The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-02

tuu nremen ana consequently entitled to full pay
them up and procured the passage Of the G biii
through the Legislature granting these men their
Inc amount was some $500 ooo II need
r.y Do SAID that men employed In this manner.
Icy orcnvng one-quarter OF the sum allowed the rego
t a,r n n and working at different avocatohs
we e constant against them for not being on hand
VINE wnen wanted The plausible excuse always was
mouse, they could not hear the alarm. the excuse
was, OF course perfectly valid, and when the pres
eas ION came into power they Immediately
saw tnc uSmclency OF the system. During the
month OF December last they at length passed
resolution entirely dong away with the hosemen
Island This went into effect on Japnary n l. and
now In the various stations named above, there
year. This, no doubt, somewhat improved mat
tiers, though the number OF stations was not in
creased, and each one even mas two bremen less
than the stations in the other portion OF the civ
the latter having ten privates EACH while the ior-
mer have but eight each, to do more than double
the work.
WHAT THE COMMISSIONERS WANT
tbs proper here to explain that TINS state OF
ers OF the Fire Department. The Commissioners
are greatly troubled to carry such large depart
ment on their hands with the appropriation that
corded 81, 100000, the Department OF Education
So 800 OO0 while the Fire Department is only given
ST. 627 0OO including the extra compensation for me
newly annexed district Of Westchester county. The
Commissioners mold. very reasonably. that they
cannot do more than they are dong Win the iunds
power Whatever to occupy any further property
up town, to build engine houses or any thing Of
that kind. This has TO be done through the Board
OF AppOrtiOnment, consisting OF the Mayor, the
Comptroller, the President OF the Board OF Alder
men and the President of the Board OF Tax Com
missloners. This Board is very unwilling 10 go TO
any further expense Tor the FIRE Department ana
pays very little attention to It's modest demands:
-Four months ago the Fire Commissioners applied
to the Board oil AppOrtOnmenc lor The use OF
house In Fiity-ninth street, near THIRD avenue,
which Is at present occupied by police dispen-
but which Is In reality the properly OIL the
Fire Commissioners. A fire engine house Is lmper.
atvely needed in this section. precisely the one one
where the Stiner tragedy took place; but the
police refuse to vacate the premises unless
they are accommodated with Others ,. 50 50
taken mt no p action on the the subject. Ths
Fire Commissioners lament thai they cannot nave
portion OF the city, but they express themselves az
being pOwerless in the matter. while they acknOw-
edge the total nadequacy OF the force IN lnat dis.
is no fire station between Fifty-hrst street aud
Third avenue and Eighty-hth street and third
avenue, distance OF thirty blocks, In thicky
settled portion. The station IN Flty-ninth street,
II established, would precisely meet this need.
Here more than anywhere else, the Fire, Depart
CITY, and several startling disasters have happened
to show 1t. the most notable Of which is the last
Application has also been made to the Board OF
AppOrtlOnment that the department be furnished
with an engine house In oeventy-fourth street,
answer has been returned to 1t, and the COmmis.
sloners are totally in the dark as TO whether IL
".
process continues the city is in danger.
THE FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH
The Commissioners have also begun to feel THAI
the present system OF fire alarm telegraph, while
very excellent one, Is not sufficiently understood
0y the general public to be OF such service as u
might be did every person understand Its uses and
management. They therefore propose that every
citizen shall be his own bellringer. The Commls
sioners propose 10 cause cards to be distributed
every house within proximity to fire alarm tele.
graph box instructng the inmates how to use the
telegraph and where to mud the Key 1t has been
that IN MAJ ~ QpS rpa
led much more promptly than they are did the
people VINO discover them know precisely what to
and '1 great loss OF Of property and some
benefit is hoped rom this popular
own voaon Moud the
are q unit on the points spoken OIL as TO the
necessity OF the establishment OF more force above
the dividing line They feel that In the verdict OF
the COrOner's jury in the Stlner case nothing has
been said that censures the department. The YER
dict. they say, refers to the inadeQuacy OF the
force which is not their fault but states distinctly
that the Fire Department dld all IL could in arriv-
ing at the fire IN Slxtleth street promptly ana al
we'll as circumstances would permit.
THE DEPARTMENT IN THE NEW DISTRICT.
The order OF the Commissioners relative to the
new Westcnester district was promulgated in the
latter portion OF December and took effect on Jam
uary l. This district may be said to be made
quately covered, also, and the system there OF
hosemen and laddermen, spoken Of above, is stu
continued.
The new organization Is known as the Tenth
battalion, covering all the newly acquired terri
tory. The battalion Is under the command OF q
foreman, who is mounted, and whose headquarters
are established at the engine house located on
Third avenue, between 146th and 14Sth streets, and
it consists Of the following companies:-
Two engine Companies equipped ed wi, with steam fre
bered respectively Al and q and manned BY assist
ant foreman engineer OF steamer two iiremen and
Four engine companies tequipped with chemical fro
6efed respectively l. and ana manned By one as
sistant foreman. two fremen and five hosemen.
and
respectively II u.s. and manned by assistant tore
man, fremen and pine laddermen
The firemen, engineer and fOremen receive the
same salaries in other portions OF the city. The
hosemen and laddermen (whO have also other avo-
catiOns) receive $500 per annum. Their duties are
precisely the same as those formerly employed on
Manhattan Island and described above, and the
measure Is intended to be one OF economy
The following exceptional rule also applies ex-
cluslvely to the companies OF the 1wentythird and
Twenty fourth wards
Upon receipt Of alarm for Of the stations at the
the BATTALION at the police station at
fremont or In any other at any OF the engine
upon the fire BELLS which will be repeated upon the
ner An alarm received at either OF dial win
be to b WI
So be struck upon the Mount Morris bell and
OF the signal stations in the district named Com
viii use all due diligence in communicating alarm to
Of the company for purpose deemed necessary.
The time has not been sufficiently long as yet 20
test these measures for the large portion OF terri
tory comprising the annexed district. Time alone
can tell whether they are sufficient or not. No
further time Is needed to establish the fearful in
adequacy OF the present provision Tor preventing,
discovering and extngulshing fires on this island
above Fiftyninth street; and the protection OF lie
and property, now far too long endangered, and
with fatal results, by mis- taken municipal econ.
Omy.
A BUaLE GALL.