FIRE EXTINCTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13450, 29 May 1907, Page 8

FIRE EXTINCTION.

LARGER WATER MAINS NEEDED.

[BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN : CORRESPONDENT. J

, , Dtjnedix, Tuesday. J Captain; Mitchell, of the Dunedin Fire I Brigade, has issued an interesting; circular | on nre protection, ~ in the course .of which he says:—"Direct pressure at the hydrants; lias done, and is doing, excellent work in cities of limited size, but the [ ten-; dency at the present time is to build.ware-; houses covering very much larger arears, I and of considerable height, thereby increas-; ing the difficulty of effectively dealing with this class of risk from a gravitation supply only excepting' in cities which are ; blessed with very high pressure, say up to 2001b per inch. One great advantage of : , the steam-fire engine as an adjunct to a gravitation service is that it is a generator of power regardless of pressure in ■ the mains. It is essential that very great improvement? should be made, not only in Dunedin, but other 'cities, in re-arranging the water mains, so that the brigade can get ample water from the hydrants in use. We cannot get away from the fact that in nearly all the towns in which gravitation' services were adopted years ago, < the water mains laid were too small— 4in, sin, and 6in pipes. These pipes are absolutely - useless at the ' present day to cover the commercial part of any -uty. Considering the immense risks at stake, the necessity of much larger mains in the future is , apparent." :.--'. •