Norwood Uses Sprinkler For First Time On Fire-This Day In Norwood History-August 25, 1905

NO HORSES HANDY.

The disadvantages of relying upon outside sources for fire horses were clearly demonstrated at last Thursday’s fire. When the alarm from Box 28 rang in, the horses of James Hartshorn usually called upon to draw the Hook and Ladder were all in distant parts of the town. More than ten minutes were lost in securing horses. Everyone knows that very minute in the early stages of a lire is precious. In this particular instance, the lire was of no consequence but if it had been a big tire, what would have been the result?

The hose companies would have been forced to fight from the ground : and it is barely possible that life might sometime be lost because of the failure of the Hook and Ladder to put in an appearance until all need for it should be gone. It is time for something to be done. Norwood pays good taxes and its taxpayers have a right to demand better aud prompter fire service. When a person wants a ladder at a fire he wants it badly and be wants it quickly. Some arrangements ought to be macle to make sure of horses in case of fire and no one realizes this more than those who stood in front of the engine house and saw about 10 minutes lost while people ran in all directions looking for horses and youngsters cried, “Pull it to the fire and you may get there in time to save the cellar.” Norwood’s inters should speak up and the tire engineers or selectmen or whoever has the matter in charge should see that Norwood is never in the ••horseless” condition and not forced to pull her wagons to a lire as our great grandfathers did.

A BEGINNING.

About three weeks ago, the fire department purchased on trial, a revolving nozzle built on the same principle as the lawn sprinkler but much larger. At the tire last Thursday afternoon, an excellent opportunity was given to test its ability and as one of the lire laddies remarked, it more than paid for itself.

The fire had spread from Allen’s blacksmith shop into Sansone’s fruit store, a three-story building and was burning briskly on the top floor where it was extremely difficult to play upon. A hole was cut in the roof over the room in which the fire was in full blast, the nozzle lowered and a line of hose connected. For a few minutes, to use the slang expression, “things Hew and there was something doing.” In a very short time the whole room was flooded and the tire extinguished, no spot escaping the deluge from this busy water whirler. The process was repeated at the other inaccessible room and what before might have taken considerable time to accomplish, was quickly done by this new device. This is practically the first piece of tire-lighting apparatus the town has bought in 20 years and the excellent work it did, is a strong argument for those taxpayers who are constantly and rightly arguing for more modern apparatus.

By the way, where are the results of the appropriation at the spring town meeting for additional modern apparatus ? Are they where Norwood’s new drinking fountain is?