St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-28
Chief Black Makes Recon-
mendations for Enlarging
the Department.
Protection of Property in the
Wholesale District Again
Talked Of.
Ideas Of the Commissioners
on Various Topics of Es-
pecial Interest.

dent Warner thought that at the late
burning of FOOte, SchulZe u Co.'s store
there might have been enough saved by
a salvage corps to maintain the corps
for many years. The board of under
writers had offered to maintain corps
if the commissioners would erect a
building. The question of clash
ing authority between the depart
ment officers and the corps under tie
control of the underwriters, which has
caused sc much trouble in other cities,
was brought up and Chief Black ven
tured the opinion that a salvage corps
should be organized in the department
and maintained by the city, the insur-
ance companies to be taxed to pay the
expense. Before adjourning. the board
adopted the following by Commissioner
Parker:
Resolved. That it is the sense of the
board of fire commissioners that the
time has come when salvage corps
should be organized and put i'll opera
ton by the board of underwriters and
maintained by them, as in other large
cities.
A YEARS WORK.
The annual reports of Chief Black
and Superintendent of Fire Alarm
Jenkins were read. The department
has now 200 men employed and the ex-
penditureS during the year were $685.,
019.S0. Chief Black recommends I'M
provements during the present year as
follows; Establishment of an engine
company at some point between Third
and Sixth streets and Broadway and the
railroad tracks for the better protection
of the wholesale district: an engine
company near the corner of Bedford and
pra6 CTR OF
Merriam Park if water is secured there;
appointment of two more permanent
assistant chiefs-one for Merriam Park
and one for Dayton'S bluff-at salaries
of not less than 81, 800 year; purchase
of light truck for headquarters, and
that No. engine house be rebuilt. The
chief also recommends that all electric
wires should go under ground, and that
water mains ia the wholesale district
should be not less than twelve inches in
diameter. He adds: eff they were, no
question as to the water supply or en-
baraSSment of the department could Oc-
cur. There should be considerable in
crease in the number of hydrantS, and at
each street corner small ciSternS should
be located. to enable engines to be con-
centrated at large fires. This plan is in
use in Chicago with such success that
| twenty-four engines can be located
around one block" He calls attention
| to the dangerous condition of many
easements in the mercantile district,
| and requests that in future, political
| caucuseS selections be excluded from
| all engine houses, being harmful to the
| discipline Of the department. The one
| recommendation tending to decrease
| expenses is that Watchmen in all houses
| be abandoned. There are fifteen in all,
and the saving would be 50, 1870 annually.
| 1t is suggested that the police attend
to closing engine house doors when
the firemen are called out or that auto
matte locks be secured. He says: My
recommendations are based on the ac-
! tual needs of the department and not Oh
prospective ones" The superintendent
of alarms asks for the purchase OF re-
| lays for alarm registers, at an estimated
| cost of $500. Ohief Black also asks that
piece of apparatus known as a water
| tower be purchased, at a probable cost
of $1,000.
These reports will be submitted to the
council. together with the annual re-
port of the board. which has been pre-
| pared by Secretary 0GOrman, and was
| adopted with some amendments and
| recommendations. The board decided
not to pass upon the recommendations
of the chief, but will ask the council for
| permission to carry them out from time
! to time as they think best. They will
ask for the purchase of truck for head
| quarters, at cost Of 81 400, at once.
IN THE WHOLESALE DISTRICT.
| Commissioner Parker introduced the
GLOBE map showing the size of water
mains in the business district, and the
| question of water supply at the recent
large fires was received. Mr.. Parker
asserted that the SiX-inch mains were
not large enough to supply a second
class engine ''Or somebody was badly
off about whether the engines worked
at the FoOte, Schulze d Co. fire."
The board will incorporate in its report
a recommendation that all water mains
in the district being bounded by Sew
enth and Third, Broadway and ST.
Peter streets, be not less than twelve
inch mains, and that hydrants be placed
on every corner and one in the center
of every block in the district
bounded by Seventh and Third,
| Broadway and Wabasha streets.
A recommendation that all wires be
placed under ground will also be in
! cluded in the report. The proposition
to dismiss watchmen was discussed for
long time, and it was finally concluded
that the police could not be expected to
do the latter's work. Chief Black was
ordered to report the cost of automatic
| dDDlldilCcS DIT Tilt IICAb hCCtlllSs dllu tH0
matter was dropped.
THEY REMARKED.
Chief Black believe in another five
years this department will number
twenty engines, and twelve-inch mains
will be small then. The business dis
trict demands more apparatus than we
have We will want an engine house
every six blocks before many years.
Commissioner Parker-I think we
have all the apparatus we need for this
wear. We do not need to rebuild No.
4 house. An addition to the present
structure will answer all purposes, and
can be built for few thousand dollars.
Commissioner Freeman-There is a
section between No. 4 and Payne ave-
hue not covered. No. should be
moved back four or five blocks. 1t
would be a protection to that district
then and also to the wholesale district,
and would do away with the necessity
for building a new house. We could
sell the property on which NO. stands
for enough te buy a site and erect a
good building little further back. We
must economic.
Commissioner Martin i think we
should buy another site or two in the
Sixth ward. We ought to have a
house down on the fiat in very short
time.
Secretary O'GOrman = Comptroller
Roche claims there is nothing left of
that 100000 realized on the bonds
authorized by the legislature for erect
ing new buildings and purchasing new
apparatus. You will have to go to the
legislature again, OF get it put int he
tax levy.
For Twin City Union.
The committee of twelYe-six from
each of the Twin CitieS-which Judge
Atwater was authorized to appoint at