Sewickley Herald

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The Sewickley Valley's Home News Weekly
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Vol. 34.   No. 35.
SEWICKLEY, PA., THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 1940
Price 5 Cents
SewicKleY *   Ca66er Orucks— 016 anb Mew
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BOROUGH  ACCEPTS  FIRE   TRUCK
Minor Changes Still to be Made
Sewickley Borough has officially accepted thc new Amorican-LaPrance
ladder truck and it will bo placed in
service as soon as a few more minor
changes arc made in its equipment.
Tho apparatus is known as quadruple
because it carries 200 foot of ladders,
a hoso body which holds 1,200 feet of
hose, a 600 gallon per minute centrifugal pump and a 100 gallon booster tank.
The old truck did not have a booster
tank, which allows firemen to put water
on a blazo as fast as they can strip
small hose off the reel and turn a valve.
Formerly it was necessary to hook tho
lines to a fire plug before water could
bo obtained, even in tho small hose,
which was carried coiled in a .basket
and was harder .to pull out than thc
hoso on .tho reel.
The now truck, which won first prizo
for tho best hook and ladder truck at
tho Bellevue firemen's parade last
month, has a 12 cylinder motor developing 100 horsopowor, and its cost, $10,-
16.1.90, was paid out of tho bond issuo
floated by tho borough for a number
of pormanont improvements' It is 35
feet long, compared with 39 foot, 9
inches, tho length of tho old Soagrave,
duo to tho fact that tho fifty foot lad-
dor is carried in three sections instead
>s>r.^>»x>->»-^g)
Seated, left to right:    George Singer, Assistant Chief; J, C. Doughty, Chief, and H. E. Dolde, Secretary-Treasurer.
Standing, first row, left to right!    Richard Koarcher, Wade Baltz, Harry McDonald, Edward Bemke,
Victor Fisher and William McDonald.
Second row, left to right!    P. J. Balles, Elmer Baumgartel, Bertil Neely,  'Jack' Whited, and Arthur
McVicker.   William Carson and William Beck were absent.
Photographs on this page by Thomas Tola, official borough photographer.
of two. Tho new ladder is of aluminum, instead of wood and is much
lighter. Tho smaller ladders on tho
now truck are of wood and there is a
folding ladder, carried on thc side just
above the suction hose, which looks like
a 4 x 4 timber and is useful also as a
battering ram. Tho -seal on the door is
a color picture of the Indians overlooking the bridgo with the. words,
"Sweetwater—Borough of Sewickley-—
Established 1840."
A back step has been added to tho
new truck, to make it easier for the
firemen to ride and also to mako it
easier to reach and unload the large
hose. Axes, shovels and pitchforks are
carried on the new truck, along with
two door openers, more tools than were
provided with the old one. Tho windshield will protect the driver and give
him better vision in rainy or snowy
weather.
One of tho contemplated changes on
tho new truck is a valve for the. intako
so that tho booster pump can bo used
immediately to keep the booster tank
full. The booster tank can also be
filled by buckets, if no .hydrant is available. Thc contrast between tho 19-
year-old Soagrave with its solid rubber
tires, single rear wheels, chain drive,
no booster lank, no rear step, splintered
(Continued  on  Page   2)
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