St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-02-26
FIRE COM MISSIONERS.
The st. Paul District Telegraph Fire
Alarm System.
The Sixth Ward Water Problem--The Ash
Barrel Incendiary.

At the meeting of the board of fire COM
missloners last evening, all were present
with the exception of Mr.. Parker, and Presi-
dent Delano being in the chair.
A communication was received from H
W. Foote, of the Chicago Fire Distinguishing
company, asking for a recommendation for
chemical No. 2, which the president was
authorized to give.
Manager Leveridge, of the st. Paul District
Telegraph company, asking the privilege of
having a district telephone wire from its
central office to central fire hall, so that he
could communicate private fire signals on
his lines to the fire department. without
having them repeated through the telephone
office, was present in person and explained
his system, which is being rapidly adopted
by our citizens. He puts two alarm boxes
into dwelling or store. one of which is a
fire alarm to be used only in cases of such
emergencies and for which $12 a year is
charged, and one whereon the police, doc
tor carriage, etc., can be called, which is put
in free. The commissioners discussed the
matter at length in reference to the mixing
up of the department by wire and box alarms
coming in together. The chief and fire alarm
department were favorable to it if it could be
done in a manner which would help the
department in getting out to fires more
speedily and without announcement them.
Several plans were discussed for making the
connection by register which should state
the alarm box where fire might be, the extra
men needed to place this machine and the
telephone in Superintendent Jenkins fire
alarm rooms, and thus relieve the chief on
duty from their care, so as to enable him TO
run promptly to fires without having himself
to sound the alarms to the different houses
needed according to the locality, when on
motion Chief Black, Supt. Jenkins and Man
ager Leveridge were appointed a committee
to perfect plan of connection that would be
satisfactory to all of them. In this connec
ton it was shown that our citizens are
adopting the district telegraph system with
great rapidity and especially on account of
its fire alarm box
The appointment of Martin Myler as pipe
man on No. by the chief in place of John
J. Bell. resigned, was confirmed, and it was
voted that the matter of other transfers made
be adjourned to the next meeting.
Superintendent Jenkins stated That be-
cause of the non-arrival of the circuit wheel,
ETC., he had not been able as yet to get in the
fifteen new alarm boxes. A proposition
made by him to run the numbers of the box
es in numerical order in their location in the
city was very fayorably received.
The matter of furnishing the Dayton bluff
and Sixth ward engine houses with water was
dismissed, and it was decided that both would
have to be supplied with waters carts until
spring, when other arrangements would be
made. The feasibility of utilizing several
Oc m h111R haol- IF po11l
bringing down their water in pipes into cis-
terms located in the Sixth ward was thought
to be good enough idea to ''book,'' and the
president and chief were appointed a COM
mittee to examine into the matter.
On motion it was voted that the council be
asked for a new second class steamer to re-
place the Minnehaha, or for a spare engine
| in the department. in case of the others need
ing to be withdrawn for repairs, In this
connection it was shown that the old Mime
haha now in service for fifteen years was in
such bad order that it was unsafe to run her,
and that in her present condition her boiler
was likely to 'sgive down" at any
moment, while she needed a new pump,
boiler and wheels. The motion to the coun-
Gil also included the rebuilding Of this
| steamer.
| It was voted that the chief and president
| interview the superintendent of the water
| company in regard to the condition of the
hydrants. The fact that three of these were
found frozen up at Sundays fire, one in
| front of the Central fire house yesterday and
that no one knew in the department but
half Of the hydrants in the city were in this
condition called for prompt action. The
hydrant was shown to be of full as much i'm
portance as the steamer and department,
and some very sharp criticisms were made
on the present management, who kept only
one man to look after these fire plugs, made
no report of their frozen condition
to the department and seemed to be lettin g
things run loose in this most important
matter.
The ash barrel and box deposits in yards,
barns, cellars, halls in blocks, ETC., came up
for discussion, and it was determined that
two-thirds of the fires in the city were caused
by this species of culpable carelessness. It
was stated that there was city ordinance
against such ash deposits, and it was deter
mined to have the fire force out as fire war
dens and report their findings of such
deposits with a view of prosecuting all such
offenders, be they high OF low. Some start
ling cases were cited in this connection,
where ashes had been found in wooden and
even paper boxes in offices and halls of
blocks, and in one instance where the deni-
zens'of large block on Third street were
depositing their ashes in a row of nail kegs
in hall of the building, quite number OF
| which kegs showed marks Of fire.