St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-29
FIRE DEPARTMENT,
Annual Reports of Commissioners,
Chief and Other Officers.
Total Cost One Year s146, 900; Total Loss of
Year $290,000.

At the regular meeting of the fire commits
sioners last evening Messrs. Delano, Parker
and Prendergast were present, and the fol-
lowing business was transacted:
Chief Black reported the Capt. A. Francis
matter settled, the latter having satisfied a
private claim brought against him; the city
treasurer receipted s54 for condemned hose;
the application of Mayor O'Brien for the de-
partment to sprinkle the streets around
Rice park was decided could not be granted
as all the horses Of the department were in
service or on the sick list; the matter of the
Dureen blacksmith shed on No. 2 lot was
referred to Mr.. Delano to decide whether it
belonged to the claimant or to the city; the
the pay roll for April, S6,599.S1, was ap-
proved.
Superintendent jenkins, of the fire alarm
reported the district telegraph connections in
readiness and ready for operation direct with
the fire department, and the contract to fur
nish fifty fire alarm box guides to keys was
twenty-five cents each.
The president and chief reported on els
terms in the Sixth ward that there was bnt
one there which is located at the junction of
Concord and Isabel streets, and which is fed
from a pool. at fires the department had to
depend on river and slough water and sew
eral pools at the base of the bluff, which in
summer were difficult to get at and IN winter
were frozen over. Consultation with Hon.
G.. D. Gilfllan and Engineer Roundlett had
convinced them that 1t was impractIcable to
pipe water into the ward \until grades were
established, and as 1t would be a long time
before water works could be built, they rec
commended the immediate construction Of
c~isterns, as due to the people of the ward, for
fire department use as follows.
at corner of Delos and Clinton streets,
near crossing of Kate and Water, corner Of
Kate and Lucas, junction Of Con-
cord, George, Bertha and Greenwood streets,
crossing OF Winnifred and Cambridge or
Brown streets, near Garfield school house,
each cistern to hold 500 to 1000 barrels, to
be supplied by small pipes from adjacent
springs, and to be constructed first-class by
contract work. They also recommend that wells
six feet square be built in at certain points
where grading is to be done, to be supplied
VIII NaISl piping 6PiiASoI oHU IAO
exclusive use of the fire department. The
report was unanimously adopted, and re-
ferred to the common council.
The fire commissioners, chiefs and super
intendent of fire alarm reports were read by
Secretary O'Gormon and referred to a com
mittee consisting of Messrs. Delon, Parker
and Prendergast to examine and correct and
have copies printed.
COMMISSIONERS REPORT.
The board of fire commissioners submitted
their second annual report, stating the
amount of machinery in the department, In
which a total force Of sixty-seven officers and
men are in employ. During the last fiscal
year, ending Dec. 81, 1888, 1926 had been
expended in equipment, and they had con-
tracted for sS,2 $50. 80 apparatus, while $780,
S25. 60 has been laid out in buildings. The
total amount paid out for carrying on the
department for the fiscal year was, less con-
demned material sold, $S3, S54.40. The total
inventory of the personal property of the de-
partmenti Is S5S, 5S7.03 and real estate $751;
Oil, making a total Of $146, 49S.03.
CHIEFS REPORT.
Chief Black made his report from April 10
1883, stating that the department had re-
sponded to 1872 alarms of fire, 81 of which
were In the months of November and Deem
Der. In that time the losses on buildings by
fire had been $109, 528, and on their con-
tents $50, 81, making a total OF 1920, 345.
The insurance on these building was $685.
700 inc on their contents Sab, S05, making
a total of $676, sos. There had been three
accidents in which three men had been dis
abled for a time, and much sickness caused
mainly by exposure in service at fires. The
members of the department have dom extra
work to the amount of 427 days for the
superintendent of the fire alarm and400 days
extra work in repairing engine houses.
The chief recommends the purchase of one
engine, hose carriage and hose on the ground
that there Is not enough apparatus to cope
with fires in the business districts when two
fires are In progress at the same time; that a
new engine be purchased to replace No. 3,
which is worn out, and which should be fit
ted up for a reserve en- gine while others are
undergoing repairs; that two more chemical
engines be purchased, one to be located at
Carroll street and Western avenue, which
part of the city is not provided with water,
and also give st. Anthony hill additional
protection, and the other to be located near
the Garfield school house in West st. Paul;
that three four-wheeled hose carts be substi-
tuted for the carts now in use, which do not
carry sufficient hose, and weigh 4, 1870 pounds
which is too much for one horse to pull;
that four Pompier ladders with belts and
equipments be procured for each hook and
ladder company and that a canvas shute be
carried by each truck for the rescue of per-
sons from buildings who could not descend
ladders from burning buildings. The chief
concludes by thanking the commissioner
for the prompt manner in which they have
met his wants, says'that he has a department
which, for its size, is second to none, and
further thanks the chief of police and the
officers and members of his force for valu-
able service rendered at fires.
WHERE FIRES OCCURRED.
Amusement hall, i; agricultural ware
house, l; bridge, 1; boiler room, /; bakery,
1, boarding houses, q; cooper shop, 1; cloth
ing stores, 8; cars of wood, 4; carpet store, 2;
coal cellar, /; carpenter shops, 3; dwellings,
80; drug store, 2; dry goods and notions, /;
dry goods stores, 1; express Office, /; feed
store. Q; foundry, 2; furniture factory,
q; grocery stores, 3; hotels, 5;
hay stacks, s.; ice house, 1; leather stores, 9;
livery stables, Q; lodging houses, 1; lumber
yard, l; mattress factory, L; Northern Pacific
railroad shops, 1%;office, l; orphan asylum, /;
paint shop, 1; planning mills, 5; peanut stand
/, ruins of old fire, Q; rubbish fire, 5; r%estaur-
ants 2;stabies, 20;shanty, 2;shed, l; saloons
6; second hand store, 1; tar kettle, l tailor
shops, A.; wood pile 1.
CAUSES OF IRE
Ash barrels, 3; boys smoking, Goals from
stove, over-heated furnance pipe, dropping
hot Goals On bed, incendiary, lightning,
plumbers lamp, rubbish, sparks from fire
under boiler, smoke stack, smoking tobacco
pipes, upsetting stove, stove pipes, wood
box near stove, 1 each; electric light wire,
oil stoves, 2 each; defective chimney, 10,