THE NEW FIREBOATS IN NEW YORK

The successful test of two “Dreadnaught" fireboats, the largest in the world, at New York City, May 26th, fully demonstrated the practicability of turbine driven centrifugal pumps in firefighting apparatus. These new boats, the “James Duane” and the “Thomas Willett,” are the first of their kind to be equiped with the new centrifugal pumps driven direct by steam turbines, and the official trial was so successful and so far in advance of the guarantees of the builders that Chief Edward F. Croker predicted that the centrifugal pump would not only take the place of the old piston pumps on fireboats, but on fire engines as well. The new boats were built by Alexander Miller and Brothers, of Jersey City, N. J., and this firm also installed all the machinery. They are each 131 ft. long on deck and 123 ft. at the water line. The breadth of hull is 27 ft. and the depth 14 ft. The engines are direct acting, compound engines of 850 horsepower. Each boat is equiped with a high steel water tower aft, upon which is mounted a large 3-in. adjustable nozzle. Another and a similar nozzle is mounted above the pilot house forward and on the two deck turrets. The boats are designed to give plenty of deckroom and space for the firemen to work, as the only projections are the pilothouse forward, the tower aft and the two turrets for hose connections. The details of the construction are worked out nicely and the sister boats are the finest firefighting crafts afloat. The turbines and centrifugal pumps take up very little floor space in the engine room. The trial trip of these boats included running, maneuvering, and operating demonstrations under the supervision of Chief Edward F. Croker and “Admiral” John Kenlon, of the New York fireboat fleet, as well as representatives from the various builders.

During the trial run about the water-front the boats developed a speed of over fifteen miles per hour. Then the steam was turned on the turbines and the boats began to show what they could do in the way of throwing water. The first 3-in. nozzles on the Willett were opened at 175 lb. pressure at the pumps, the dial showing a nozzle pressure of 115 lb., and each nozzle was throwing 3,200 gal. of water, or a total of 9,600 lb. per minute. When all five of the big nozzles were opened, including those from the tower and the pilot house, the boat was throwing over 12,000 gal. of water per minute while moving ahead at full speed. The streams were gradually turned until only one nozzle was open and the pumps were connected in series. With the enormous pressure of 315 lb. at the pumps and 230 lb. at the nozzle a stream of water was thrown fully 400 ft. in the wind and to a height of nearly 300 ft. Over 4,550 gal. of water a minute were leaving the nozzle under this enormous pressure. At a later trial this stream of water reached nearly 500 ft.

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