, 25, 26, 52 Plumbers’ Fire Protection, 39 Pompier Ladders, 112 Practical Experiment, A, 48 Precautions Against Fire, 70 Presence of Mind, 107 Pressure Augmenter, 56 Pressure, Effect of, 23 Prevention of Fire, x 13 Private Fire Brigades, 89, 110 Protection and Extinction, Fire, 7, 8, 113, 116 Pulley Escape, The Rope and, 108 Pumping Machinery, 31 Pumping Rams, 28 Pumping Water Wheels, 28 Pumps, Steam, 31 Pumps, Horse Power, 33 Queen’s Hotel, Eastbourne, 51 Rack Valve Hydrants, 54 Ragley Hall, 68 Ragley Hall Fire Rules, 70 Rain Water Storage, 25 Ram, Hydraulic, 26, 82 Rams, Pumping, 28 Reel, Hose, 55 Regulations for the Care and Work¬ ing of Fire Apparatus, 90 Removal of Horses, 105 Repairs to Hose, 55 Reservoirs, 24, 34, 68, 71, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 Reservoirs, Underground, 34 Respirator, 110 Rich on Water Supply, Mr. W. E., 2 5 Risks, Fire, 7, 9 Rope and Pulley Escape, The, 108 Rope Ladders, 109 Rubber Lined Hose, 42, 54 Rufford Abbey, 51, 56 Rules, Fire, 13, 70, 84, 90, 91, 93, 107, 113 Running Waters, 37 Safety of Brigade, 101 Sandringham Hall, 72, 89 Saving Life, 106, 111 Searching the House, no Shern Hall, 6 Index. Shoot Fire Escape, The, 108 Slate Tanks, 52 Small Engines at a Large Fire, 100 Smoke, Damage by, 102 Smoke, Danger from, ior Smoking, The Cause of Fires, 18 Spontaneous Ignition, 12, 19 Stable Fires, 105 Stack Fires, 105 Steam Fire Engines, 60, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 122 Steam Pumps, 31 Stocken Flail, 62 Storage of Water, External, 34 Storage of Water, Internal, 35 Storage, Rain Water, 25 Stoves, Fire, 18 Streams, 37 Structural Defects, 9 Suction Hose to Engine, Attaching the, 99 Suffocation, 101 Superintendent, The, 96 Supply of Water, External, 36 Supply, Water, 22, 23, 26, 35, 101 Systems of Fire Apparatus, Defec¬ tive, 41 Tanks, 35, 50 Taymouth Castle, 36, 62, 83, 89 Taymouth Castle Fire Rules, 84 Tehidy Park, 62 Telegraph Engineers and Elec¬ tricians, Society of, 14 Telescopic Fire Escapes, 109 Temple House, 62 Temple Newsome, 6 Timber the Cause of Fires, Exposed, 11, 17, 18 Tozer Fire Pump, The, 57 Tozer on Fires in Mansions, Letter from Mr. Supt., 20 Treasures, Art, 6, 73 Turbine, The, 30 Underground Reservoirs, 34 Unsuitable Fire Apparatus, 38 Useless Fire Apparatus, 24, 44 Valves, Fire, 41, 50, 53, 59 Volunteer Fire Brigade, 121 Walcott Hall, 129 Warwick Castle, 6, 77 Waste of Water, 97, 99 Water Drainage, 26 Water Pipes, 24, 25, 26, 52 Water Supply, 22, 23, 26, 35, 101 Water Supply, Deficiency of, 23 Water Wheels, 28, 79 Well Protected Mansions, 66 Wheels, Water, 28, 79 Wilton House, 6, 62, 80 Wind Mills, 33 Wires, Overhead, 16 Wood, Fires Caused by Exposed, 11, 17, 18 Wood Tanks, 52 Wood Used for Fuel, 10 Wrotham Park, 6 Wynnstay Castle, 6 ^DOMESTIC *r ELECTRIC t LIGHTING^ As used at LLOYD’S, the BANK of ENGLAND and other Banks, the INDIAN & COLONIAL EXHIBITON, and numerous Private Residences. Sole Contractors for the Lighting of the Fine Arts Exhibition at Folkestone. Electrical Accumulators, Tramcars, Launches, Switches, &c. Complete installations of the light for private houses, &c., and temporary lighting for balls, as supplied to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales at Marlborough House. Electrical Power Storage Company, Limited, 4, GREAT WINCHESTER STREET, LONDON. Advertisements. FURNISH THROUGHOUT (Regd). OETZMANN & CO., 67 , 69 , 71 , 73 , 75 , 77 & 79 , HAMPSTEAD HOAD, Near TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD, LONDON. ORDERS PER POST RECEIVE PROMPT AND FAITHFUL ATTENTION. Walnut, Birch, or Ebonised Etagere OCCASIONAL TABLE. 