Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-06-19

The announcement IN yesterdays REC
ORD UNION that there would be q test OF
the pressure furnished by the water works,
made by the Citizens Committee at Thlr-
tenth and streets at 10 A. NJ, caused an
assemblage at that place at that hour OF at
least 1000 people. The Citizens Commit
!, tee-composed of g. w. Carey, Chairman !
T. B. Hail and R. Wittenbrock-were on
hand promptly at the hour agreed upon
/ They wished to ascertain, if possible,
whether the lack of water at the Ph0nlX
Mill fire was due to incompeteney at the
water works. gross neglect on their part, or
whether the blame should rest on the ire
men or those who were on guard at the
mill This test had an interest that every
person who had insurance in the city felt
| The rates OF insurance in Sacramento have
been, in comparison with other cities, nigh,
and only last Friday Board OF Under
writers had agreed to reduce the rate rms
fire, however, had caused them to recede
from their agreement.
At 10 o'clock promptly an alarm was
turned in from Websters store at Ihlr-
teenth and J. the box that was turned III
at the time of the Phoenix mill fire, and in
exactly two minutes Engine No. 2. the one
located on Tenth street, between l and j,
was in position. and attached to the hre-
plug Engine No. l. located between \
ana L. on Second street, was in position IN
four and half minutes, and considering
that they run a mile, it is record OF which
they may we'll feel proud.
William r. Jones, the Third Trustee and
Superintendent of the Water-works, was at
his post at the City Hall, and under pre-
vious arrangement made with him,
he stopped the pumps and turned
on simply the tank, which is sup
posed to give "a pounds pressure.
The hose carts ran out their hose and made
all the preparations for confiagratlon OF
the entire block The alacrity with which
they did their work was loudly applaudeG.
Within five minutes after the alarm they
were in position and had strung out eight
lines of hose, two of them more than 400
feet in length. Two lines Of hose on J
street came from the hydrant at the corner
of the alley on Thirteenth, between J and
X. One from the plug direct threw a
stream through one-inch nozzle ~ feet.
The other. through The engine and through
a one and one-eighth nozzle. q feet, show
ing that the pipes of an engine do offer a
little resistance to the passage of water.
The committee then telephoned to Mr..
Jones' at the water works, to shut off the
tank and turn on the domestic pressure of
thirty-fve pounds. This came within
minute. The streams were almost doubled
in force. The committee then directed the
engineer to start up one of the fire engines.
He did so, and Immediately the hose at
tached threw a stream $50 feet but at the
same time took all the water from the
hydrant streams.
The test seemed 10 convince all present
that the water works did not furnish the
thirty-five pounds pressure they claimed
on the night of the fire. If they did, it
seems strange that the mill property could
not be saved when the strong wind, which
was in favor of the tiremen that night, is
taken into consideration. An improvised
meeting of some 200 citizens, after
the test was made, condemned the manage
ment Of the water works. They said that
they believed the tank was not turned on;
if it was, it was nearly empty. They
thought that the fires were almost out, and
it took twenty minutes to get up steam.
The tiremen claim that after all the dam
age was done they had water enough
to throw over the highest building intown,
but at the critical moment, which was fif-
teen or twenty minutes after the alarm,
they could not get stream on the awning,
which was only sixteen feet in hight.
The following is the record kept at the
Water Works by Trustee Jones;
Alarm box No. % came in at one minute
past 10; machinery was Immediately
stopped, and the tank turned on, which
showed pressure of Il pounds light. At
1921 o'clock call came for the domestic
pressure. 1t was raised in exactly two
minutes by the use of both the Holly and
Stevens pumps. The Stevens pump then,
without the aid of the Holly, kept up the
required pressure of 30 pounds When
they called for the fire pressure it was
raised from 50 pounds to 60 pounds in one
minute and a half.