Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-04-11
Municipal Affairs.
THE FIRE COMPANIES.

teers. OF the latter sort are the companies Of
this city, and, considering their numbers, aud
the apparatus at command, they are an efficient
body Of men. Nevertheless, the wants of the
city, in this respect, are by no means well sup
piled. In all that part OF the city known as
South Nashville, o., in other words in all the
city South of Broad street, there is no organi-
zed fire company, no apparatus of any kind for
the extinction of fires.
The fremen. as now organized, consist of
four companies, each limited to a hundred
members The officers belonging IL each com
pany consist of Captain, three Pipemen, three
Directors for each engine, and three for each
hose carriage two Axemen, a Secretary, and
Treasurer. Each Company has charge of an
engine, hose carriage, and an average of
seven hundred feet of hose. Three of the en-
gines are good and efficient machines, but the
fourth is well-nigh worn out; and little Deepen
deuce can be placed on the hose, which has
now been SO long in use, that whenever the
companies are called out, their efficiency is i'm
peded 10y the frequent bursting of hose sections.
There are bat two engine houses in the city,
that are worthy of the name; that of Company
No. ! and that of Company No. 8, being Who'll
ly inadequate to the wants of a fire company
Neither of these houses has a hall in which the
members of the company can meet to transact
business. la neither of the houses belonging
20 these companies is their room sufficient for
tire convenient slowing away Of apparatus; on
tie contrary, whenever it is to be cleaned or
repaired, 1t becomes necessary TO take the APP
paratus into the street, and perform the opera
ton there, let the weather be what it may
On one occasion during the past winter, the
want of adaptation in the engine houses used
by Companies Nos. l and 3, was brought di-
rectly home, not only to the fire companies,
but to those interested in the preservation Of
their property. We allude to the night on
which fire broke DOT in the rear of Mr.. Carriers
house, on Cherry street. On that occasion, two
of the hose companies found their apparatus
entirely useless; for the weather being, at that
time, excessively cold and there being no means
of heating the rooms in which it was kept ice
bad formed in the hose TO such an extent rs to
prevent water from passing through it. Had
the night been windy, the two other compa-
nies-the only ones whose apparatus was in
working order-would have been wholly in
adequate to the emergency; and more property
would, in all probability, have been destroyed
than would serve to build and fit up, in proper
manner, all the engine houses the city will need
for the next twenty years.
If, therefore, il is thought best to continue
the organization of the fire companies as they
now exist, it is manifest, that two new engine
houses should be built for Companies No. and
5; that full supply of new hose should be pro
cured for all the companies now organized;
that new engine house should be erected
somewhere in South Nashville; and a new com
pany there formed and supplied with an engine
anc other apparatus necessary TO complete its
organization.
Since the outlay requisite to complete the
fire department as now organized, will neces-
sarily be considerable, perhaps it will be well
10 enquire what improvements have been made
and adopted elsewhere 10 this kind of ma
chinery. From report Of the Chief Engineer
of the fire department in Cincinnati, it appears,
that within the last two years, steam fire en-
gines have been there iutroduc and such
other improvements effected, AS have reduced
the destruction Of property fire, from $608, 800
10 $l20,Sl6, in one year-leaving balance in
favor Of the new organization, amounting to
in, la e
cry destroyed by fire in that city, has been
reduced in round numbers, half a million Of
dollars, by the Introduction of improved ma
chinery, il certainly behooves every other city
10 enquire into the merits of the organization
by which such a result has been accomplished
Nor is this all that is claimed for the new or
gsnzation of the Cincinnati fire companies
The steam fire engines being drawn by horses
and worked by steam, require only five or six
men to operate on each machine; they secure !
thereby not only more prompt and energetic |
action, but avoid entirely those disgraceful |
fights, hitherto so common among the fire COM |
psnies Of Cincinnati, as formerly among those |
of philadelphia.
There exists, however, in this city, a serious
obstacle TO prevent the efficient action of any
FIRE department, let that department be organi- |
zed as il may. We allude to the scaniy supply |.
Of water. At present, the Reservoir is divided |.
into two compartments Of unequal size, com
monty called the old and the new Reservoir. |
From the smaller one, the water is brought in |
TO the lower part Of the city by means OF six 4
inch pipe; from the larger one, it IS brought |
through an eight iDol pipe, as far as Broad ST.; /
and thence maG supply for the upper part
of the city, is conveyed through a six inch /
pipe. 1t is true, that at the corner OF Church /
and Cherry streets, connection between these
pipes can be made in case Of fire, but even
when this is done, little is gained, because
most parts Of the city are supplied through
three ZACH branch pipes. This is the reason a
supply of water could not be had during the
late fire at the corner Of Union aud College
streets. On that occasion, all four Of the en-.
gnes were playing on the same FIRE at the same
time, aud water being supplied only through
three inch pipe, caused frequent cessations 10
the working Of the machines. In all that part
of the city North of Church street, and West
Of Vine, little or no water can be had 10 case
OF fires. Indeed, during the summer months,
when water Is used for sprinking the streets
the hydrants in that locality often do not run
at all
Any one who will take the trouble TO inquire
into tbis Faastar nil A.. - All ....fA a -.