855 the London Fire Brigade, stimulated by their first experiment,
caused an entirely new self-propelling, floating steam fire-engine to
be constructed. The experience gained by their first attempt at steam
fire-engine making, enabled Shand and Mason to compete successfully in
this matter, as their design was adopted after receiving the approval
of the late Mr. Walker, Engineer, of Great George Street, London.

The re-introduction of land steam fire-engines into London was
accomplished by Shand and Mason, who, in 1858, constructed their
first; this engine, after several public trials, was in the same year
sent to St. Petersburgh.

In 1859 the same firm constructed two land steam fire-engines, which
they offered to the London Fire Brigade for hire or purchase, and in
the following year (1860) the Fire Brigade took one on hire for one
year. This experiment proved so successful, that in 1861 the committee
purchased, from Shand and Mason, the fourth steam engine of their
construction. This, with one of the two made in 1859, were the only
land steam engines that were at work at the Great Tooley Street Fire
of 1861.

In the beginning of 1862, Mr. Lee, of the firm of Lee and Larned, of
New York, brought over a land steam fire-engine to be placed in the
International Exhibition. This was worked in public at Hodges'
Distillery on the 24th of March previous to the opening of the
Exhibition.

Shand and Mason supplied the London Fire Brigade in April, 1862, with
the eighth land steam fire-engine of their construction. Messrs.
Merryweather and Sons, of London, placed their first land steam
fire-engine in the International Exhibition of 1862, but this, like
the ninth by Shand and Mason, was not in time for the opening, and
consequently could not compete for a prize medal, which was awarded to
Lee and Larned, of New York.

A public trial, however, took place before the jury of the Exhibition,
of which the following is an account extracted verbatim from the
jurors' published reports:--

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1862.

SPECIAL JURY FOR FIRE-ENGINES.

J. F. BATEMAN, F.R.S., _London_; Civil Engineer.

CAPT. BENT, _London_; Superintendent of Fire Arrangements in the
Exhibition.

W. M. BROWN, _London_; Superintendent of Westminster Fire Brigade.

EARL OF CAITHNESS, _London_.

J. HAWKSHAW, _London_; Civil Engineer.

C. JENNY, _Austria_; Councillor of Mines in the Imperial Royal Academy
of Mines at Schemnitz.

P. LUUY