The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-03
CHI ARL E s ON.
FRIDAY MORNING, SEPT. 8. 1863.
rho Piro Department..


II is said that the City Council will be
asked at an early day to aboliuh tho prssont
fire departncn: and create q paid fru do
parlment, consisting of six steam FIRE on
gines, with ono engineer aud ten firemen to
each engine. This is to bo proposed on the
SCORE of economy, aud not because any fault
ia found with the present fire department
which, VIC undertake TO say, is as thor
onghly efficient as any FIRE department in
the United States.
Only week ago a bill was passed by the
City Council making six oolored fire CON-
panies,a part Of the hre department, and
authorizing them to be paid one-h half the
compensation paid to white fire companies
having the same olnss Of engine. This
measure adds about $4,000 year to The
cost Of the department, and it is rather in.
consistent that the very men who insisted
on passing this bill should now be 30 anx.
ious to break up the whole department ssfor
the sake Of saving a few thousand dollars. Z"
The cost Of paid fre department Of six
stesmers, eaoh having one engineer, at $40
year, and ten feemen at $3.50 year,
would be $aS, l20. For the year ending
April ~, 1859, the whole cost of the fire
department, consisting Of 8 steamers, A
hand engines, 2 trucks and 4 auxiliary
companies, was $s0.52l. That is to say;
we had last year I8 engines and hook an d
ladder companies for -tpo thousand 6v.
hundred and ninsty rins dollars less than the
cost of the prop 'sea paid department which
II TO have only engines. This fact is
easily accounted for. At present ench Of
the steam engines is paid by the city $4,000
year This is the whole expense to the
city Of each steam engine. Aud vet IL IL
proposed to create paid department Of six
steam engines, each Of which is to GO. 4
yearly $500 We do not stop now 10
show, as can be done, that our Gre depart.
ment costs less for its size than auy other
nv" dSaartmeut In the country. All that we
20 prove is ss1,s we cuuaol:hav. t
20 department OF .ne sans efici.pHyL ),
.ayth'ns !isc 'hc moderate expense Of our
= ..tpAss,hrnL. Au,i - ~
Eln'n o"ongb To begin With, ,nere ara 70 DC
g ,teA,aors ut . dcsl Of sEb2a eaoL Taarc
must be chief engineer and at least one
ASSISTANT, whose united salaries--in these
latter days-wiIl not be less than $4,000.
We assume. that 2 hot and ladder GONNA.
MES will be thought necessary, whioo will
add about $240O to the bill Here is. at
once, yearly charge Of sal $50, without
adding one cent for grease, oil, rspairs OF
engines, repairs and renewals Of hose.
shich, together, amount to q very oonsid-
trahle rum The new plan would give us
g steam engines and 2 hook and ladder oom-
pnnies at q cost Of nearly $40 600. Last
YEAR our volunteer Ere department cost
$50 600 for steam engines, g hand en-.
g'nes and 2 nook and ladder oompauies:
There is anoi her point which must not be
ov' rlo"ked. The 8 steam engines and
hand engines in possession Of the white
companies belong to those mpauies, and
are their private property. At the very
beginning, then. the city would have to pro-
vide engines for the department, and we
leave 1t to any ingenious Alderman to de-
term'ne how the city can afford to buy, for
cash or on credit, SIX steam 6re eneiuee of
the same class ss those now used By our
solunteor department This would cost.
we suppose, at iess, $50. 900.
There 10 not. as far ~ We can ses. ons .o,;.
'ary sound argument in favor Of the propo.
sition for creating q paid Are department;
hut there Is every reason for believing .hs.
snoh q change would add largely 20 the
expenses OF the oily. while IL would give us
adspsrtmant weaker numerically. and oar.,
sain'y less trustworthy. shan .he enc which
row protests as. against tho gres,sst dan
ger to which our prnpartv IL exposed. i'':