Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-03-23
Fire Commissioners, Report.

The twelfth annual report of the Board
of Fire Commissioners of the Sacramento
Paid Fire Department., a neat pamphlet of
thirty pages, has Just been issued from the
printing-house Of II. S. Croker & Co. 1t
shows that the Department cost the city
last year S26, 065 II. OF that amount So.
779 IL was for the purchase of horses, repairs
to englne-houseS, etc, not properly charge
able to the running expenses, and which.
deducted from the total of disbursements,
leaves so, 2S6 80 as the actual cost cf
maintaining the Department In his report
the Chief Engineer makes the following
statement Number of fires between
March l, 1884, and March L. 1885, 81, dis
tributed as follows: February, 1 March.
4; April, B May, g. June, 3; July, 3;
August, 6; September, 4; October, 8; No
vember, 2; December 9; January, 5;
February, 6. He Classics them as fol-
lows: Defective fiue, /; spontaneous COM
bustion, L; lambrequin iron explosion,
l; mattress, ashes and rubbish, 3; hay,
|; false alarm, A. stove pipe, 2; fire, brush
and grass, .; unknown, 81 incendiary, 6 /;
lucine lamp explosion, 2; children playing
with matches, 9; chimney, 8; stills, s.
Total loss, $48.00S; insurance paid, $27,.
798. The heaviest loss was that of Guten-
bergers foundry, Front and \ street, July
18th. Mr.. Gutenbergers loss was $4,000.
and his insurance only $1,000. The follow
ing are some of the recommendations of
the Chief:
| FIRE MARSHAL AND INSPECTOR OF BUILDINGS.
There are several glaring evils in connec-
| ton with many city structures which in
my judgment call for prompt remedy The
| placing of heavy or cumbersome articles on
wooden awnings, the erection of substantial
fences, lattice work or picket barriers
| thereon, all of which are liable to form seri-
Gus obstacles to firemen and the use OF
| ladders, should be totally prohibited.
Wooden awnings which are unsafe and
insecure should not be permitted to remain.
All buildings should be subject to the in
spection of some duly authorized official,
whose duty should be to see that no undue
| risks of fire are incurred about premises
that walls, floors, chimneys and stairways
are sound and secure, and i'll the case of all
public buildings to see that suitable, safe
! and sufficient exits are provided to meet
any emergency. The official should be
vested with authority to act promptly and
summarily when required.
CoMBUsTIBLEs IN FIRE LIMITS.
call attention to the fact that large
quantities of oil are stored inside of the fire
limits. ! think that in the interests of
safety and protection the storage of such
large quantities of combustible material in
the business center of the city should not,
| under any circumstances. be permitted. In
case of fire, the presence of so much inflam-
mable matter would render the department
almost powerless to prevent the damage
and destruction which would necessarily
| result. Such a condition of affairs is a con-
| slant menace to a city, and fruitful source
of peril to many human lives. Beyond a
| certain reasonable amount storage outside
| of fire limits should be made compulsory.
| have reason to suspect that frequently
large quantities of explosives are stored in
the Chinese quarter of the city | think
stringent measures are demanded in order
| 10 control and regulate such glaring and
dangerous practices, and that action in the
matter should be taken without delay.
ELECTRIC WIRES.
The fact is more and more apparent that
all electric wires should be laid in under
ground conduits The electric wires in
this city are suspended in such a manner
as to call forth severe criticism. The tee-
graph wires are SO numerous and occupy
such positions as to greatly embarass fire.
men in their operations and in the manip-
ulation of ladders. The electric light
| Wits dIC Su>pcilltti loO lON, anu III very
many places they are barriers which in
| case of fire would only serve to retard eff
| forts of the firemen, and greatly imperil if
not destroy human life. Until the wires
alluded to are laid under ground, as they
should be, the fire alarm wires ought to be
suspended on higher poles, above telegraph,
! telephone and light wires, so as to prevent
any interference with the alarm system
There are times when the present alarm
wires are interfered with by other wires in
| such way as to cause serious trouble and
/ confusion. In the case of an electric light
| WIRE contact Herewith might ruin the
alarm mechanism in the Corporation
House The subject of electric wires is
one that deserves earnest consideration
with view to securing improvement over
1.-THE present method of extension. In the
meantime the fire alarm wires should be
removed as speedily as possible from the
present exposure to accidental contact
which exists and threatens to impair and
render useless the department alarm sys-
TEN.
| REMNASrs-A large lot of remnants oil
| Atwood cassimeres and tweedS, and dam
| ac-ed hlanEafS will no sold at very low