17 in. by 17 in., 27 in. high .. .. ... £o 12 9 Ebonised and Gold ditto o 17 6 With Patent Wire Double - Woven Mattress complete. Width : 3ft., £2 ; 3ft. 6in., £2 5s.; 4ft., £2 10s.; 4ft. 6in., £2 15s. The Patent Wire-Woven Mattress can be sup¬ plied separately, without the Bedstead, at the following prices :— Width : 3ft., ns. ; 3ft. 6in., 12s.; 4ft., 13s.; 4ft. 6in., 14s. CORNER CHAIR. Enamelled Red or any Colour, upholstered seat, covered in Tapestry or Plush, £1 5s. 6d. With Shelves. Best Plates. 4ft. 6in. wide, by 4ft. high, £2 17s. 6d. Ditto, in all gilt frame, £3 3 s • ^XA^/VV/VVVVVXAA/ Illustrated Catalogue Post Free. si dvevtisemen ts. Pipes, Gutters, Ridging, Terminals, Railings, Gates, Panels,Gratings,Bal¬ conies, Lamps, Straight and Spiral Stairs, Desk and Table Standards, Seats Baths, Basins, Drinking Fountains, Urinals, Water & Dry Trough Closets. Dust Bins, Columns, Brackets, Conservatories, Verandahs, Bandstands. Illustrated Catalogue, Price List, and Estimates on Application. WALTER MACFARLANE & CO., GLASGOW Architectural, Sanitary and General Ironfounders, Contractors by Appointment to Her Majesty’s War Department. Advertisements. Established 1798* FARROW and JACKSON, By appointment to H.M. the Queen and H.R.H. the Prince of IVales. WROUGHT-IRON WINE BINS As fitted at her Majesty’s cellars, St. James’s and Buckingham Palaces, at Marlborough House and Sandringham for the Prince of Wales, at the Refreshment Department, Houses of Parliament, and at the principal Hotels and Clubs. The superiority of Iron Bins, with the advantages of strength, lightness, and economy of space has been proved by an experience of over sixty years. FRENCH BINS, ‘Regd. CELLULAR” BINS with separate rest for each bottle specially adapted for a limited space. Made with and without doors. SODA WATER RACKS, &c. Wrought Iron Scantling for Casks and Cellar Requisites of All Kinds. 8, Haymarket, S.W., & 16, Great Tower St., E.C. Illustrated Catalogues Post Iree. Advertisements. Contractors to Her Majesty’s War Department. v/\ /w\.a / \/' A/ The Thames Bank Iron Company, Upper Ground St., LONDON, S.E. Telegraphic Address— “ HOTWATER,” LONDON. Telephone No. 4763. Have the largest and most complete Stock of HOT-WATER BOILERS, PIPES & CONNECTIONS, AND ALL CASTINGS FOR HORTICULTURAL PURPOSES. Awarded BIRMINGHAM, 1872. LONDON, 1883 and 1886. CAST IRON SADDLE BOILER WITH WATER-WAY END. Hot- Water and Hot-Air Apparatus Erected Complete or the Materials Supplied. Patent Reliance Rotary, H, T & Straightway Valves. Patent India-Rubber Ring “ Expander ” for Jointing Hot-Water Pipes. The Tubular and Every Other Boiler 0/ Ktiown Merit Kept in Stock. Iron Pipes, &c., for Gas and Water. Catalogue Gratis. Illustrated Price Book, 17th Edition, Price is. Advertisements. MERRYWEATHER & SONS, MANUFACTURERS OF STEAM & MANUAL FIRE ENGINES, FIRE PUMPS, Hydrants, Hose, &c., FOR THE PROTECTION OF PRIYATE RESIDENCES FROM FIRE. Water Supply by Steam Pumps, Gas Engines, Hot Air Engines, Water Wheels, Turbines, Windmills, Hydraulic Rams, &c. Competent Engineers sent to Inspect Country Mansions, and to advise as to their Protection from Fire. Personal Attendance of the Principal ivherc desired. A Large Selection of FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS of All Kinds may be seen at 63, LONG ACRE* ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO GREENWICH ROAD, LONDON, S.E. MERRYWEATHER & SONS, GREENWICH ROAD, S.E., (20 minutes from Charing Cross Station, South Eastern Railway,) AND 63 , LONG ACRE, W T .C., LONDON. Advertisements, HOBBS, HART and CO., JltakOT to %tt ittajrstn, BY SPECIAL APPOINTMENT, A.D. MAY 