The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-02-20
That Fire Engine.

That Fire Engine.
In addition to the answer of "Will-
lam" allow us to suggest to "Erastus"
First, That good hand engine will
cost from $500 to s4OO more than the
steamer in question.
Second, That the steam engine is
of three or four times the capacity OF
the hand engine and would be able to
delugc fire before 1t had assumed un-
manageable proportions.
Third, That our roads are no worse
at any time than those of Oberlin where
they own and run steamer; that there
are not over six or eight weeks in the
year when our roads are impossible,
and those are times when fires are not
likely to occur.
Fourth, The fact that we are ipsuffi-
ciently supplied with cisterns is no good
reason for missing favorabls opportu'
nifty to buy q good engine at low price
for the having an engine would in no
way interfere with our Immediately
setting about providing ourselves with
a sufficient number before the first fire
would occur. The order cannot GER
tainly be considered absolutely essen
tial.
Fifth, But, il light hand engine is
the only thing we can agree upon let us
have that. For the last ten years this
matter has been periodically talked over
and as often we have been told by MEM
bers Of our Council that we had no sup
ply of water; that if We had an engine
everybody would stay at home or stand
around and wait to see the thing work,
when II dependent upon their own re-
sources they would take hold and carry
water and put out the fire before the
steamer could be got in operation; that
the thing we need is hook and ladder
company, a bucket brigade, pump on
wheels to run on the sidewalk, Babcock
fire extinguishers, more cisterns or any
thing that there was no probability of
our get ting. Doubtless any or all of
these things would be an advantage,
Gel tainly better than nothing. But
what has come of all this conservatism
Absolutely nothing. We have it is true
got three more cisterns but no means of
getting the water out Of them and for
any practical purpose they might as
well not exist. Let US get good en-
gine that has the ability to use water
and so make the insufficiency of the
supply more obvious, and the reason for
making more and larger cisterns so pat
ent that we shall not live three months
without them. We have had enough
old fogies who were SO anxious to OBJ
serve the proprieties and stand upon
the order Of their going, that we have
stood still, having nothing to show for
our superlative wisdom and economy
but few hand syringes kept nobody
knows where, not bucket or hook or
ladder or company or organization of
any kind, and our word for it we never
shall have until we go abont getting the
necessary apparatus to do good, manly,
sensible work.
The judgment of our neighboring
villages and towns ought to be worth
some thing and they have without an
exception provided themselves with
steam fire engines as soon Us they were
able. We are able to get one of them,
If anything, for We have chance to
get one at the price of a cheaper and
less powerful machine. The better the
apparatus the more efficiently will 1t be
cared for and worked, and the more
pride will u company take in manning
it and the better will be our protection.
If we need a sidewalk machine for
dwellings, long distances and muddy
roads we as certainly need first-class
machiue for larger buildings. The sug-
gestion that steam engine would in a
few minutes exhaust any ordinary cis-
tern or well and SO be useless Is all
bosh. Who does not know that 1t is
more advantageous to empty the con-
tents of cistern upon a fire in five
minutes and so drown it cut in its in
cipient stages rather than drizzle it
along through the space of half an
hour. The first would accomplish won-
ders while the second would be time
and effort wasted.
But If in the all-wise judgment of
our city fathers the bucket brigade or
the hook and ladder company or hand
engine that can be run upon the side
walk or even a few more brass squirt
guns are the things for US to have let
US have them now. Don't wait another
ten or fifteen years. By that time not
only the Bunce block about which our
friends are so anxiously solicitous will
be In ruins, but half our town may be
in ashes and many of us be beyond the
reach of aid from q brigade of steam
fire engines. We fear after all that it
is the "penny-wise and pound foolish"
policy that has governed us and that
the indications point to a continuation
of that rule.
Everybody Recognizes the Fact.
xose r.l 1f a.