The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-07-11
A MODEL DEPARTMENT.
Fire Superintendent Brown
Tells What He Would
Do If He Only Had
the Ch ance.
DEFECTS In THE PRESENT system
New Horses, New Apparatus, New
Telegraph and More Men
Wanted.

i found Superintendent Brown vhea
he was in thinking mood yesterday. and
be told me what the Fire Departments
would be IL to wish was to have
Nov" he began, IF I had my way We
would have a new Fire Headquarters
building. It would be three stories in
height thoroughly lreproof. and would
have Offices for the Superintendent, Chief
and Assistant Chief We couid then have
our telegraph room In the same
building as we are instead Of 1t
being as now two blocks away down In
the bell tower. What Is this place good
for except what you see 1t is nowr and
the superintendent snif6d oontemptu-
onsly while looking about the narrow
two story building which does duty -
Fire Headquarters.
1--WE would have also,u he continued.
"a repairing shop attached TO the depart
ment. where we could send our engines
and other apparatus TO be repaired. II
We had O place Of our own, In which
small repairs might be made. We
would save time and not a little money
You can readily see The advantage Of nav
ing apparatus Of q IRE department re-
paired quickly.
ADVANTAGES OF A REPAIR SHOP
I'VE would have one or two men IN this
shop, and with the necessary tools could
be thoroughly indeDendent. / do not
would depend upon the amount Of
repairing DONE tn en- there is
the alarm system. Our present
Arrangement Is called the Automatic
Under the automatic wherever an alarm
Is sounded all the companies receive it
Ii two boxes are pulled at the same time
it results in confusion and danger. If any
crossing of the wires occurs all the zonG1
IN the engine houses are sounded. II
had my way would introduce the Central
Alarm system which Is decidedly better
With this system there IS al operator
pulled this operator receives the alarm.
and taking q cog wheel for the alarm
slips IL into q box, and by turning Z
crank, sends the alarm into the COM
psnies 70 which it should 90. By
this all confusion and mistakes
to introduce the system but il would be
money well spent If could / would
also have insulated copper wire through
out the city, 50 that il the wires creased
there would be no srrlking Of alarms
TWO NEW ENGINES WANTED.
I'VE want two new engines. for there h
only one engine up In the Bergen dis
trict. II we did get these new en gines, /
would add one new engine 10
the department each year for throe
years These engines would be Of the
hsavy kind and best make. Wish a.
many engines as have said, and Of -
good make, our men would take more
interest in their work
with poor tools q man loses heart and
does not care about his work One Of our
companies has an old, weak, worn out
engine. and the result Is rhaE there is no
heart in their work. Then speaking Of
apparatus could place two aerial trucks
with great benefit TO the department
These trucks are of incslcuiabie service.
With one one man can raise q ladder 10
the highest altitude In two minutes
With the present system 1t takes twelve
men 20 do The same work in fifteen min
utes.I would put one Of these trucks at the
corner Of Grand and Van Worst streets,
and the other one / wonld put In No. 8
Truck House If / had my way would
add telegraph wagon for the repairs 70
our alarm system, one coal wagon and
supply wagon
TIE HOSE REEL ALL WRONG
ssThe system Of carrying hose on reel
ought TO be done away with think. In
deed were / the only one to be considered
the hose would be carried IN wagons as
they do in all FIRST class departments.
IN the eua increasing Of sSs fonos
OF horses in this department.
Our working force Of horses is foreg
nine. To such a force we ought 70 add.
ten horses each year. We have one horse
now that has bean used for seventeen
years and is still in harness.
AS for our men they are the most en-
couraging feature of the department. I
will match them against any fremen in
the country. am not afraid to say thai
there are no better dremen anywhere.
'.There are many improvements can
suggest. / would have the feed, coal and
supplies purchased in bulk and not In
small Quantities by each company as
desired. This would save money 80 the
Department. but by rule Of the Board
of Finance we are only allowed Co expeud
SO much money each mouth
AS the Superintendent closed HIS re-
cifal of what the fire department w1ll be
when the years have passed away.
asked him how he accounted for the
large increase of the salary accouat Of
the IRE department asked Tor In the new
appropriation The increase Is over
$4,000
Well he replied, there are the SAL
airy Of the Superintendent. the salaries Of
all the men in the new company. Then
we have added ons man to each perma-
nenI company and there are eleven more
new salaries This is allowed By the
charter. We have added three new buf-
falos to each company, making ten buf-
falos for every company. 1nis VIII 40
count for the increase"