The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-03-16
IMPROVING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT..
What the People ia the Eastern Section
Need-Not Enough Water Plugs.

What the People ia the Eastern Section
Need-Not Enough Water Plugs.
The necessity for immediate fire alarm
communication between the business
section of Roanoke and it's outlying ter
ritory IS apparent. The city proper is
within the sound of the alarm and
thoroughly protected by tho electric
system, but in most cases emergencies
arises whom there is nothing to fill tho
breach.
The attention o: The city is called to
this unprotected condition OF the prop.
ertY lying east OF box So, in tho vicinity
OF the brewery. Tho representation in
property is probably between two and
three hundred thousand dollars. and its
nearest signal outside OF telephonic
communication il from five TO tifteen
blocks.
Among the property unprotected in
t1e eastern section OF tho city, in case
CT unwonted action o. the flamos, or
tardy work OF the fremen, is the Amcri-
can iridge and Iron Company, the Gro
ger Furnace, the Cold Storage Company
and the brewery. The above belong TO
the business interests, but outside of
those ind ustrios the homes Of the arts
ans should be looked after by the city.
yesterday TIMES reporter called
upon the executives of the Abort Fire
Company to find out the exact situation
in re ference to the barrier the company
couid furnish i'll case OF any inroad y,
iire, and found that it would be mpos-
sibie Tor the company 10 b. OF any ma
teriat use in any sc ction two blocks
beyond tho hose house H. case OF fire,
owing TO the lack Of fire plugs Tne
| liini; of hose power is 800 feet for tno
company, and it would bc impossible for
tue ucso OF this company TO reach, with
lis limited facilities, to within one hun.
cred and fifty feet OF the further end of
the row of dwellings beyond the Way.
side Inn.
Among the mombcrs OF the Alert Fire
Company seen wore John Geisen, Louis
| n. rcholz, Tony Geisen and ). X. Kit
| terman, all Of whom dNolt upon tho
inado quacy Of the fire system aaapolied
to their locality. John Gcisen, fore
man OF the Alert Fire Company. said:
Tho last fro plug is ut the Waysde
Inn. There ought to 10 at least ono
lire plug between tho Inn and Carrs
woods. and there also ought To DO ar
engagements made whereby the Alert
Fire Com pany could cover tho Ameri.
can Bridge and Iron Company's works,
v.
| There arc also twelve houses below the
Wayside Inn that it would be impos.
| slole for tho A!crts 20 reach in case OF
| ire, the distance from the plug and tho
length of the hose preventing he stream
from reaching beyond the fifth house in
| the block
>. K. Bitterman, assistant foreman:
The company would be of use in other
| sections of the city ii it had the equip
ments of electrical connections. AS it
is we are shut eff from the rest of Roa.
! nokc. During the day it is almost
Impossible for anyone in this part of the
| city 10 hear the alarm. We are not
| supplied with enough water plugs
| Louis a. Scholz, president: az we
| can secure an indica or III the house it
| Is our Intention to bavc Il man perma.
neatly located there. This neighbor-
hood has not received the proper at
tention: As the unprotected property in
this section ranGes in value from 5000 0
| to S3u0, 900 -
Tony Gcisen, president 1--WE
| can scarcely hear tho alarm on the
| Nigilants fire house, and il 3 fro started
| in this vicinity OF ordinary proportions
| We have no means for eXtinguishing It,
| Tho greater part of thil property is un.
protected. There is grcatinterest shown
in the fire company by the citizens, but
We EEL tina: ii this territory were taken
better care of in the way OF communica-
ton with tho city proper, we could not
only be OF service 10 the rest of tho de-
pertinent but more useful in our own
locality. There is \ need Of fire plugs
which at some time might be of inn
menSe service to the property holders in
our vicinity"