The New Invention Cutting Seconds Off Fire Response Times

Yesterday was a red-letter day in the fire department and Chief Hunt wore a broad smile. The secret of this lay in the fact that a mechanical contrivance for opening the doors of the stalls had been put in place and found to work satisfactorily. For more than a month engine company No. 3 has been getting to fires in an unusually prompt manner, and the secret of this lies in the contrivance which Engineer Walter Bouse has perfected. By Bouse's contrivance the doors are opened on the back stroke of the hammer and the horses are coming out of the stalls before the firemen or people in the city have heard the first sound of the bell. Then it comes to a point where the fireman must work like lightning. It is a race between the horses and the men who snap the collars to see which will reach the pole first. The collars once closed around the excited animals' necks, the men swing on, each in his place, and at the last tap of the first sound of the alarm the driver pulls a cord, the outer doors fly open and away goes the fire brigade. An average start has been fifteen seconds, but now Chief Hunt expects to be able to get away in fifteen seconds at all times.