The Portland daily press., 1869-08-16
Alleged Causes Of Inef1ciency I'm sho Fire
DepaFtmeut


Alleged Causes Of Inefzlciency I'm she Fire |
Department.
Mr.. EDIToR:-I notice in your issue of tba |
14th inst. an article which reflects somewbat |
on the policy pursued by the City Government |
towards the maintenance of proper and eff |
Gent fire depai tment for the city of Portland. |
and as that article is likely to mislead those
who are unacquainted with the facts, take
the liberty of giving you few figures and sta
tistics, in order that the blame if there be any,
lnay rest where it properly belongs, and think
that upon investigation it will be found not
tobe with the City Government or with the
Committee on Fire Department. 1t is admit
ted by those well acquainted with such mat
ters, that good hose, properly taken care of,
will do good and efficient service for the term
of from four to six years; it would follow then,
as matter of course, that all hose. purchased
by the city within four should at least not be
unreliable. 1t is also admitted that each engine
Is compelled by law to have 1000 feet of hose
on the reel and an additional 1000 feet in the
engine house for spare hose There being, as
is stated in the article referred to. but four
steam engines, it necessarily follows that there
should be at least 5000 feet of reliable hose on
hand for use. Now let us see if such is or
should be the case; and for this purpose will
not go back of the great fire of July, 1866. To
say nothing of the amount of hose on hand at
that time, (some of which is actually in use at
the present day. in 1866, and since the great
fire this city purchased $3.50 feet of new hose,
In 1867, 1000 feet, and in 1863 $3.50 feet, making
II, 400 feet of new hose purchased within three
years, at cost Of $40 504. 46; and also paid in
addition thereto $76911 for new suction hose
and repairs on the old hose. Now as the whole
of this should be reliable hose (the oldest Dor
ton Of it being only three years old) and as
only 5000 feet is required by law for all the en-
gines, and is deemed sufficient supply, we
have at least 3400 feet of hose more than is
necessary or required Add to this amount
the further one of 1000 feetwhich has just been
ordered and we have total of Il, 400 feet, or
surplus of $500 feet, after allowing the liberal
supply of 1000 feet to each steamer as is re-
quired by law. If, therefore, there is not sufi-
cient reliable hose on hand, to whom is the
neglect attributable? This we shall perhaps
understand when we examine further There
has also been supplied to the department with
in the period alluded to, system of telegraph
fire alarm, at an expense OF So, 22652, and eve
ry fireman in the city to-day will admit that
four steam engines NTH the telegraphic alarm
are better than nearly or quite double that num-
Der aodthout it, There has also been added to
the department within the three years alluded
to one new hose carriage, one new hook and
ladder carriage, and one new steam fire en-
CINE. Three other of the steam engines have
had expended on them at one time more than
$1,000 on each, besides the incidental repairs
which arise from day to day. The expenses of
the fire department in 1866 were $173O3; in
1867, $26,666-S7; in 1868, $40, 946O6; making
| $63,915.93 expended within three years in order
to render the department more efficient. In
addition to this, there has been paid as sala-
ries to officers and men, the sum of $19,935,
making the cost of the department $S3, $50. 90
for three years, and this too with only, Gas the
article referred to says,) four steam engines
Besides this there was appropriated in 1867 and
1868 $5,771. 80 more than it was found necessa-
~ to expend. Now, Mr.. Editor, do these fig
ures show that the City Government or the
Committee on Fire Department has been un-
mindful or neglectful of the interests of the
city in providing sufficient means to protect Us
from fire? On the contrary, the Chief Fngin-
GERS themselves, in their several reports for
those years admit their obligations to them.
Let us now see if we can find any reason for
our hose not being in good condition, for re-
member, Mr.. Editor, that am not denying
that fact, if fact it be, because am not thor
oughly posted in the matter, but if the fact be
so, on whom does the responsibility rest? 1t
is well known fact and can be attested by
hundreds of our citizens, that for more than
two hours after the fire at Cobbs Court was
subdued and the engines had left, the hose that
was used on that occasion was suffered to lie
in the streets just as it was used, without even
taking the trouble to place it outside of the
line OF travel, and every team and cart passing
that point was allowed to travel over it doing
| great damage to the hose and to the couplings
without one word of remonstrance from any
member of the fire department or any act to
preventit until one Of cur Aldermen took it
upon himself to peremptorily forbid and threat
en- prosecution to all who persisted in such a
course. And this course of proceeding, Mr..
Editor, in thus leaving hose and property is no
unusual thing in this city, but has, learn,
1 DOCA ehC USUAL CuStOIu tOI SOmctlmc D3SC.
1t is true that the water in our reservoirs is
low, and large line of hose was used at the
fire at Cobbs Court, but there are many per-
sons who could no perceive the necessity for it
they could not, and do not now understand
why the engines should be removed to dis
lance of from 400 to 250O feet, while it was full
tide in the harbor and the docks Law within
about 800 feet of the of the fire, affordine
an inexhaustible supply of water. They do
not understand why the reservoirs should have
been exhausted, cutting us off from future sup
ply in case of fire, when it all might have been
avoided by taking water from the harbor, which
lay at much nearer distance; neither do they
see the necessity, when an engine is ordered to
change her location for want of supply OF
water, for that engine to lie idle, leaving her
hose in the street Just as it lay, and wait until
new supply of dry hose is obtained from the
house, consuming nearly half an hour in the
operation. Our citizens do not perceive why
wet hose would not have answered such pur-
pose equally WELL thus subjecting the hose to
less damage by lying uncared for, as well as
| saving the half hour of valuable time in ex-
tinguishing the fire. These, and many similar
facts may tend to enlighten the minds OF many
who have unjustly blamed those who were not
deserving it. and were it not that this article is
already perhaps too long, should give further
proofs that neither the City Government nor
Committee on Fire Department have ever man
Tested any wish or desire to do anything that
would detract from complete and efficient
working fire department for this city.
STUB.
For the Press.
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