The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-02
EIGHT-HOUR BELLS.
Fire Officials Opposed to the New
Ordinance.
The Constant Ringing VIII Prove Detrimen-
tai to the Department Horses-Yes-
teraay Mornings Connection.

There was a commotion in the Fire De-
partment for short time yesterday morn
ing.
At precisely S o'clock the bells rang
throughout the city, apparently announc-
ing an alarm from Box 3. In the district in
which this station is located, the horses
were hitched to the apparatus, fires we're
started in the boilers and several engines
went out to the scene of the supposed blaze.
Engine was driven to the locality OF
the box, corner of Stockton and Greenwich
streets, but there was No fire. In the other
companies the lack of the usual repetition
of the alarm was noticed and the tiremen
returned to the houses.
The bells, however, did not ring to sum
mon the department to a fire. They simply
made the announcement that it was o'clock
in the day, only that and nothing more.
The ordinance recently passed by the
Board of Supervisors, providing for the
ringing OF the fre-bells at o'clock in the
morning. at noon and at o'clock in tho
afternoon went into effect yesterday. The
measure was passed in the interest OF the
working classes Of the city. and in further
ance of the movement to limit the time
tradeSmen and labOrers generally are en-
ployed to eight hours per day. The bell is
supposed 10 dDUUuuCc lI6 nun AOA OOSAH-
ming and ending the days laborS.
OPPOSED 1T.
When the ordinance was first broached,
the fire officials opposed its passage vigor-
ously and furnished reasons why II should
not he made law. The claim is now made
that the official observance VI the eight
hour law " i'll work injury to the department,
Chief Scannell, when interviewed last
might, had but little to say on the subject.
The authorities have ordered the bells TO
be rung," SAID he, land have no desire to
express an opinion. | don't think the ordl-
nance will help the parties for whose bene-
1T il was drawn up, and l know II Will not
lie productive Of good to the department.
Assistant Chief Sullivan was more COM
municatiye. He said: The Fire Depart
ment is at present heavily handicapped and
the new ordinance Will not serve to increase
its efficiency. More time will be lost by the
ringing of the bells than will be offset by
the benefit the working classes will derive.
Ii the announcement of the hours Will be
Of profit to the labUIing classes would not
object, but fail to perceive where the ben-
eft comes in. Every man is well aware OF
the hour he must begin work and there Is
little danger of his being employed over
time. The new order of things will upset
the department i'll several ways, but the
principal harm will be done to the horses.
A lew years ago it was Of common occur
renee to furnish exhibition drills for the en-
tertaiument of noted visitors,
AN INJURY TO THE HORSES.
The thing was Oyerdohe, however, as
was proved by the conduct of the animals.
Horses have more sense, il | may use the
term, than most people are aware Of and
they soon began to know the difference be-
tween a genuine alarm AMI call Tor
drill The result was that when they saw
visitors in the house the horses merely
walked from the stalls TO the hanging har-
ness instead of going quickly to the pole. [
Of IA condition pf affairs will
be brought about by the gong ringing three
times a day. The horses Will quickly learn
that they are not to leave the building, and
If an alarm should be rung in shortly be-
fore o'clock or o'clock there will be con-
siderable loss OF time. Then there IS the
danger Of accident to the horses. Should
one of them get crippled in the narrow en-
gine-hOuSes while running out TO be har-
messed on one Of these calls it will dis
able the entire company until new horse
is procured But | don't think the ordi-
nance will be observed long," concluded
Mir. Sullivan, "as l believe 1t will, in course
If time become dead letter"
"a PERFECT NUISANCE"
Captain White Of the Fire Patrol held
opinions of Il very decided nature against
the Supervisors measure. 1T is perfect
nuisance" said this usually cheerful repre-
sentative of the underwriters. ''Hhe fire
bells should not be used for any other pur-
poses than fire duty. The constant ringing
VIII knock all OF the enthusiasm out oil the
pXtramen, who will be disappointed fire.
quently by false alarms, aud by and by they
viii not be able to determine whether or
not there is a fire if the gongs are being
continuously thumped In the fire houses
a great deal of bother will be caused in the
morning as about o'clock is feeding time
for the horses aud cleaning up time for the
men. l think the horses will begin 10 grow
lazy from this time henceforth."
There will be large area Of the city in
which workingmen will not hear the ring
ing of the fire bells. In the Mission there
is but one large bell, and in the Western
Addition there are none at all. The houses
on which big bells are placed are Engine 4,
Second street, near Howard; Engine 8,
Stockton street, between Broadway and
Pacific; Ensne6 q, Sixth street, near Folsom; ;
Engine T. Sixteenth street, near Valencia;
Engine s, Pacific street, near Polk; Engine
TO- Bryant street, near Third and the IRE
alarm tower on BRENNAN place.