Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-15
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THE NUMBER AND COND1A1oN
OF THE APPARATUS.


didates to succeed him were beng sug-
gested. At subsequent meeting oil the
CITY Council Mr.. AdOlph FERNANDEZ was
elected to nil the vacancy caused D4 the
resignation of Chief Engineer ButIef'
and as il is understood that the Depart
the duties of that office. MORNING
News reporter yesterday undertook
10 learn what was being done TO
render the fire service more efficient,
as well as to ascertain what additions
would probably be made at an early day
TO ensure a better supply of water In the
southern portion Of the CITY,
MR.. FERNANDEZ BECAME a MEMBER
Of the Savannah Volunteer Fire Depart
ment in 1871, when he joined the Metro
/ pOlitan Fire Company as a private, but
| on the reorganization OF the system IN
| 1879 he organized the Barlow Steam Fire
I Engine Company. and was its foreman
until elected Assistant Engineer OF the
new or paid Fire Department in 1879.
! Before he became identified with the Sa-
/ Vanuah organizations ne had some eApe-
rience as a fireman IN Philadelphia, Where
/ he also assisted in organizing
/ fine fire patroI Of that city At the time
/ he Joined the department here there were
| four steam fire engines and i've nose COM
pauies the latter mentioned OrganlZatlohs
! being additional 20 the companies OF that
/ class now in the service. Inere are now
/ but three steam fire engines IN actlNe ser
vice. with but three horse hose carriages
and one hand hose carriage. Inc engines
/ are each manned at a fire by an engineer
| the driver OF the engine. who acts as hfe-
man. and the driver Of the hose carriage
/ who assists the engineer ana fireman
when not distributing the hose. Mheh
/ these men are not engaged AT IRE they
are ON duty at the englne-house. mere
H.H VI a.
/ unteer iiremen on duty at fires with each
\ engine. These volunteers receive no pay,
/ but are exempted from jury duty. Ten
4 orally speaking, but three or four OF that
number attend fires or render any ser
| vice.
IN RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION
| as to how many men are required to
| handle the pipe and hose to an engine at
/ a fire. Mr. Fernandez stated that two
men were needed to hold the pipe, out
/ when IL was To be moved four men were
required to the pipe and hose.
Are the volunteers expected correspond
/ promptly to a fire alarm
"They are supposed to respond at Once,'
said Mr.. Fernandez, .'but the truth Is it
| is optional with them whether they do or
| not"
DO any of the paid firemen have day
OFF,
"The regular men have one or two
nights of in a week, but are obliged TO
attend fires. In short time they Will
/ each have about y hours oil IN month"
'.What are the duties of the respective
members of a steam fire engine com
pany =
1.-The engineer runs the engine, and the
driver assists him as fireman, while the
driver Of the attending hose carriage as
| sists at the pipe or delivers hose where II
| is needed. There are four relief men at
| tached to the department Who report TO
| the Chief Engineer at fires and are as
/ signed to render assistance where
| needed"
GLOW many men sleep at the engine
hOuse:"
IAN the regular fremen and from two
to three Volunteers
"What is the condition Of the engines
and other apparatusE
The boiler of the Barlow engine is in
a leaking condition: the other engines are
all right. The Barlow should have a new
boiler at once. A new engine to take her
place would cost about $500. The hook
and ladder truck is broken, and the de-
partment is now using wagon to take
ladders to a fire. 4 single horse hook and
ladder truck is needed and a horse
hose carriage should be added to the
! apparatus of the department and sta
toned in the southern portion of the city,
AlDN - tlE uC POI tliADiAb piA ACA AACA.'S-7.
'-There are eleven horses in the service.
Two of them are in a bad condition and
third only a little better"
''Do YOU know whether any new en-
/ gines will be added to the service within
the next three or four months"
There is no prospect that the depart
ment will be furnished with new engine
during the period you refer to-"
Glow many feet Of hose IS there and
what is its cOuditiOu?'
There are 1000 feet of good hose and
700 feet of old hose. The latter is only
in middlng condition, and will only stand
the pressure of water from 1ire-plug.
The City Council has, however, author
lied the purchase of an additional 1000
feet of hose"
rs THE WATER SUPPLY
all that is required?"
'.Not at present. The whole southern
portion of the city, a portion of 1amacraw
and Robertsville is deficient for the reason
that there are not plugs enough in some
neighbOrhOOds and a scarcity Of mains in
others. Frequently the fire is so far from
the plug that we can only use one line OF
hose. During the fire the other night,
when the Coast Line Railroad
depot was burned we had to take water
through 1000 feet Of hose
''What is the condition of the water
pipcs:"
''SOme of the pipes are partially stopped
up with mud. They should be blown out
at least once a month instead of every
three months. There is also a great de-
tciency in the water supply IN the Bay
street main. A few Sundays ago, at a
fire i'm Bay lane near Habersham street,
we could only get eighteen pounds pres
sure. when we should have had, at the
very least. sixty or siXty-five pounds.
''Can two engines in time of fire obtain
a good supply of water from plugs one
block apart on the same street and main at
the same time:'
''They can on all streets where the
mains are six inches in diameter or over
The Bay street main is a siX-inch main,
but the experience of nremen suggests the
necessity for a ten or twelye-inch main
on that street. on Bryan, Congress,
State and all streets of that class
there are fOur-inch mains. On BrOugh-
ton and Liberty streets the mains
are six inches in diameter. The main
leading through Congress street from
Franklin or ''Water Works square from
Montgomery to Whitaker street is twelve
inches in diameter. SiXteen-inch mains
are to be laid on Bryan street to Aber-
corn street and thence out to Duffy street.
Other large mains are also to be put
down on the cross streets in the southern
portion of the city, and when the work IS
completed there will be a good supply of
water. Bay street should, however, have
a large main as early as practicable"
The Lights o. London"