, 1873-02-09

fashionable feminine circles Of Royal and Impe
rial guests. May we all be there to see!
GARETu.
PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE.
[ TO tie Editor Of The Chicago Tribune:
! SIR: hre-proof city, in an age and countr,
like this, is impossible. We are minus two el
ements necessary, time and money. II we hai
the time, we hare not got the money. This be.
ing the case, the first thing for q careful man il
to appreciate the fact that his own building il
not hre-proot, and that those about him are not
much better than drst-cass kindling-wood to
give his successful start. When this is real
lied, the next thing to do is to get an Insurance
Company, for the tempting reward of cash down
Of large percentage on the cost Of your build.
ing to divide with you the chances Of your build
ing being destroyed, and leaving you to insure
your own risk on them, that they can or will pay
in case Of loss.
A f1re-proof city, or city Of fire-proof build
ings entirely, is substantial theory. but would
| make dull aud cheerless abode for men,-a
city Of brick vaults. Chicago, for many years,
| is destined to be a Ight-built and coznbustihle
for solicitors OF insurance, but speculative for
| companies insuring, and costly to the owners OF
property, under the present system Of it's Fire
Department, which is es good as any other
city'e,. but, like nll q delusion and snaro,
| though costly.
Tbs time to put ont fire is before it gets
headway. The present way Of doing it is to send
an engine to the fire as soon ns possible, and
| great skill and energy arc shoTn III doing 1t !;
but it is usually satisfactory it the hremen save
adjoining buildings and prevent general conta-
| grafton. Chicago needs no arguments to prove
that the Fire Department as organized is per-
fectly helpless and useless in case Of fire get
| ting beyond ordinary severity.
| = hri1Tinr fharc ia effhar
fire, or WHIST will make fire, at short ORDER but,
in many buildings, and most upper stories, there
| is no water. Here Lies the trouble. Here is the
! problem: How to supply every building with
cality like tho burnt district Of Chicago, espcc-
ially the business pert), and to have the water
available in every part Of high building in
stantly, and in sufficient quantity to eztinguish
any fire; to be able to contest it's progress from
| room to room, from cellar to garrett. Now, in
case OF fire in an upper story, The water has to
ba forced up in = feeble stream, and with great
labor and danger, and with small results. Now,
mess block With water IN sufficient quantities to
e1tinguish every fire that may start in any build
ing where the system ia applied
To start with, there is plenty OF water. To
make it available is the thing to be accomplish
ed. We have sufficient pumping capacity, if
used at all hours, to food every building in the
city. To utilize the entire, OF sufficient quan-
tity Of the pumplng-power already ours for fire
purposes, is what propose also. This is the
system proposed to utilize our vast supply of
water, and vast outlay for pumping works and
wa:er-pipes, which nov convey water to every
house, and eyen while the city burned, the
pipes were full, but gave but little aid.
propose that the city be divided into districts,
to each district that, in each district, there be
erected large tank, or reservoir, like the one
on Adams street, Except as to size). The tank
to be built as high as any building in it's district
a., ko m Ea h11i1f af,n
higher than water could be forced by the pump
ing engines OF the city. All OF these tanks to be
connected with each other, and each connected
with the supply pipes OF the water works, so that
capacity in supplying water for usual use,-say
at night,-it should be q part OF their work to
keep all Of the fre-tanks full, and. as they Would
not be drawn from except in case of fire, they
would be easily filed, and, once filled, would be
kept full easily. Each tank to be connected at
the bottom with a main pipe to run down
to the ground, thence under ground,
through the alleys in the rear Of buildings in
the district Each building to have + water
pipe Of large size, say three inches, running
from basement to roof, up through the centre Of
the building, with ~plags and couplings for .
hose-connection on each floor; for large build
ings, more than one supply pipe could DO put in,
as the expense compared to the advantages an9
would always be full, ready for use on the in
stant and, in case OF FIRE. the entire contents OF
all the tanks and all the pipes in other buildings
would be available; and, in case OF emergency,
the pumping could bo put to filling the |
tanks while large fires were IN progress, # such
q circumstance could be with such ready and |
abundant means to prevent constantly at hand. |
Tho public cost Of this Arrangement in each |
district would not be as much as tile loss Of . |
single fine building, as each owner Of q building I
would be required to make his own connections, |
and the expense to each owner would be moth
ing compared to the fire arrangements put in |
by J. '. Farwell l. Co., Field, Letter l. Co., and
others. The main itoms Of expense are already |
made: the immense pumping~Works and the |
water-mains. The great tanks once built, they |
would last an age, and, being fre-proof, thoY
would stand like great sentinels for the protec-
ton Of tue city. The present fire engines
could be used in the residence portion OF the
city. The police Of each district could also have
charge of any building in case Of fire, and as
Ibis system Would largely reduce the risk and con-
cost Of insurance, mora police could |
be afforded BY the city for the protection OF the
citizens.
h1r. Editor, have given this subject much
:hought, and have consulted other practical men,
rho agree with me that this is { feasible and
practicable idoa; and, think, by giving my idea
,ub1ic notice, that ultimately something Of the
tind will be found to be the thing to make prop
,rty more safo, and consequently add to its |
'a1ue; to reduce the risk, and consequently the
:ost Of insurance. Respectfully yours :.
CHICAGO, Feb. 7, 1873.
Mrs. Charles Sumner Is occupying her time in
europe chiefly in doing good to Others. More
han one American family, to whom dire disease
as come in foreign lands, has found d faithful
nd efficient nurse in Mrs Sumner. In ono in
urse ssyeral members Of an American family Of
,hnsn harinua i1Inhss occurring st tho time eLa