Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-02

District Judges.
VISITING THE ENGINE HOUSES.
The Fire nissioners and the Mayor
Take Look at the Engine Houses and
Fire Apparatus.
The fire commissioners took the oppor-
tunity yesterday, the same being the first
day of the year, to visit the different en-
CINE houses in st. Paul, for the SUPPOSE of
seeing for themselves what was the condi-
ton of the machinery, the horses and the
men. Generally speaking they found
everything in very satisfactory condition.
The fire commissioners, Messrs.
Breueur and Prendergast, were
accompanied by Aid. Otis,
chairman of the fire department. commit
tee of the council, and Mayor Rice.
They first visited Engine house No. /,
| on st. Peter street, where the first exami-
nation of the department was commenced.
It may be stated at the commencement
that it was decided that no trial was to be
repeated. If failure was made it must
stand as failure and could not be cor
rected, or the record changed by second
and better trial. With this foundation rule
to start upon the examination was pro-
ceeded with. The arrangement was to call
the men for the day and night alarm
and see how long they were in getting
hitched and ready to start. The day alarm,
| with the men on the first floor, was re-
sponded to by the men of No.
in eleven seconds. The night alarm, with
all the men in bed on the second floor, and
one on watch, was responded to in the
same time, eleven seconds.
On trial of the Hook and Ladder No.
| /, the day call proved failure, owing to
| the doors being new, which caused a good
deal of delay in opening them. No time
was therefore taken. The night call was
done in eleven seconds.
Engine house No.5. From engine house
No. 1, the investigators went up to No. 5,
st. Anthony hill. There the day call was
answered in ten seconds. The night call
in seventeen. The cause Of the long time
for the night call was owing to the fact
that the men had to come down in the or
binary way as they have no sliding pole.
Engine house No. 8. The day call was
answered in fourteen seconds. The night
call in thirty five seconds. Here the horses
came out quick enough but there was some
confusion and the men did not get hold of
the right things at the right time.
Engine House No. 2-The day call was
answered in eleven seconds and the night
call in ten seconds.
Engine House No.4-Day call completed
in eleven seconds, the night call in THU
teen seconds.
This is the record of the work of the
men and horses, and gives the best time to
No 9 hv ono sacoud over M
There are several things the commits
sioners will recommend to be done, ard a
few that they will attend to themselves.
They will get gong for the hose cart of
No. l steamer, the old one being broken.
constructed from No. engine house over
on to the hook and ladder house. 1t is
necessary that this should be done, as the
present roof is imperfect, cannot be made
| tight and is continually leaking.
The horses of No. are now kept in the
| front part of the stable,where it is very in
| convenient to have them. The commits
sioners decided to have an estimate made
of the expense of removing the stable to
| the rear of the steamer, with view of
| recommending that they be so removed.
At engine house No. 4. the commission
ers found that the roof leaked a good deal;
they will recommend that it be repaired;
| they will also recommend that the old hose
cart for their steamer be condemned, and
| that four wheeled cart be obtained to
take its place. The department has al
ready expended from $1O0 to $500 in re-
pairing the old one.
Owing to the lateness of the hour the in
spection of the working of the new hook
and ladder truck was postponed to some
other time.