The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-06-01
The Fire DePartment-Whnt n
Wants.

There has been great deal said with
regard to the fire at NE Riverside on last
Friday eveRing,a great many have growl-
cd, each one trying To locate the blame
elsewhere. l think that two or three
errors need remedying before we can
have good force for destroying the de-
structive element fire.
First, There was certainly great deal
Of Hardness on the part Of those having
charge Of the engines, in getting on the
ground, Here think was the greatest
mistake OF the occasion, this same mis-
take will certainly burn up our city
some Of these days. When the alarm Of
fire was given | was in the Sth ward, u
square below the terminus OF the street
railroad. started to the fire and walked
slowly, ! stopped, | think, ut least one
dozen times, To ask parties met
where the fire was located, when
! finally arrived at the fire the
United had Just commenced opera
ton, twenty minutes had certainly eIaps-
ed since the alarm was given. | had
walked twelve squares, and had walked
very slowly, The hose company OF the
Eighth Ward had then been throwing an
effective stream several minutes, SO they
Informed me. Now when we compare
the activity Of this hose company with
the United, we can easily see the com.
Parativc effectiveness Of each, The hose
company had hauled by hand their hose
and reel, weighing 1900 pounds, eleven
squares, and was ut work before the
United had their engine-l may say ont
OF the shadow Of their engine house.
After | had been on the ground several
minutes the Vigilant put in an ap-
pcaranCC, and was soon ready for work,
but the mill was gone, and II there had
been gale from the west, u dozen other
buildings would have been in the same
condition, and the fire would have been
beyond the CONTROL Of the combined fire
companies, Of the city. Fortunately the
winds were at rest on Friday evening, and
unfortunately for the Riverside, some OF
the fire companies were in the same con-
dition for a considerable length Of time
after the alarm was given.
Secondly, The horses belonging to the
city fire companies are not in condition
to go to a fire unless they go in slow
walk. A horse is Il fleet animal when
properly kept, but when he is made I'M
usually ReshH like the city fire companies
horses are, he is the slowest OF all quad
rnpeds excepting the toad. This, | up.
prehCnd is a very great fault with our
fire companies. Why II Dexter was to be
made as ileshy as these horses the time
that he could be run with safety, this
kind Of weather, would certainly he four
times what it is ut present, a prescrip-
ton TO make u fat horse run Is badly
needed in Wheeling just now, Let all
our Councilman prescribe Immediately. |
Thirdly. A very serious hindranCe to
the extinguishment Of fires in Wheeling
Is the large crowd that assemblies around
the burning building and hindcrs III
every possible way the workings Of the |
tirempn. When | arrived at the fire on
Friday evening | Immediately saw that
one Of the greatest difficulties IN the way
Of extinguishing the fire was the crowd
that was surging backwards and forwards
~ Nluht w lHt HIC WH lllG Iltut NOHll per" /
init them to stand-mGn, women, boys and |
girls, and quite Il number Of young bloods
on horseback. The best fire company in
America would fail to do effective work |
under such circumstances.
Our police force was pretty well repre-
scented at the fire, aud some used their au.
thority to keep the boys and small fry
generally at bay, officers Baum and Birch
particularly, and several others worked
we'll. Now, II seems to me that II should
be the imperative duty Of the police force
10 keep the crowd at distance. This Is
lone in all we'll regulated cities, and why
not hCreY
Now, what isnccled to make our force
more efficient? "a Fire Alarm Tele.
graph" says one. Would Fire Alarm
Telegraph have assisted the United on
Friday evening" Would II make fat
horse RIM? | apprehcnd that We need
that will report themselves
promptly ut the fire, horses that are pro-
perly kept 10 they can run, and exercised
enough to make them trattable, and po-
lice force that will keep the crowd at bay.
These wants can be met Immediately, or
nearly so, and then our force will be more
than twice as able to cope with the do.
element. CITIZEN.