The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-04
TO THE EDITOR on TIE HERALD.


TO THE EDITOR or rHE HERALD.
caanssroN sspt h, 1879
Your columns having Time since contained a. g.
cle condemnatory our nre department. and msf'iros
scntlng facts with rcgaed vessel arriving a his oF
on fire, request OF act II ustce tho hstoH
in conspicuous place, of the enclosed reinttnn and az
''enu' statement i0'' = ~ il NATHAN,
Chief Of Fire Department of Charleston.
From the Charleston nercury.l
Several Of The New York papes have Asely ooasaaei
an article headed Fremen wrecgers, sniea p1s-
ported 70 "make more widely snosn" recent eoe rrrSee
~ Charleston, by . detailed state nent or tho sAns
By the cy regulations, vessei tAsipg are peyoni
the limits Of the city ouy DO brought 70 aay o. ire
wharves by special permissoo of the Mayor 10 he la
stance referred TO this permission for
bark Amy, with the proviso that tho Fire p~artnsat
should take charge Of her provide seans ine :osin
eency OF m outbust Of the flames and dagger
TO ding property; and further VI
,he department should be rsodered not at the o.
the city, but according 10 agreement betwtsa The
papies and representatives or the vessel
Three propositions were submitted 70 the captain ani
agents. VIZ -s26 per hour engine; s. 900
cargo saved. The third was selected IL 10, the -efore,
not true that the alternative presented 70 the captain ~1
pay savsge OF 20 per cent Of the value o. L vessel
arc cargo 10 haul her into the Stream snd there lot ner
burn or scuttle her"
that company the Purchaser and o~nor or IL
tire apparatus and ID bound to keep In state OF per-
feet order and efficiency at s Own expenses that tho ID
jury resulting both engine and hose from the prolonged
salt very coDsderable and IN the
Of great would be almost irrepTAbe, particularly
regsrce the hosethe rs Of these Offers al least must
appear entirely free from any charge Of exo,o; aud
therefore, iDasmuch set d. aud preference
voluntarily given anosher certainly saying
much pronounce the etstem MT OF "tne extor-
tomato terms being exactedn To DO base SANDER Hal
the bark and cargo been desro cd the would have
been commended for anrewGntss the
frtmens unsuccessful labors should be uncompenss.ed
ana they One hfemen) wouio have been jnered at for
having been outwitted; because, by faitnfa and
skful performance of their duty, they earned fair
ward securing TO the owners underwriters four doars
for every which accrued 10 themselves, oo04uy
tempted 70 be cast up0n and false sate nents made with
regard TO them.
That these arrangements made beforehand war
due the teachings OF experience; for 1t has than
happened that services which appeared most v<u-
able and desirable while danger threatened have been
decfied and moderated aerwsros and as for verbal
agreements they have been ignored and the 0eemen left
10 obtain redress as best they might
II 10 nsinusied that esprit corps should have in
duced erstutous rendering OF their services. On what
grounds VI fairness and common such ides.
suggest re Surely, under such incentive, their frat
neither receive nor expect IT, Moreover why not eqaaly
call upon pilots whsrf owners and mechanics and
lsborers for the same exhibition q philanthropy 10 all
cases OF vessels coming into port III dEsrees?
Was our Fire Department on the same footing az in,
other cties composed Of ,dlers and hangers on
the constant employ ment and pay Of the city
whose sole principal of that
pay sucn esprit du corps wodd cost them nothing rhsy
could be ordered to 60 70 work OURS however y not
constituted Its members comprise some OF "most
respectable ctzens"-by no means "mostly merchants
and others engaged in by far in greater
pendent with their families upon their daily labor for
support and such men cannot afford 70 render sner
vices grauitousy and then put their hands in their
pockets pay for their lost time, and in addition, tor
repairs 10 their appsratus WHAT they ordinarily
for their services from the city merely sa in
junction with their regular contributions de-
fray expebses-there being TACT understanding With
the city that in Of psusity Of ares other
cumstances neceseitatng II, they viii be assste lin in
stance Of which may be mentioned that they ast
year presented with 500 feet OF hose each
As regards 'some few OF the companies" TO whom JUS
ce desired 70 be rendered, by stating thkt tney
reflection declined to retain the share Of piun Ter which
had been allotted 10 them and have returned IT, may
be remarked that there was only who did return toe
cunt hch they had previously accepted. Tna. COM
nany acted throughout step by step with the others
aenpg TO all their arrangem snts and the Ultimate return
Of their OF the earn0es for the sake ,conss
tency-ber organization differing from all the others in
this reepecttha they never receive pay for tne
vices In behalf OF their fellow citizens otherwise
In reuat OF the charge tna too Chief OF Fire De-
paImen refused the Of the uniess
pronered terms accspte1 thereby leaving alter
native to the captain Of scnstng his vessel
red from the highest hority that the staenent
tTely without onn 1aon The ooiy refusal given IN
the captains desire scute vessel At the
head or the dock As the ordinances the city
forbid such act the Chief told the captain would
be permitted
We have stated fact in the above and assumed no
position, that not in etrc. accordance With the tr1,b
and have derived them from gentlemen OF Bigo Official
position in the department We do not feel that ogr
partment needs o defence but 1t 10 entitled 20 ! fair
hearing