, 1874-10-04

ular companies. Tho Department now has fifty
ono steam-cnSines, OF which ten are held in re-
eeEve. Tuere are tTesty fully equipped hook
aud ladder trucks of whtci, two are held in re-
serve. Your Fire Department is c.itlcised, l
hud BY the NON Iorkers for not being better
supplied BY this arm OF the serCl"e. All the en-
gines are from one naEafa:torv,
bu, are Of five dlferca. patterns There aie tive
se!f-propellers in nse,-ths last Of Which il re-
garded - great success.
THE F1nE-A1ARM TELEGRAPH
seems to be ample for all purposes, there being
5I3 boxes in operation within the p square miles
contained in the CITY proper. These are divided
into forty-one circuits. No general alarm il
sounded here. Three signals are given, At tho
first alarm: in the territory south OF Canal. as
well as that north up to Flftv-ninth street. five
engines aud threa hook and ladder companies
ara concentrated Tlns can be done inside OF
Eve minutes, and generally within three. On the
second alarm, two more engines arrive and on
the third alarm eleven engines and i've hook ana
ladder trucks, total working force of nearly
two hundred lnen are concentrated. After that
the Chief Engineer ssuds for such ensines. &c,
as he may deem necessary. In thus concentrat-
ing thar forces the department endeavors to
arrange it so that the companies are gathered
from alternate districts. In tho territory north
Of Fiftvnin1h street the force is reduced 80 that
on the first alarm three o:giues and TWO ho1k
wards in proportion.
THE AREA SOUTH OF CANAL STREET
is divided into three fire battahous. with ten
gines aud six hook-and-ladder conpanies. But.
for administrative purposes, the Firs: Tor chauf)
Dlat1lcs runs up to Fourtccuth street. It is
found that the bulk OF all fires, as we'll as
alarms. occur within the area between Chambers
aud Fourteenth streets The Department head
quaiters arc situated in Mercer street. No. 1877,
and the celerlty with which alarms are answered
can be Been BY the fact that. within week,
large buildings next 10 the Department itself,
occupied az planing-mll'. carpenter-shop. box
factory, de-, caught fire, the front building
being gutted before it was finally suppressed.
were on the ground within three minutes.
The telegraph-opcrator sDunded the second
alarm ut once, and then the third. and eleven
engines With the other t:ucis reported within
seyen minutes, and were all At WORK inside OF
ten. There WAS need OF it, The engineer in
Charge n-rureu that, ~ 11lo, tho
thing could be done at any time within tbe Sec
ton belor Canal, while at night the ..rk would
be eyen more rapid. The most important feat
ura OF this subject is, OF course,
THE WATER SUPPLY.
The amount of water consumed daily in New
York reaches the astounding aggregate OF D5,-
003 600 gallons. This is the Inaximnm SO far.
and is, as rule. ONLY obtained in tho summer
time. It Will run down, during continued rain.
to So O01. .000 aud will average about 81 600. .00O
gallons. Tne average ncreaee per anuum has
been for several years past at the rate Of 5,000-
600 GALLONS daily. The Water Department at
.City-Hal1 eau double the supply downtown on
an emergency, and upon teIesraplic order,
charge, with whom courer6ed. complain Of the
1a1ity Of the lnW as to waste Of water, aud as
eert that there are no effectual meaua to check
this. OF course the water volunsa loses much Of
its force by the time it gete to Canal street and
below, and the chief purpose of the Croton
Board, and of tteir engineering, is to keep vol
ume, If not force, always available It will be
1emr rmbered. probably, that Broadway occupies
The cronn OF the islaud-i5 IN fact the summit OF
tho watershed or doreal ridge which WAS dis
tingaishius featurc Of aianhat:nn. before It was
butt, over: It dcsceuJs slightly "a you
90. ,*so4ih:: TO-: the Battery, and also
e a sa .1 tts,oof to snS h. zs Te5s rs
ridge, ae now; arraugeai embraces Church street
to: the northwest * .Brcadway, and the Lower
Borezy and Chatham Square; with the inter-
MILITARY Gt!pets i. :Eo i. the eaat- From these, on
nater-flonts .Thess facts must bo borne in
mind; IN ulder.sto. understand how.tI1n Oroton
engineers haye solved tteir problem OF ;voiume
anl reserve: Church street- Is the objective
Poitt This Is narfoW thoroushfare, !, .-ihe flrat
Eultop street. about tl,lee- -qnarterh u anile. ::
The ares under conslduIatioa 'ia aEpplled with
watnrs by 9. .3O-ii,eh Mani Under 1iroadwayi "a
36indh main from uptown; 1Iowa. Mott ntfcrr{a
MISUNDERSTANDING between Droah ~aT and tbs
Beverly td,loNer BoGer9 and Ciiat ham So 1.fGg;
thence through Chatham streettfo. Cuaulhozrs
xhera It d,yldea its ion. FurtAars eas. there Is
=, 2+inchi main untler .EsaeI street. and East
BtoadwaF and down New -7ea=i street, :.' :'a:s
These different mains en1ncct, with v*rIous II
and Ench distributors tedtTetebt pdlnYs.7 at
Pur;s tnt1 ,tott' streets: 1T Ezst B?otadxa apI
CharLa n s. TAEe ;:A4 ls -uch main along Lower
Pearl to New Chambers stree3. .a1sd-aguln feeds
ing 12-inch .ln&in .: William street. The
Broadway main CONNECTS 1t Chamber. street; ou:
the other side Of Church, and at the lowet pars
/ offhc dfx, GOODS duxfter There are tuo 12.ulch
i minis on Hudson street.. ds,e on Cole -Ilaee
i and one Of ms capacity on Green si.h. The.a
h a1e t"os l2-lnch feeders On Caual htrpot, The
L southern boundary 'of this district iA oFult'n
Il Rreet. at fesst" for our present prrppsesAand
/ 1G inch main con1.ects aA he Caual In. Droid.
/ gaI Mathis .do. With tho {eSeEse t1re:1islh on
|! This: great main ia Regarded by ali iptor-
/ ested-Fise and Water :.~ departments
/ and'~t the = tna,it tahcA coutpsnez~as = tho
|! one' great: advance made ct. '1ate yearc:
py all tie wants Of the localities through shsch:
1 they pass. iTha :Chu1pn street imam. 2V-incal
!, dameteri is wholly uncoanectea With tho houses
and esn only be Escd for fire. purposcs., ii a4le
On the strefta eirher side Of Chnrc. for' about
i 1D9 feet Whore tie Eydra1t4 aro located. There
are fwo -tAese. with large and, small nozzles.
+ Thn object'sot locating tue 'hyd, anta OF tho
!! Ehurcn street m<iu IL ;taBiiy spprecnf9d- Wien
lit is borne il. mind that that thordus:ara is tnt
40 feet wiGe, and il would De l:npossploto work
Init ateeegs fulJ i q great fire should occur.
| The, distauce ct Which :. the .h7j1ants .ate
urer the rear OF the great buildings. It Is be-
liored this viii in itaef constitute great ad1ar-
!tage.; The Church street main is CONNECTED ut
ieeyeta1 po1nts WITH tue general etstem, but tla
Echa-6ds a:a wholly Ual:r cqAtrol fiji fire ,pur-
! nases, ,Ealou ClT-uall, the .Broadgay main.
that down Williams, aud the l6-inclr ona on Eul-
ton, make . sufficient volume. The ground be-
ling .alop1l,g. enatles the engines to draw very