13, 1876. STRONG ROOMS, DOORS, EQCKS & SAFES To tiie Bank of England and its Brandies. EDINBURGH EXHIBITION: GOLD MEDAL. ■- <^> <^> - 300 GUINEAS REWARD, H., H. & Co. renewed their offer at the Edinburgh Exhibition, as at the International Exhibition of 1862, also at Paris, 1867, and again at Vienna in 1873, to any person who could pick their Locks (then and now on exhibit, and supplied to the public) with their Patent Combined Protectors, but the challenge then made was not accepted, although the Locks were examined by several mechanics. These were the only Locks exhibited under actual challenge to pick. N.B.—Skilled mechanics accepting the above offer are expected to master Eight Lever Locks as a qualification. //., H. Co ., not being eligible to exhibit at the Inventions Exhibition, 1SS3, again make the above offer as a test off the non-pickability of their Combined Protector Locks. HOBBS, HART & CO., Department for Locks—76, CHEAPSIDE ; for Safes, 77, CHEAPSIDE, LONDON. Manufactories—ARLINGTON STREET, N. Advertisements . THE FIREMAN, 3ltt& Jauntal at tin (fttlril llraterttbe fnms at tin fttnitefr Htng&am, The Fireman is the oldest existing fire journal, and is devoted to the interests of the fire service in all parts of the world. It has received commendation from many professional and volunteer fire brigade officers in England and abroad. The Fireman circulates everywhere, deals with matters of interest to private as well as to public fire brigades, and is the only English paper devoted exclusively to fire matters. Articles by com¬ petent writers on subjects connected with the protection of private establish¬ ments frequently appear. Every estate agent and steward should subscribe regularly to The Fireman. Subscription, Two Shillings and Sixpence per annum (post free in the United Kingdom) payable in advance. Volumes IV. to IX., handsomely bound in scarlet cloth, price Seven Shillings and Sixpence each. All communications relating to editorial matters should be sent to the Editor, Mr. Leonard Miller, 2, Grocers’ Hall Court, London, E.C. Remittances should be forwarded to Arthur Dale, at the above address, and Post Office Orders made payable to him at the General Post Office, London. A dvev tisane n is. WATER SUPPLIES MANSIONS BY THE “ABYSSINIAN ” AND ARTESIAN TUBE WELL SYSTEM. For Prices and Full Particulars apply to the Patentees, LE GRARD &SUTCLIFF, HYDRAULIC ENGINEERS, 100, BUNHILL ROW, LONDON, E.C. Advertisements. Messrs. IERRYWEATHER & SONS ATTEND PERIODICALLY at large numbers of MANSIONS, PRIVATE ESTABLISHMENTS, BANKS, WAREHOUSES, HOSPITALS, INFIRMARIES, WORK- HOUSES, See., for the purpose of INSPECTING the FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS, and DRILLING EMPLOYES in its use. An inspection of the Premises is also made at the same time. This system tends to prevent fires occurring, as well as to provide for their prompt extinction should they break out. The cost of the periodical attendance is frequently more than covered by the reduction obtained in insurance premiums. Mr. Austin, Surveyor to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, writes :— I much approve of the system of periodical inspection by one oi your staff, and I commend it unhesitatingly to those who have fire apparatus of any kind, and who are too apt to leave their appliances to the perfunctory care of indifferent subordinates, or perhaps, oftener still, leave them without any overhauling whatever. The regular atten¬ dance of your representative, who is influenced by no considerations but those of doing his duty, acts as a moral check against the possible carelessness