The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-26
THE FIRE QUESTION.

sent word to the board that the two fire engines
and the $50 fire buckets sent for from England
had arrived in July, and requested provision OF
suitable places for their reception"
The Council ordered that the buckets be
hung up in the courthouse, and that measures
be ueed to place the engines, to wit:-one at the
corner of the great Westinghouse yard (south-
west corner of Second and High streets)-one at
Francis Jones lot, corner of Front and Walnut
streets, and the old engine in corner of the
Baptist meeting yard, in Second street. near
Arch" From this it will be seen that there
were but three engines in oil, and that, not
counting the two new ones which had just ar
rived there was but one engine to subdue the
Dickinson fire.
In 1885 writer in the Gazette says, "We have
at present got engines enough, but question if
water enough can be had in many places to keep
them going for half an hour. 1t seems to me
some public pumps are wanted" The same
writer advised the formation of fire companies.
Previous to that time the citizens themselves
had done all the work at fires.
In 1885 the houses of "Budd's long row, north
of the'drawbridge on Front street, took fire. The
destruction of the whole row was feared, but the
engines were worked successfully.
Benjamin Franklin, in 173S, instituted the first
FIRE company organized in Philadelphia. This
Department. What B. Franklin would think
of the present state of the organization is
matter of conjecture only. The first fire COM
panies had the charge of the engines, buckets,
and apparatus, but were helped by numbers of
citizens when at fires. At later date, in addi-
tion to the public buckets, others were provided
by large buildings, the owners of which were
compelled to provide them by law, the num-
Der, we believe, being proportionate to the
number of windows in the building. They
were placed in the most public locality of the
building, and were marked with the name of
the building or owner. When fire occurred,
the buckets were taken from every available
building, and if these were not sufficient, others
of tin or wood were borrowed from private
houses. The ones provided by public buildings
were usually of leather. We still see some of
these ancient specimens preserved in the vest-
bules of old buildings, as for instance the Phila-
delphia Library, where the old leather fire
buckets may be seen on entering the doorway
Watson, in his "Annals, says that ''byan adver-
tsement in the Gazette in 1853 I see that 'bas-
kets and bags of fire companies are called upon
to be returned, thus showing the early use of
them. We used to see them hung up in the old
halls and entries where now our ladies hang
elegant lamps"
The following paragraph from Watson gives
an insight into the manner of working of the
bucket system:-
"The present manner of subdung fires pre-
sents an aspect quite different from former
doings in such cases. When there was no hose
in use, and no hydrants, but only pumps and
buckets to keep the engines supplied the scene
was much more busy than now. Few or no
idlers could be seen as lookers-on. They made
long lines of people to hand along the buckets,
and if tie anxious and idle attempted to pass,
the cry was passed along the line, Fall in, fall
in' If dsregarded bucket of water was dis
charged upon them. Then it was quite common
to see numerous women in the ranks, and it was
therefore more provoking TO see others giving
no help, but urging their way as near the fires
as they could. Next day was fine affair for
the boys to look out all the buckets they knew
of their several neighborhoods, and to carry
them home. The street posts, too all along the
streets far from the fire, could be seen capped
here and there with stray bucket, asking for
its owner" 1t is unnecessary to add that the
community then must have been more strictly
honest than it is at present
During the time between 1921 and 1924 there
were 96 fires in Philadelphia. This fact is ascer-
tanned from official minutes. The number OF
fires in 1891 was 30; in 1892 there were 22 in
1928 there were 81, and in 1894 there were IA
Those which happened in the latter part of 1922
and the beginning of 1928 were generally sup.
posed to be the work of incendiaries. This was
probably the beginning of the evil which at last
attached itself to the fire companies themselves
and under their management has been reduced
GA system.
The largest fires in our city have occurred
since the dates mentioned, when the city was
much larger. Perhaps the most destructive Of
these, If we judge by the amount of ground
gone over, was the great Water street
fire which started on July o, 1850
in a saltpetre storehouse. This exploded
doing considerable damage. The fact of its ex-
plosion gave rise to the saying ''Will saltpetre
explode!" which, as far as now known, has been
answered in every case in the negative. The
cause of this particular explosion has been made
he subject of many theory, and the result has
not been satisfactorily demonstrated to this day
By this FIRE $50 buildings were burned and its
progress could only be stopped by tearing down
is named at 81, 500 900, which, however is low
estimate. By this fire twenty-five persons were
killed, nine were drowned, and 100 were
wouadea. At this time our hand-forcng
engines were, and had been for long time, in
use. On this occasion they were found mise
rably inadequate. Their exhaustive manner oi
working is still fresh in the mind of every
citizen. The loss in money by this fire was only
one-half of the amount of loss at the Patterson
bonded warehouses, which were burned in 1868,
though the area of ground was not near so
great.
The Causes OF a Change In the Department.