Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-04-15
NETS AND ESCAPES.
ArALx WITH CAPTAIN YuouA ON THIS
IMPORTANT SUBJECT.
A run Expression Of Opinion, with sugses
tions which should Not Pass unheed-
ed-A Building Inspector.

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The following conversation took place
Yesterday between Chief a. l.. Fuqus,
First Engineer of the Richmond Fire
Department, and Dispatch news
gatherer:
Captain. you have not had many
fires lately ?"
"Well, no IL has been very quiet for
,ome time bat fires are like epidemics /;
they visit first one city and then another.
Our time will come again after awhile.
"Have YOU any life-saving' appliances
in the department that you could use IN
the event that a fire should occur and
the inmates of building should be cut
of from escaping by the stairway
ave have the Hays truck, which is
considered such, and the Bangor extern
son.ladder, which we could use IN cases
OF emergency 10 rescue persons from our
highest buildings"
"Suppose the ladders could not be
used Have you any other device
None tchGtcUCr."
LlIE-SANlNG NIL.
"Captain. see by the New York
napers that their department use large
net for people to jump in who are cut Oh
from escaping by the stairs. What do
YOU think of II ?"
alt is q most excellent thing for the
nurpose intended. and could too used TO
q great advantage in our cltyit the men
whose duty il would be TO handle itWere
permanent men.
"Whv could not the men in the truck
companies handle them
"Woll. you zee, it requires constant
drilling with the net to get the men ac-
customed 10 the use of 1t. as 1t is reces-
sarv for each man to hold his part OF the
net at a certain tension, so as TO properly
sustain the weight that may be thrown
on it,
"Have Won ever seen it used by those
unacouainted with the handling OF It :"
Yes. several times, and on each oc-
casion It proved to me that IN the hands
of those II would be OF little or no value
in the saving OF life. .
"Then you think it would not be Of
any service except in the hands OF ex-
perts p
"That is my idea. BY the way, / have
an extract of the official report OF the
use of this net by the New York Fire
Department on the night Of March 18th,
which says:
FOUR LIVES SAVED N NEW YORK.
Foremnp Sna~. OF that company l3), then or
dored me Hfc--sving net spread ihc fire In the
mean time having cut on al other means OF escape
and mREius 10 impossible also u raise lhlderN,
snt vita citizens auI fremen holding IL they
caught in tie net Addie Me-tiake. who jumped
from the 9th floor. aud Frederick and lsaac [.
Westlake aud Assstaut-Foreman Quirs, who
slnt,ed from the fourth floor. Mrs. Nesuake,
Inc mother Of The family, was sufocsted 10 death
A. the window 81 the fifth floor by the dense
smoke before any member Of the department
could reach her. Assistant Foreman Quirk, when
be Jumped, landed safely 10 the net, and after
wards fen out and broke his arm. lie aud the
three members of the Westlake family would I'M
doubtedly have been Killed II it had not been Tor
the life-saviug ne as there wa- no other means OF
saving them. One Of the MestRkes sustained
no injury, and tho injuries 81 the other two are
from burns received before they Jumped and
from shock.
"Do Won not think the net should be
a part OF every department
II think it should, whore the men are
permanent, and I viii say just here, If
the force Of our department were per
manent las they Should be- ] would urge
the purchase of two nets at once-one
for each truck company"
FIRE ESCAPES.
Captain. have the two committees
which went on a tour Of inspection, look
ing into the condition of our places OF
amusement made any report?"
"Not yet (; but they Will at an early
day"
Have any previous committees taken
this subject under consideration ?"
"Oh. yes but not much has been
done. because there is no one pro
perry authorized to look after this
matter and 10 see that the recOmmenda-
tons of the committee are carried out to
the letter. What is most needed IS a
building inspector whose duties 1t would
be to look after such recommendations
and other things bearing on the proper
erection OF all buildings as regards es-
cape in case OF fire.
'Is there any law as to the erection OF
public buildings ?"
None to speak of. have urged the
Fire Committee TO draft suitable ordi-
nances bearing on the subject, but it has
been delayed from time to time. BY the
proper construction of buildings very
many fires could be averted.
"Would it be necessary for the Legis-
lature to give the Council authority to
create suitable building laws "
81 think not. as the present charter
gives the Council sufficient authority IN
the premises to pass laws for the protec-
ton of the people attending those places
and to compel the proprietors to conform
to them
"Do you think that the places of
amusement are the only buildings where
provision should be made for the safety
OF the people :"
"Not at all. At our large manufac-
turing establishments, where there are
employed large number OF people land
often majority females), there should
be suitable fire-escapes 1t is FREQUENT
that the inmates of a burning building
are overcome by smoke before the fire
reaches them, and i will say just here
that several OF our large schools claim
the attention Of those whose duty it is to
look after the safety of the children at
tending them"
uvsunp XKAyE,G WORK.