of men, and contributes to the maintenance of the apparatus in a condition of constant preparedness for action. A dvertisemeiits. THE DIRECTORS OF THE Law Fire Insurance Society, Viewing the severe fires which have lately occurred in Mansions and Private Houses, request the attention of their Customers to what appear to he the most frequent CA USES of these FIRES :— Timber built into or near fire places and flues. Hot air apparatus of every description. Stoves introduced into rooms previously unprovided with them without professional advice. Workmen allowed to carry out repairs and alterations without proper superintendence ; fires being lit without fenders or guards, and candles used without candlesticks. Plumbers lighting fires upon the roof to melt their lead. Fires lit in grates not previously used, or disused for a long period, the flues not having been first examined. Chimneys not being thoroughly swept. This should be done at fixed periods, and especially before the return of the family after a long absence. Gas within the house ; danger may be avoided if the service pipes are provided with taps, so that the gas may be turned off at night by some person specially appointed to that duty from those rooms where it 'was known to be not required. Lucifer matches have caused immense loss of property and of life. Lying about the house they are trodden upon, and by this and other means ignited. Only matches which can be ignited by friction upon the box should be permitted. Clothes hanging before the fire. Overheated flues. Wood left on the kitchen range to dry for lighting fires in the morning. Reading in bed, unless with apparatus specially adapted. These and similar acts of carelessness and causes of mischief can only be guarded against by an inspection of the house by a trustworthy person after the family have retired to rest. It is necessary to give immediate notice of the intention to introduce these or similar risks. The Fire Office will then give advice as to the precautions required to avert danger. It cannot be too strongly impressed upon the inmates of mansions, and indeed of all dwelling houses, that in the case of fire each person should immediately run for water, and continue to fetch it by any means, so long as there is hope of arresting the flames ; but at the same time all doors and windows must be closely shut. When all hope of stopping the fire is at an end, excluding the air must be relied on. A fire may thus be confined to one room, giving time for the arrival of engines. LAW FIRE OFFICE, 114, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON. December, 1882. Advertisements. FIRE PROOF CEILINGS k CORNICES, PLAIN AND ORNAMENTAL, IN PATENT FIBROUS PLASTEB. In slabs dry and ready for fixing—all kinds of ENRICHMENTS SUPPLIED IN THE SAME MATERIAL. GEORGE JACKSON & SONS, 49, RATHBONE PLACE, LONDON, W. (Established 1780). Telephone No. 3835 . “ FIRE HOSE.” A Pamphlet, discussing the merits of the various descrip¬ tions of Fire Hose in general use—with a few remarks upon the history of Hose. Price 6d., Post Free. “DRILL & INSTRUCTIONS FOR FIRE BRIGADES.” ('THIRD EDITION), By H. D. WILLIAMS (Superintendent, Stourbridge Fire Brigade), TO WHICH IS APPENDED FIRE BRIGADES, THEIR HISTORY AND ORGANISATION. By the EDITOR of “THE FIREMAN.” Price Is. 6d., Post Free. “Rulesforthe Formation k Regulation of Fire Brigades” By MERRYWEATHER & SONS. Price 6d., Post Free. Any of the above Works and sundry others can be obtained from MERRY WEATHER & SONS, Greenwich Road, and Long Acre, London. Copyright, Ent. Sta. Hall. \ ' < ' . GETTY CENTER LIBRARY 3 3125 00722 6653 \