The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-06-23

We would suggest In addition that the
council should provide for the payment OF a
reasonable compensation to the members OF
the fire department for every fire to which
they are called. 1t is but simple justice, and
we have heard members express their ap-
proyal of this proposition. The tax on in
diyiduals would be hardly perceptible and the
people generally would feel 1t privilege to
pay 1t.
want to make one more suggestion. Our
little fire engine has done nobly and met
every expectation of its friends, but large
fire Is too much for Its capacity and too great
q strain on the muscles and endurance OF
the men. We need in connection with 1t q
medium-size steam fire engine that has prob
ably four OF five times the capacity OF our
hand engine and will never tire, however
long IL may be worked. We speak OF this
now because there is an opportunity to buy
such a one at a very low price-as low In pro-
portion as the one we have now. The city of
Toledo has lately provided itself with the
Holly system of water works, thereby dis
very low price. The one spoken of is nearly
new, almost as good as new, and can be pur-
chased on trial Of several weeks to test its
working qualities, for the sum of $1,000 or
$500, we have forgotten which. The expense
is so inconsiderable that 1t ought not to be
mentioned. Our town Is growing so rapidly
that fires must reasonably be more frequent
than in former years, and judging by the ex-
perience of the last four months, 1t would be
likely to have opportunities to pay for itself
IN q year ten times over. With a hook and
ladder wagon and a steamer we should be
equipped for all emergencies probable for
the next twenty years. The objection we
have neard urged that 1t would be of no SER
vice on our unpayed streets is not q good
one. We have purposely kept watch, and
know that in the year ending May l, 1881,
there has not been more than six weeks when
q steamer could not be handled on our streets
with ease. All the rest of the time they have
been as hard and smooth, with the exception
of an occasional day, as IL they had been
paved. Another objection, that we have not
q sufficient water supply for steamer
amounts to about this: a steamer would
exhaust a cistern in twenty minutes that
would require the hand engine an hour to do
the same, but ii should be considered that a
given amount of water thrown on a fire IN
five minutes would be likely to do two or
three times as much execution as the same
quantity requiring twenty minutes to apply.
Besides, our water supply Is apt to be in
creased to meet every necessity. The las
objection, that we have no means of keeping
a steamer heated in readiness for fire
amounts to as little as the others. Keeping
them heated all the time is only recent
thing and only now practiced in large cities
with paid departments. The usual custom
is to fill the fire box with tinder saturated
with rosin and turpentine, and they are guar
anteed to produce steam In five or ten min
utes which in ordinary cases Is quite as soou
as the fire could be reached and hose connec
tons made. In fact there are no objections
worth mentioning aud the advantages are sc
many and so great that 1t would seem almos
objectionable to neglect the opportunity
We invite the attention of our council tc
this matter, hoping that they Will not make
haste so slowly as TO to make 1t matter Of
subsequent regret.