Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-05-29
PROVISIONS FOR FIRE.
How the Principal Cities In America
are Equipped with Fire Apparatus.


II is not an uncommon claim for Chi
cagoans to make, especially when they
so east, that they have the best equip
ped fire department of any city in
America. Baltimore makes a similar
claim, and, considering the disadvan-
tages the fire department in that city
has to contend with in steep streets,
which are very hard upon the horses, it
may be said that its boast is to some
eXteCt, if not entirely, substantiated.
New lOrkerS, OF course, are not left out
in the cold when the claim of superior
ity is in the field; but with these three
cities the rivalry ends. Chicago has
undoubtedly much to be proud of in
the equipment of its department if in
nothing else. With population of
100000 and $50 miles of street mains,
it had in the latter part of 1882, So steam
engines, hook and ladder trucks,
chemical engines, $40 men,
and l52 horses; against New York,
with ,2O6, 500 population, which has Is
steam engines and 9 chemical, - hook
and ladder trucks, 400 miles of street
mains, 13S men, and 254 horses. In
other words, Chicago, with little more
than One-third the number of people of
New York, has only 10 engines, II
trucks, ID miles Of mains, $50 men, and
s. horses less than the metropolis New
York has $3.50 hydrants and Chicago
has 3. 500. New York uses g5.30O feet
of hose and Chicago 37,0S7. The dis.
parity between the equipments of the
Two cities is greater in everything than
in the number of engines and the miles
of street mains. The city which has
the finest water supply in America is
Baltimore. In New York the supply is
likely To give out at very large fire
and Lblige the rivers to be pumped
from. Baltimore has recently cOm-
pltted a system of water-workS which
,uTl AS the TWO storage reservoirs and
the uQueduct of New York, whose sup
ply al high-service delivery is some
thing like 100, 800, 900 gallons per diem.
The capacity Of the GunpOwder works
in Baltimore is 49,, 900, exceeding
New Works supply from every source
by ut least 500, 100000 gallons per day.
Her daily consumption is of course
nothing like so great as New York. The
fire department of Baltimore, which has
a population by the last census of
332,l!O comprises Il steam-engineS,
two iire-hOats, and two hundred men
II has 10 miles of mains. Boston,
with a population of 362, $50 has 20
steam and chemical engines, 6l3 men,
and l&7 horses. IL has $50 miles of
mains and supply-pipes, being 80 miles
more than Chicago and the same mum.
Der that New York has. Philadelphia,
with S5O,UUU people, has 80 steam en-
gines, being less than New York and
more than Chicago. 1t has 700 mills
! of mains, nearly twice as many us New
York and Chicago; and 42O men, near
Is 100 more than Chicago. Cincinnati
has 10000 less people than Baltimore,
and more engines and II less men.
st. Louis has 350, 5222 people, II steam
engines, 1870 miles Of mains. 2O9 men,
and 100 horses. San Francisco has a
population of 23&, 500, Il steam engines,
500 men, and lT3 miles of street mains.
By comparison it will be seen that Chi
cagO holds its own with all the other
large cities in the number of engines,
horses, and men. There is very little
difference between the skill and indus.
try of firemen in the various cities. The
cities which have full paid depart
ment are New York, Chicago, Phila-
delphia and st. Louis. Boston, Balti-
more, Cincinnati and San Francisco
have some fully and others partially
paid. 1t has been a subject of remark
that the improvement in Chicago's de-
partment has dated since the great hre'