The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-05-17
am, sir, your obedient servant,
GEORGE y. lRIMBLR,
.ictMo CHEZ EnQileel. Y. c. E. Dent

-ActmQ Ch'ef En9Hleer W. Z. h. Dept.
Mai. Trimble may not have been
aware of the tact or it may not have
been part of the regular "test," but a
part OF the leather hose certainly IrdS
| "tested by engines" We saw the Hope
engine burst two sections of leather
hose in front of the Mcclure House and
the "Seventy-sx" burst three at the
corner of Main and Monroe. And this
test so far rs made, although not made
perhaps under direction of the Chief
! Engineer, showed that the hose would
not stand the test of the engines. This
/ is what it ought to stand to be OF any
use anywhere in the city except along
the Main street pipe. II all the hose
: had been thus tested, it is hard to say
] how much Cor now little) of it would
have passed the ordeal.
I Concerning Maj. Trimble's report,
/ the chairman OF the Committee ON the
I Fire Department says:
! 1.-The report shows that there is in the
| possession of the Hope, Rough and
! Ready, Guards and United companies,
I $50 feet of leather hose, and 900 feet
of gum hose that stood the ordinary
/ plug pressure: to which add about 800
/ feet of leather hose in possession of the
| Independence or '76' Fire Company,
making a total OF only about ., 500 feet
of hose in the city that can be relied
| upon or used in case of fire. In view
! of these circumstances, the Committee
urgently recommend that prompt
measures be taken looking to the pur-
chase of ut least 500 feet OF best quail.
ity of ~ inch. 7-ply gum hose for the
1 use OF the different companies. Such
hose will cost about 81 per foOt.''
| Mr.. Blair continues: 1.-The Commit
tee direct me to again recommend the
/ purchase of two sieam-tire engines
similar to the United. and the two
4-wheel hose carriages; and also to
/ recommend the sale of the old engines,
reels, &C., as soon as they can be
/ dispensed with. The engine formerly
/ the United Hose and Engine house and
/ is of no use whatever to the city. The
Committee suggest that it be sold the
/ first opportunity. The Committee
| further recommend that the annual ap.
| preparation to the different fire COM
[ panies for the current year be fixed al
/ 300 to each of the following named
companies: Independence, Hope, Rough
and Ready, and Guards Hose and
Hook and Ladder Company, and $500
TO the United Steam Engine Company
the said company to employ and pay
out of said sum suitable person tC
Z
| and keep same in order"
! The Committee accordingly reported
7 resolutions, LIST, Empowering the Com.
mittee to purchase $500 feet best quail
ity ~ inch 7-ply gum hose. I'd, En-
| powering the Committee to contract
| for two steam fire engines SINH
lar to the United and two four
! wheel hose carriages, at u cost
not exceeding 5000 for each of the
engines and 800 for each of the hose
houses. Sd. Empowering the committee
to sell the engine formerly used by the
| Guards Fire Company. 4th. Fixing the
appropriation tor the current year as
above indicated.
! This report was considered in the
| Second Branch, and the several resoIu-
tons of the committee embOiyiu1 the
. foregoing recommendations were pass
ed in that Branch. The report was not
acted on in the FirstBranch. Afterthe
adjournment of the Second Branch,
however, it was discovered that the
resolution empowering the COMMITTEES
to contract for the two steam FIRE en-
gines did not receive the two.thirds
vote required to appropriate money:
and SO we believe it is held that the
resolution was not passed by the Sec
ond Branch, although so declared.
rms matter of doing something to
give US an efficient Fire Department is
worth being canvassed by our citizens.
We are inclined to think the best thing.
and in the end the cheapest, is to get
about two more steam engines with first
Glass hose and get rid OF the old hand
engines to the best advantage we can.
The city will then be we'll protected
against tire, and not till them We hope
the thing will be thoroughly canyassed
between now and the next meeting of
Council so that that body will NOT at
least have to say they were obliged to
constituents.