New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-08-07
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
ANIMAL REPORT OF THE CHIEF tNGlNEtR'
DEPARTMENT, CHIKT ENGISEER = o ~ ''A'

Aug. /, l,N'''
T. ne Hosorabis Ge coruor Council
GyNrIFMyS-In accordance with the ord '""''
directing H. respectfully submit my Annual Repo l
stating the number Of fires and alarms, the amount
damage IN each month since the last report the con-
dion Of the houses and apparatus, the style and cali
Der Of the engines, when and by whom built, sc.
Also, he name rank, residence and occupation OF
every q ember Of tie Department; naming eech com
usrv separately-thus showing the number of men in
each org anzatior.
Il will be seen that some Companies have nearly
II Dir fll complement Of meu, while Others have not
enough TO perform eficien, 6uiy. This may be attrb
utea in great measure 10 the large number organ
lied during the past five years; to the bad character
and dkordery conduct Of many OF their members,
which keeps many good men from joining the Depart
ment snd drives oilers from its ranks. II the laws
and odnf nces recently passed are enforced, and the
Board os Fire Commissioners fully sustained in their
efforts to renoyae the Department it will permanently
remove tie evils alluded TO, and place it basis
that has never been attained in this any other City
In the report OF last year stated that the supply OF
hose was insufficient, and that fifty three thousand
OF hundred feet required TO give all the Com
paries full supply; since which but twenty thousand
feet have been furnished sequenty there Is grea.
scarcifv which l. severely felt by the Department.
his Should be remeded BY ordering at least tg enty
thousand feet forthwith 10 provide for the exigonces
of the coming Winter. The hose sustans much in
iurv by Cmmbuses and other vehicles passing over
when stretched in the streets for IRE purposes. |
some,ints occurs that fires destroy more property
than they otherwise would by the hose being burst in
this way. An ordnance should be adopted to prsrsR
II IN future.
The Firc- Alarm II iegraph erected by c. Robinson
ESQ connecting The several bell towers works admir-
ably and its value becomes more apparent 70 the
Department daily. As an additional and important
imIrovemtnt in its operation, | would suggest that
the residence Of the Engineers, the believers, aud
aluaratus.houses be connected IN such way that
alarms can be Immediately given from one house 10
each Of the Others thus making over one hundred
stations, instead Of eight as at present. Its plan
of working 20 be somewhat as follows; On fire
brfaliDg out the company located in the vicinity
will oxtnguish il if possible, but # assistance is re
ouired they win transmit the alarm 10 the Others, and
al the same time TO the engineers aud 10 the beltow
ers The machines set in motion by the simple touch
Of lever will continue to give the district and number
of the company sending the Alarm for eight or ten
minutes In all the stations, so that person desiring
information as 20 the locality of the fire, obtain 1t
by s'oppirc moment in front of the house of any fire
company the machine being so arranged thatit Is COM
pus0ry the part of those transmitting the alarm TO
give their RUMber, thus hxng on them all respon
sbiity If stem of this description was adopted
many small fires would be eXtinguished, without
ringing the alarm bells and sending the appara tus
in every direction TO no purpose While, II necessa-
w. information would be instantly transmitted 10 all
tie Companies of the mmco late locality of the fire,
and they would proceed direct thereto and consequently
reach it in much shorter time. There are many adj
vanoges that would accrue to the Department and to
the Cry generally " the adoption 81 81 tins SYSTEM
on due cor sderation of the matter. trust viii re-
ceiye your carly attention.
The members OF the Department residing and those
doing business in the lower part OF the City are sadly
In ueed of proper alarm bell the one the Post
Office Is entirely too small and there being no look out
20 the cupola, would recommend that a tower be
erected in that vicinity and supplied with bell weigh
ing not lees than 10000 pounds
Mr.. Alfred l.. Baker, employed by the Insurance
Companies 70 investigate the origin OF fires, reports
that during the year ending May 81, l59 have been
puiposely set This conclusively proves my previous
statements that one-half the fires were the work
Of design. He also reports that twenty four persons
were arrested, all of whom were discharged except
ibre The chief cause Why so few are arrested and
convicted is that The present Z" Fire Marshal h@
10 authority 20 act except by in each case procuring
warrants, Sc., from the City Magistrates. The
number Of fires for the past year Is much less than
for any Of the several preceding ones. Thus may
be safely attributed to the fact of probable inv esd
CATION. the advanced the number has gradually
decreased from what they were at It's beginning he
~ satisfied that the Investigations OF an officer duly
authorized 10 proceed tOrthWlth, would be attended
with still more beneficial results, would again urgent
Is reeommeI carly application to the Legislature
Tor the appointment Of Fire Marshal with power to
proceed a magistrate, whose duty 1t shall be to
thoroughly investigate the cause OF every lire That
occurs.
The law adopted lost Winter placing The Depart
meIt under the supervision of Fire Commissioners,
elected By the representatives Of the several compa-
MES far exceeds in lis usefulness the moot sangulne
pecta'ions of It's friends. The Board has been in
sence scarcely three months yet have rid the Depart
mon of large proportion OF the disreputabe chGrac-
tiers attached thereto And long those that remain
will be reached unless they conduct themselves IN a
becoming manner When misconduct is reported to
the Commissioners, they-with the sanction of your
honorable bOdy-ean remove the guilty parties and
prevent them from again becoming members OF the
Department. But here their power ends. The
miscreanis Whe have been removed can, and
many of them do unite with the runners and
create disturbances between companies. case
Of this kind occurred recently: Company com
planned OF being attacked by member of another, on
investigation ascertained that the person COM
hitting the assault had been previously expelled for
Cfenfes Of Il similar nature, and IS now but runner
the agIyed parties therefore had him arrested, but BY
giving security in d mere nominal sum to keep the
peace for short time, he was liberated by the Judge
As it generally occurs that these rowdes nave 100
much political influence 10 receive their just deserts
from our Courts, / Wond sugges,-It constitutional
that application be made to the Legislature to cothe
the Fine Commissioners with ful judicial power, 10 DC
used by them only in cases Of attack OF Ouher"lse III
erfering with hremen chae "a the discharge 81 "s"
duly. 81. ,
lie Department il composed, including II isn-
CHEERS OF 2 C3l men, enrolled in IS Engine ComPa
nice g Hoe Companies, - Hook and Ladder ana
4 Hydrelt Companies. % engines, 10 hose carriages
and hook and ladder trucks in good order en-
gines and 10 hose carriages IN ordinary conditions
engines and trucks are indlheIenti aud III elgines
G hose carriages and trucks are building. Nearly
an tie COMPANIES for which apparatus are building
arc using old ones. There also good engines In
iho Public Yard-Nos. IL, is, le-and one building
No. 46-fhe companies Of which nave al Oeen qis
01udcd by DE Commissioners except No. ~, VINO :
vas previously removed by the COmmln COunca.
There is ia use 1900 feet Of hose, OF Shlch - 80
.tg. are IN good Condition.
Iael Ina, ia justice to the members 4 Tie Depart