Fire Brigades Competition.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2575, 9 April 1877, Page 3

Fire Brigades Competition.

The lpng-talked pf competitive practice between the Grabamstown and Shortland Fire Brigades came off on Saturday afternoon, commencing shortly, after four o'clock, amid torrents, of rain and with a gale of . ; wind blowing. The brigades mustered' at their respective sheds in good numbers,, and' prior to- this every preparation for the several events had been made, such as looking to the fijre:-plugs,, ; and marking off the distances* iTKe public ;turned out' in large arid some' hundreds remained throughout the practice, although they -had"little to slijslter them from a pelting"'rain liut the few verandahs .along Pollen 5 'streets between Cocbraiie and Pahau steeta.' ; I[he Vfollowing gentlemen were appointed-, fp!act as judge, referee, ,jr C , :^-Ju4ge,.. Captain -Eraser,; starter, MriC.rF. ; time-keeper,;Mr-Aitken; recprde'r, Mr.Jl- W>. Hollis,-; The events came^pff ;.in^the;fqllowing order and with resultsas ;i recorded:-—: '.-< ■■■■ * ; • s ■.-. .-•■>.,.!: /-pjHST^EEIi'^PaACTicE.. .. ...... ....... „,-,,: .AaAINST TIME. ..-.-i ,-..■■'. '' Keel, manned by^nofc more than eight ■■ - -men.; :?to ; be^Tiin 200 yards, ;fix •hydrant;" run; .out '80 feet hose, .fix -branch ;;jthrdwl water o^er a rppe.lO feeiiliigli; fun jdtiisecpu^ length of 80 : feet, fix: braach '$M thtow.^water as before ;' each branch to be 70, feet from hydrant; each reel to carry more than 196 fee,t,of hose,- ; hydrant ; and branches pn: ; reel;,f-inch. nozzle; {both lines-in same, direction and; not crossed ; toss .fgrenpice of.first or second start. - - First reel past plug „, .. One ppint Firewater ... 0,. : ... One point First two streams. ... ... One point :; Shorjtland won the toss and elected that Grahamstow.a..should .go through the practice. This they did, the rain coming down. unpleasantly.J!. : iast from -start to finish, the running being in the' teeth of the.;^in*d; but-they did their wprk in the following very good-time :—Bun up, 38| seconds} .first.water; 53 ■ seconds'; second water, 1 minute 15 seconds. The Shortland Brigade then, went in, and they succeeded in doing the run up in 3i seconds, but in getting on water they lost ground, and before thejr had: their first water playing over the rope } minute arid 20 seconds had elapsed,;and li' minute and 45 seconds before,second, water was on. The first event,.therefore/resulted as follows:— .. Grahamstown - ol" ... ...: 2 points Shprtknd -■:■_■*«; ••• ; ••• 1 >> No ■time■was lost ia p^pceeding;with the next evehf 'on tKe programme, which was ihef ::'.Tv;\,;.'/■■:■" V.--" v.,... V;.-'-. - .'. \ ';'; Bebl.Peactice. • Twp^teami'pf not more than eight each start back to- back; each takes reel (as ..in; first imatch) to its first plug ; fix 'hydrant;;: ru.n out hose towards starting - point, fix branch, throw water over line ten feet 1 high; toss Tpr diredtiph.. . First water ;^' „..?: :!>'.. " OW. point The Grahamstown men ran .up, the street, towards the. Junction Hotel, thus having a. trifling-advantage with the wind at their back.; .In' this event ■ Shortland was again unlucky; as their friendly" rivals had -water on in -44 seconds, or 6s.econds before the Shortland team. This event cpuiited .another point io Grahamsstpw^making them three" points tp pne. They then proceeded->"-ta the third and last event—the „, , ■,^ 1 ..-- ; - ■.-;>■ : \ .llose.Peactice. without cccl. * , Each: team %ith its appliances tp stand behind a line 25 yards in rear pf their plug;vstart by signal;:>:fix'hydrant'} run Put fiverlengths of'leather hose -not . Jess than J. 198, feet, fix branch,-throw watei'..oyey'line; ten feet high. . .... ; First water. Vi, ...,,. ,-m,.. One point" This; resulted i^aflPthejc i( victpry for Grahamstbwni they having shpwn what they couid dp by:cpmpleting'the event in j(|;s time than th'eir 1-opponent's,' but the' "exact time was not taken. The result then stood as follows 'i-^ ~- ?: | Grahamstown .;.- - .{■; T -;.; : points Shortland" ... :..;i/ :^. 1" >, As soon as" this was -over the spectators dispersed, and the .united brigades marched to^ Shortland/ headed by Piper and Fireman VFotheringham. The Superintendent of thojt Shortlind Brigade, on arrival at atHe ?> Shortland Shed, addressed the fpremen as an oflficer of the brigade and in r his'capacity as Mayor, congratulating them''On.their efficiency, and trusting {that if occasion _ required! they would display the same activityat a fire as they had that afternoon at a'practice. Cheers were then given for the respective teams, and speeches of thanks returned, and then the whole ndjpurned to the Exchange Hoteland'partook of liquid'jefreshment, which some of them no .doubt needed, being wet through;! The cotapetition was for an emblazoned testimonial, cpmmemorative of -the event.