The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-18
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
It Compares Well With That of Any
Other Citv

Other City.
Editor Morning NetUs: In the News Of
last Sunday appeared an article in refer ence
to our fire department.. and the chief in par
tlcular. Now l chance to be something of
fireman myself, and unless you have the
inside OF this Commercial correspondence
and intend to publish the straight and full
text las it deserves to be published, would
be glad to have you give space 10 a few
suggestions and observations of a strictly
dlsinterested citizen. In the first place, al
low me to say that the Savannah fire de-
partment is not what it should be. and to
crown this assertion l want to add that it is
| all 1t can be with the present apparatus and
| expenditure
The writer of the Infamous letter in
| question, has plainly more than one
iron In the fire." The truth is very plain,
that If the object was solely in the interest
of the CITY, ne would state the facts as they
exist, but be uncovers his cunning when he
declares what every good and we'll posted
citizen knows to be false.
We have had some very bad fires In the
| past few years, but we are not alone in
this particular. There have been hundreds
OF bad fires, in the same time, all over the
United States. We read almost every day
Of disastrous fires. This is q fast and fiery
chief OF the fire department for the real
| cause
I 1t 10 net necessary to cross water to find
cases IN point. A very little investigation
will satisfy any one with ordinary common
sense as to the cause of very large percent
age OF the fires in general. The practice of
| the insurance agents taking any risk that
is offered is terrible thing to contemplate.
| The question of protection for the insur-
ance companies, as against the lives and
property Of the good citizens. is not to be
| considered.
| We all very we'll know the danger and
alarming frequency Of incendarism, aud
IN the face OF facts the wonder is that de-
| struction is not more complete.
But to the point. We want to say that il
Savannah was properly insured it is fairly
we'll protected. But under existing crcum-
stances. would 1t not be highly advisable to
permit and encourage a new volunteer de-
partment!
What the city greatly needs is reserve
fire department-even as 1t is, only a
portion of the department responds to
first alarms. But the time has been. and
may arise at any moment, when a fire
| reserve department would be worth more
In few hours than it would cost to main
tain it for many years. -.ro
This is plainly worthy of the very highest
consideration.
| AS eFAuenCe VI Unls oetug DAD year LOT
fires, We will simply quote from Fire and
Water, a periodical which is, perhaps. the
BEST authority in this country on such mat
terS Fire and Water reports as lin
portant fires" for week ending April Z, 1892,
thirty-two fires, amounting in round num-
bers to the enormous sum of S3.169, Q00
again. for the week ending May 10, 1892,
twenty-six important fires" are reported
averaging from 800. 900 to $3.50 600 This
includes our own fire. May ~ on Hunting
don street (S45. 1000. When we look over the
record of important fires" aud see the
awful destruction-and that, too, i'll our
largest and best equipped cities--lt makes
us feel truly proud of the 1.-THE Savannah
fire department" Especially, in the face Of
these reports from city like Philadelphi ia.
Read it. .1 20. .as1 e.
Philadelphia, Feb. 10 ....s..,..sJ.9.....S 80, 900