Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-10
HERE'S PRETTY Y HOW DY DO. The Trouble About New Engine House and a New Hook and Ladder Truck.


 HERE'S A PRETJ Y HOW DY DO. The Trouble About a New Engine House | and New Hook and Ladder Truck.
 ssThis whole business about a new en- zine house for Phoenix engine company and q new hook and ladder truck, said an man who has been connected with the city government to DEMOCRAT reporter. lis due to a factional fight and IS the result of 8 personal feeling that smor!dars until something like project for a new engine house and a hook and ladder truck comes up in the council. Then it rises to the surface and bursts forth in a manner that leaves no doubt of the en1nity existing between these factions. Who are these factionss Why they are on the one hand prominent members of Phoenix engine company and their friends in the city government and those who favor the removal of Phoenix engine com pany holding out as an inducement for the change a commodious engine house equipped with horses, etc. This fight dates back several years, and there was as big kick about three years ago when the. fire commissioners proposed purchasing the lot at the junction of Cooke and North Main streets The fight HOW is more wig orous and asserts itself many claim in the line of opposition to the expenditure of a proper amount of money for hook and ladde truck And in this connection there are those who charge that the hook and ladder truck is being subjected to hard ser vice with view to demonstrating it's un- fitness for the present demands of the ser vice.
 "Phonix engine company has nothing to gain in commodious engine house away up on North Main street. The introduction of the modern fire apparatus with horses to pull it means permanent employees at the engine house and displaces this club house business to certain extent. In the fight Phoenix has substantial backing as witness the remonstrance against the re- moval of the house from it's present quar- ters. Now Phoenix engine company does not object to being removed from it's pres ent quarters. They do not insist on living within a stone's throw of certain saloon. This talk is all moonshine. They do not want to be put out of the center and in this stand they have an abundance of sun- port from the heaviest taxpayers, The fire commissioners without exception have shown disposition to insist that Phoenix shall go north or stay where they are. In the recent contest for fire commissioners, Phoenix was bested but it does not mean that it shall be bested in regard to this To- cation business.
 ''The latest proposition I have heard i1l this connecticut" continued the ex-city of | ficial, ''is proposition to retain Phoenix en- zine company in the center and placate | the north end public by removing Monitor hose company into that section. Do l think there would be 6 howl? We'll should say there would be worse rumpus kicked up than that now on the commis. sioners' hands. But I do no not under: stand that this proposition is even enter tained by the commissioners. have heard it mentioned and presume that it is the suggestion of some irate member o1 1 Phoenix engine company. There is con siderable feeling about the number o1 members enrolled in Phonix engine com. pany's books. The hose comp; nies are entitled to forty and the steamers to sixty members. PhoeLia has, it is said, 100 names on Its roll o1 members. This, you will remember, leo to quite discussion at meeting of the fire commissioners recently in which two commissioners arrayed themselves against No 1, one stood up for it and one sat i1 silence throughout the discussion. The fire commissioners fortunately pull to- gether on the purchase of a new hook ano ladder truck, but they ran amuck the Phoenix influence in the powers that be ano it is doubtful if new truck is purchased this year,
 "But there is ons thing that I want to say about the fire department. This inter view would not be complete without it Now don't pretend to know how to TUT a fire department, but know, and every sensible man ought to know, that prompt ness in responding to an alarm is essential to the efficiency of fire department. w have had but one big fire since 1880, an6 that was the big lumber fire in 1885 Everybody. who was at that fire knows how useless it was to pull the steamers to that l fire. There was not drop of water fol them without hitching on to the hydrants and rendering useless the service of the hose companies. We have under ordinary circumstances eighty pounds pressure al | the hydIants which is reduced about twenty pounds when the full fire depart ment, except the steamers, are at work We have four of these companies working eight streams. Each engine can throw four powerful streams, but there must bt some provision made for water to furnish them. This is a problem that ought to bt solved. With the two engine companies properly equipped and with means fol | procuring water without interfering witl the pressure at the hydrants and the pre- sent number of hose companies and wei equipped hook and ladder service, the city is provided for fire service for 25 and per haps 50 years to come. Of course as th' city increases and the emergency arises th' hose companies would have to be furnished with new apparatus and horses. Waterbur, basis for an excellent fire. department ane wire pulling and personalities should no bulwark to it's advancement and growth.
 AT THE OPERA HOUSE.