Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-03-10

The following report of the Fire Wsrdens was
read aud accepted:
To the Honorable the City Council Of At'ron
d7aG .
Gentlemen: The Wardens have the honor to
| present for your consideration their annual re-
port, with detailed statement of the expendl-
lures of the Fire Department for the year end
ing March lst, 1876
By reference it will be seen that bills to the
amount of 81, 945. so have been certified for pay
This amo1nt is ST, 176 81 in excess of the ex-
penses for the previous year. 1t is so from the
| fact that the new material for the year ending
March 1st 1874 was $780, for tho year ending
March lst, 1875, $l,l54.9l; new material IN ez-
| cess $9949l.
| The actual cash value of new material in ex-
cess is $1204.!O; the cost to the city, however,
| being only 1894 OIL, as before stated. :,
By way of explanation, we would say tnas
| amongst other things necessary to be purchased
for the Fire Department was set Of wheels lor
| the steamer Columbia, the cost of which was
| $3.50 50. =,
The Fire Department had to its credit with
! the City Treasurer contribution by the lnsur-
| snce companies of $l6O. The Chief Engineer,
with his usual liberslity placed his salary Tor
| the Wardens for the benefit of the Department.
| The two sums, amounting to $40, were appro-
priated towards the wheel bill, leaving bal
ance of only $79 "a for the city to pay, Under
this arrangement the cash value OF the new
wheels is $40 in excess of the cost to the Corpo-
| ration.
The "old grays," long in the. service of the
| Hydraulion Company, having become, oy rea-
son of old age, wholly unfit for the requirements
! of the Department, and favorable opportunity
offering to exchange them for young and sups-
| rlor horses suited to the wants OF the company,
advantage was taken of the opportunity afforded
| and q pair of young ard superior horses secured
| The money cost to the city was S36l. This
amount ia Included under the head Of new ma
| teria
Five hundred feet of new hose, at a cost of
S675, was purchased for the use of the Depart
| ment.
A reel needed by the Columbia Company was
purchased for the nominal sum of 500, inns
reel, with Slight repairs and painting will be IN
perfect order, and for all practical purposes Us
good as a new one, costing from three to hv"
| hundred dollars. The cost Of horses, hose and
reel make very large proportion of the amount
under the head of new material. The smaller
| articles purchased, which 60 to make up the
balance, were such rs It has been found BY, ex-
perence necessary to keep on hand to replace
at moments notice such parts OF the apparatus
| as are liable to give way.
We refer with pleasure to the fact that every
branch Of the service is better equipped and IN d
more efficient condition than at any former pc
Rod The success of the Department in the eI-
tinguishment of fires during the past year has
fully damonstrat ID the fact, we think, that MS at
present instituted it is equal to any demands
likely to be made upon it. The zeal manl tested
by the members OF the respective companies IN
tile discharge of the arduous duties devolvlng
upon them il the theme of general admiration.