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

THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE.
Their Conclusions After Careful Inyes-
tigation.
Following is the report of the Citizens
Committee as to yesterdays investigation
To The Citizens association of the City Of Sdcrd-
! NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Your committee appointed
TO investigate why there not (as is claimed
sufficient supply or pressure of water at the
time of the burning of the Phoenix mill, on the
morning of the 1ith. beg leave to report as fol-
| lows: On Tuesday, June 10th, your committee
procured water gauge, and ut P. n. attached
II 10 the hydrant on Thirteenth street, between
and X, and found it TO register about thirty
| five pounds, which was afterwards confirmed as
being correct by inquiry at the water works,
located and the line of hose which was
said to be in readiness and was brought into
play at the time of the beginning of the fire,
was given us. We found the hose and nozzle 10
be 81 feet in length-a pinch rubber hose and
attached to Pinch stand-pipe that from the
end OF nozzle to the place where the fire origi- |
mated was about IS feet; that with this hose and
| a pressure of % pounds stream of water could
be thrown fully % feet, which would have been
sufficient we think, when directed through Il |
door opening into the room where the fire was
| (the door, ii is said, on line with the fire
and the hose cOnnectionl, to have played on the
ire. \ place indicated where the water
dropped as it came from the hose at the begin
ming OF the fire, and, upon measurement, found |
1t was 81 feet distance from the end of the nozzle
From here we drove TO Nineteenth street X and
H. and attached water-gauge, and again found
II to register thirty-hye pounds pressure. Al
this point Paxton Mcdowell OF the hose-cart at
Nineteenth and L. came to where we were, and
| he was asked whether or not they had got a
sufficient pressure of water in the early part of
the fire ut the Phoenix mill, and his answer was
No. He said that his hose carriage was at
| the fire in
FEW MINUTES AFTER THE ALARM
Was sounded, and hose was attached to the
| hydrant on Thirteenth, J and X, and there was
| no water to speak of The hose-carriage was
| driven abound the block, and hose was at
| tached to the hydTant on Fourteenth street, J
| and X, and the hose carried down ] from the
| corner of Fourteenth to the fire by hand, and
then there was not sufficient force of water to
! do good service. In answer 10 further inquiry
| he stated that in his opinion they could have
saved the mill proper If they had had an ordi-
| nary supply OF water. On our return down
| town we stopped ut No. rs engine house, on
| Tenth street, and on inquiry of Mr.. Heinreich,
| engineer of Engine No. > was told that after
| arriving at the fire, which was within four or
! FIVE minutes after the alarm was sounded they
| made attachmensat the hydrant on thirteenth,
! and j. and the water was turned on, and the
| pressure registered by the watcr-gaugc was
| fifteen pounds. He stated that by order of the
| department the engineers were required to take
! the water pressure gauge. He further stated
| that they
| DID NOT GET ALL THE WATER THEY REQUIRED,
So it seemed to him, for half to three-quarters
| OF an hour, and that his engine was pumping
| air half the time Mr.. ladd, driver of Engine
| No. >, stated also that it was his opinion
! that if they could have had the regular
supply of water they could have saved the mill.
! We went on down the street 10 Fifth street. to
| the corporation house, where we met Mr..
| O Meara Assistant Engineer Chief Sullivan not
! being about, who said i'll answer to our ques-
! tions. that while there was not sufficient sup
| ply of water as to the departments ability TO
save the mill after their arrival at the fire,
! doubtful in his mind, claiming that the alarm
! had not been turned in promptly, and that the
| flames had already burst through into the mill
| proper. On Wednesday your committee was in
| attendance at the investigation held by
the honorable Board of Trustees, and ii seemed
| to us that the testimony given there pre-
| dominant that there was not sufficient supply
or pressure oil water at the time OF the fire, and
not for some fifteen or twenty minutes after the
| alarm had been turned in. After the investiga-
| tions by the Board had closed there was an in
| formal meeting and discussion, in which your
Committee TOOK part: One thing following an
other, it was decided that a test be made with
TANK AND DOMESTIC PRESSURE
1t was arranged that the tank pressure should
| be turned oil at / o'clock that day. and that
Your committee should be at the place where the
fire occurred, gauge the pressure there and test
| the capacity of the mill hose. The gauge was
| placed on the hydrant before the time, and the
| pressure was 33 to 81 pounds, and promptly at l
O'Clock the pressure was decreased to - pounds,
| tank pressure, when the hose was let play and a
| stream of water was thrown 20 feet. Before the
close of the test, which was fifteen minutes the
|
iStied your committee that with this pressure 90
pounds the fire could not have been reached by
water thrown from the mill hose.
Further arrangements were concluded to
MAKE test with the engines, which was done
to-day, with the following results: At 10 O'Clock
promptly an alarm was turned in from the cor
ner OF Thirteenth and j. and within two min
utes thereafter Engine No. > reached Thirteenth
street, and made the connection at the hydrant
between end X, and at the same time attached
another hose direct to the hydrant. At the
water works there was
ONLY THE TANK PRESSURE,
And our gauge attached to the hydrant on
Thirteenth street, between ! and ], indicated
| 10 pounds. With this pressure two streams
from the same plug. measured as follows
That which passed through the engine
| (Which was not working gave u stream
Of 81 feet through an inch and oneeighth noz-
| Zle, while the one connected direct with the ny
drant gave stream of % feet through a one
! inch nozzle. This test showed that there was
| very little, if any. resistance offered by the
| water passing through the engine, and. further,
that such streams would be OF but little avail i'll
! a fire
| The water works pumps were then set to work
| ing and with the ordinary pressure OF 30 pounds
which was reached within two minutes. the
| two streams were doubled The engine was
| then started with a steam pressure of 20 pounds
and for time the stream from the hydrant di
! rect was little the stronger, but shortly gave
| way as the engine worked up,
| IND FINALLY WAS COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED.
| The stream from the engine increasing until it
! reached about $50 feet This test showed that
| while the engine working at u low steam
/ pressure it offered little resistance. The next
| test which was made with both engines attached
| to hydran.s on the same main, showed conclu-
| sively that they were sble to suck water faster
| than could be supplied, with the engines at the
| water works pumping with s. pounds pressure.
| During this test our gauge on the hydrant indi-
Gated only % pounds while it was learned after
| returning TO the water works that the pressure
was maintained at 50 pounds. After removing
! tho puUiupS q fest made TO how long
! required to increase the pressure from IS to 60
! pounds, and notice was given Trustee Jones,
| who was at the water works, to put on the fire,
| and careful timing showed that it only required
| ONE AND HALF MINUTES.
| This ended the tests. In coming to any definite
| conclusions, find it difficult to make our
water works were running with only 80 pounds
! pressure, that there should have been better
| supply of water at the time the fire broke out
| than eyewitness state. From these tests made
| to-day. aside from the tests made by your COM
mittee last year, we firmly believe in and have
every.
| CONFIDENCE IN THE CAPACITY or THE HOLLY
Water works to furnish our citizens every pro-
lection against contiagratiOn. Therefore we
| conclude that in this instance the cause of the
| insuficiency of water supply is directly charge
able to some neglect or carelessness at the water
works. Your committee here recommend that
your ASSOCIATION take steps to and do confer
with the Superintendent of the water works, as
| to the ACCESSIBILITY OF never allowing the water
pressure at the water works to fall below -
to state that it was written in the midst of bust
nacS nd hurry and ask Won ASSOpjaI a look