THEY LIKE NEW FIRE CRAFT.
Chief and Assistant Pleased With
Auto Hose Cart Test.
The trail run of the automobile hose wagon from fire headquarters on Central between Tenth and Eleventh streets the other afternoon, produced a favorable impression on those who were witnesses, especially on the older fire fighters who have traveled on horse drawn vehicles for many years. John C. Egner, chief, and Alex Henderson, assistant chief, are among the advocates of the new craft.
The spin was taken for four blocks and the average speed generated by a 45-horse power engine was forty miles an hour. The jangling of a large bell near the chauffeur kept the streets free from wagons and pedestrians all the way.
"I am quite as enthusiastic as Chief Egner over the new hose cart," said Assistant Chief Henderson after the trail. "Kansas City must sooner or later adopt the new system. In my opinion one automobile wagon could do the work of three hose companies using horses.
"At present it takes four lines of hose to operate the water tower and thus four companies are employed. From this afternoon's test I infer that one automobile of say 75-horse power could carry 2,000 feet of hose, four lines for the tower and one single line.
"Because it is infinitely faster than a team hose wagon the new rig must ultimately supplant the present system. The secret of successful fire fighting lies in reaching the blaze in its incipiency and before it has taken hold all over the building."
The wagon weighed 5,500 pounds and was 500 pounds lighter than the team hose wagon. Besides the hose it was supplied with a single ladder, a twenty-four foot extension ladder, openers, axes and an eighty-gallon chemical tank. The wheels appeared solid from the fact that the space between the steel spokes was filed with sheet steel. The tires were solid rubber. The machine has six cylinders and is guaranteed to be unbreakable in the sense that it will survive intact the ordinary accidents of the road.
