Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-01-03
A CRYING SHAME.
The Condition of Affairs About the
Engine Houses The Necessity for
Better Quarters : An Important
Subject for the Councils Con-
sideration.

The time is ripe for calling the atten-
tion of the City Council to condition
Of affairs, over which the City Fathers
have control, that demands immediate
attention. We refer to the shameful
state in which the engine house Of the
Thirty Fights is at present During the
rain of Monday night and Of Tuesday
the water poured through the engine
house roof. flooding the company's
meeting room, the engine room and the
sleeping room occupied by the engineer
and driver of the company. In this
latter place it would have been more
natural, from the appearance of things
yesterday morning, to suppose the roof
sieve destined for conveying the
waters of Heaven into the premises be-
low, than protection against submer-
sion. An oilcloth on the floor of the
meeting room protected the horses from
a dripping as disagreeable as it would
have proved dangerous. Now this con-
dition of things should be ended right
here. Our volunteer fire department
is entirely too useful and too efficient to
permit its disruption; which will follow
as the night the day, II the accommoda.
tions are not better than such as are at
present allowed them. The ties which
hold together volunteer companies are
often very binding. Good fellowship,
pride of organization, of appointments
and of excellence, combined with the
social amenities of frequent and pleas.
ant association, go to make up the charm
Of the daring, brave, oftimes noble, life
OF the volunteer fireman. The graft
tude of his fellow-man, whose life or
property he saves from the hungry
flames, is the only reward he expects to
receive. Should not, then, something
be done by those who enjoy directly the
benefits of his services, to render the
attractions Of the life as great as possi-
BILE? As the fire department stands at
present no complaint can be urged
against either its efficiency as an or
ganization or its activity as individuals.
It is true that rumors prevail of the
lack of interest which is beginning to
become apparent in its midst, and no
wonder. The engine house of Conf.
dence No. 2, while by no manner Of
means sumptuous in its outSt, is at
least comfortable. OF that of the
Thirty. Fights the least said the better.
But none Of the companies have such
accommodations rs they rightly merit.
With all due respect we say that the
Council should look into this whole
subject and remedy the present evils.
If the city cannot afford fine engine
houses, with all possible conveniences,
and such surroundings as would
tend to draw the gallant FIRE
boys more closely together and
fill their associations with greater
attractions, she can much worse afford
to have the system go to pieces and
leave the city unprotected and without
its most necessary safeguard. Next to
lin fact even before-the necessity of
system of electric FIRE alarm is the max
ing of necessary improvements in the
quarters of our several fire companies.
1t will soon become impossible, too, to
retain good men in charge of engines,
If, with each rain and with each day Of
Lad weather, are to come all the dis
comforts to which their present lot
mnkea than fall hair