The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-03
CHI AR ES TON.
FRIDAY MORNING. SEPT. 8. 1869.
The Eirc Department.

It is said that the City Council will be
asked at an early day to abolish the present
fire department and create paid fire de-
partment, consisting of six steam FIRE en-
| gincs, with one engineer and ten fremen to
each engine This is to be proposed on the
SCORE of economy, and not because any fault
is fouud with the present FIRE department
which, We undertake to say, is as thor
oaghly efficient as any fire department in
the Uailed States.
Only week ago bill was passed by the
City Council making six colosed fire COM
panies part of the fire department, and
authorizing them to be paid one-half the
compensation paid to white fire companies
having the same class 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 so anx-
ious to break up the whole department ''for
the sake Of saving few thousand dollars"
The cost of paid fire department Of six
steamers, each having one engineer, at $72O
year, and ten fremen at $3.50 a year,
would be $S3, ,12O. For the year ending
April 81, 1869, the whole cost of the fire
department, consisting Of 8 steamers, 4
hand engines, 2 trucks and 4 auxiliary
companies, was $50 521. That is to say,
we had last year l6 engines and 2 hook and
ladder companies for svo thousand five
hundred and ninety nine dollars less than the
cost of the prop 'sed paid department which
is to have only 6 engines. This fact is
easily accounted for. At present eaoh Of
the steam engines is paid by the city $4,000
q gear. This is the whole expense to the
city Of each steam engine. And yet it is
proposed to create paid department Of six
steam engines, each Of which is to cost
yearly $500 We do not stop now to
show, as osn be done, that our fire depart
ment costs less for its size than any other
FIRE department in the country. All that We
desire to prove is that We cannot have
paid department Of the same efficiency at
anything like the moderate expense Of cur
present fire department. The fgures' are
plain enough. To begin with, there are to be
6 steamers at cost Of $500 each. There
must be chief engineer aud at least one
ASSISTANT, whose united sslsries--in these
latter days-wils not be less than $1,000.
We assume that 2 hook aud ladder compa-
nies will be thought necessary, whioa will
add about $2400 to the bill. Here is, at
once, @ yearly charge Of $37 $40, without
adding one cent for grease, oil, repairs Of
engines, repairs and renewals Of hose,
which, together. amount to very consid-
trahle sum. Tue new plan would give US
6 steam engines and hook and ladder COM
panies at cost Of nearly $40 600. Last
year our volunteer fire department cost
$50 600 for steam engines, 8 hand en-
c,n-s aud 2 hook aud ladder companies.
IT lere is suo, her point which must not he
overlooked. Tue 8 steam engines and 4
baud engines in possession of the white
companies belong to those mpsnies, and
are their private property. At the very
beginning. then, the city would have to pro-
vide engines for the department, and we
leave it to any Ingenious Alderman to de-
termine how the city can afford to buy, for
cash or on credit six steam fire engines Of
the same class as those now used by our
volunteer department This would cost,
we suppose, at least $4,000.
There is not. as far ~ We can see, one soli
tary sound argument in favor Of the propo-
sition for creating paid fire department;
but there is every reason for believing that
such. change would add largely to the
expenses Of the city, while il would give Us
department weaker numerically, and GER
tainly less trustworthy, than the one which
now protects us against the greatest dam
ger to which our propertv is exposed.