Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-29
DISTRICT AFFAIRS.
Report of Chief Paris on Fire De-
partment Needs.
BE ASKS INCREASED FACILITIES,
A Breezy Time at the South Capt.
tol Bridge Hearing.
MANY MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

| Chie1 Joseph ParrlS OF the fire depart
ment submitted to the Commissioners to-
day the annual report Of the workings Of
his department for the fiscal year ended
| June 80, 1855
He opens his report with an appeal for
| new companies. He says the city is grow
| ing rapidly and the calls upon the depart
ment are more numerous than ever be-
| fore. The area to be looked after is i'm
mense and with the present outfit at times
large districts are left entirely unprotected.
| When a fire of large proportions Is in
progress he says the whole department
may be concentrated to handle the same
| In the event Of an equally large conhasra-
ton occurring in a locality lar distant
from the first, and where it may be impos-
| sible to send but one company, which is on
| reserve in that vicinity. the result must be
| disastrous. The first fire upon winch the
| whole force may be engaged at the time OF
the turning in of the alarm from this dis
tant quarter may be of such importance
he says, that it would be Impossible 10
spare a single company. This would pidce
the department between two dangers Inc
cost OF the department Is very sinai, ne
points out, as compared with otner clues:
He urges also an increase IN the pay VI
the firemen, who he says receive rss
compensation than the firemen IN other
cities. Referring to the RELIEF funo ne says
THE necessity of help from Congress is
| earnestly urged in connection with the
| relief fund of the department: FROM uthe
| TO time men who have faithIully serNeu Loi
years, and have grown unable 10 CON ue
on active duty, and others who have been
disabled in the performance or same anu
also the widows and orphans OF those VINO
| have died in the service must be PROVIDED
| for The relief fund is maintained by the
deduction of 81 per month from the pay OF
members of the department, nnes linpossa
| for breach of regulations, ana from such
| s-fta ions
made by our public spirited citizens IN re-
| cognition of good work of the department
| in saving and protecting valuable property
| and sometimes lives from the ravaSes OF
fire. The contributions of the hremen anu
| from other sources unless augmented by
| Congress will not be sufficient TO meet the
| demands for pensioners, which are steadily
on the increase, and on the present basis
but few IF the men who have contributed
from their pay for years could be provided
for The amount allowed by Congress
should certainly equal that contriputeo py
the members Of the department Unless
| the aid asked for be given II will be neces-
sary to sell bonds in which the fund is now
invested to meet the demands OF the pension
| roll. The good example set by the general
government In providing for it's public ser
wants in the military and naval service by
pensionng SO generously, in view or the
perilous services they are called upon to
| engage in, it would seem but just should be
| followed in the case of these fremen, whose
duties. though Of a different character are
nevertheless often so dangerous. Careful
| consideration of this pension subject is most
| earnestly asked"
| During the year there vera 40 applica-
tons for positions in the department.. OF
this number thirty-five were reported as
qualified by the police surgeons and twen-
| ty-eight received appointments.
| Chief Paris recommends the appointment
| of a practical machinI3t whose duty IL
| shall be to look after the apparatus.
| The chief calls attention 10 the need Cor
| more fire plugs. The vast area Of the city
he says requires immediate attention in this
matter. and he recommends the placing of
| 200 additional fire plugs.
| He recommends that the department be
| increased in effectiveness Ivy the purchase
of one engine.o one truck and two new chemi-
cal companies, with sufficient force to
| operate the same.
The annual report of the District veteri-
marian is also submitted lie says it is al
most impossible to purchase in this vicinity
| horses fit for fire service. What is required
is the half breed thoroughbred. There
are sixty horses in the department, forty
seven of which are in good condition.
The report Of the fire marshal IS also SUBJ
| mitted and shows that during the year
| there were 2I3 fires, entaiing loss OF
$3l616. covered by an insurance OF Sl97. OBS.
Treachcry Charged.
There was quite a breezy scene in the
board room yesterday afternoon, which was
not down on the program, and which Great
ed considerable excitement 1t was at the
| hearing accorded the South Capitol Street
| Bridge Association. the representatives of
which had called to urge upon the Commits
sioners the importance of the bridge and
request favorable report to Congress upon
the same. The statement of the associa ton
| had been presented by its legal representa-
| tiveS and the hearing was about to adjourn,
| when Mr.. John Ii. Abrams took from his
| pocket diagram of another scheme, where
by the Eastern branch was to be spanned
| by a bridge from the foot of South Capitol
street to Poplar Point, instead OF to Gies-
| boro Point, as proposed by the association.
he maintained that his project was by far
| the better one, that 1t would be cheaper to
construct and be of vastly more service to
| ein branch. he was interrupted by one of
| the association, who stated in plain Ian
guage that II was "A piece OF treachery on
Mr.. Abrams part to propose another rlan
when he was a member of the committee
that had adopted the first idea. Matters
waxed warm for a while. but the meeting
closed without further incident.
Asks n Question.
VIM. d. Payne writes to the Commission
ers today that he is contemplating the DUR
chase of several small dwellings in an alley
| less than thirty feet wide, which were
erected before the regulations forbidding
such dwellings were in force and asks
! whether If one or more of them should be
destroyed by fire could the same be rebuilt
Mary Complains.
woman who signs herself Mary has
| of the bad language and bad treatment she
|