The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-10-27
OUR FIRE PROTECTION.

for fire protection which throws so
gallons per minute or 100000 gallon
a day. Mr.. Willard states that b
knows of no reason why it will no
| force water into the reservoir, A
present there are check valves Il
separate 1T from the city mains, blu
by making slight alteration in tn
water pipes near the pump it coult
force water from the Fibreware com
pany's we'll into the city mains. Thi
pump is strong one and meets tn,
requirements of the insurance com
panies, and is used for no other pur
pose than fol fire protection. To ust
it, there would be no necessity to close
down the fibreware works. 1t is ad
mitted that the only time when the
city pump is likely to prove made
Quate to supply the consumption oil
water is during two or three summer
months. If the fibreware pump could
reinforce it during that time there
would be no trouble on that score.
1t is nonsense to say that the city
has an inadequate fire protection at
the present time. 1t practically has
four pumps at it's command, and one
of which, with the other three broken
down, would furnish ample power.
The city pun y is double one, and
each side can continue pumping if
the other is broken. But it does not
require long to repair break, and it
is impossible that any pump should
be idle for any length of time If by
any unforeseen chance both sides of
the city pump should be temporarily
rendered useless, there is r. D. Hub
bard'S pump, which proved in the
test the other day that it is amply
able to take care Of any fire that
might break out. Although not
pumping to it's full capacity, with the
reservoir shut off, it filled the partial
ly depleted water mains and supplied
the entire consumption of the city
and maintained three powerful
streams of water. With full pressure
and private consumption stopped, as
it could be during any serious fire if
thought necessary, the pump would
be able to supply more streams of
water than the fire department has
nozzles to handle. But suppose some
should happen whereby
both divisions Of the city's double
pump should be broken down and Mr..
pump should be useless.
Then there is the fihreware company's
pump which could afford splendid
fire pressure By closing the valves
on streets outside.of the district where
the fire was, the pressure would be
still further increased. There is no
city in the country where there is so
ample and magnificent fire protection
In case the city pump should break
down, the reservoir would at once be
closed and 100000 gallons of water
there would be available, affording all
the pressure that is now applied to
the mains. This is as much as the
city pump can supply in sixteen hours,
and not even the worst fire will last
half that long, so that without any
pump the city is well protected. What
more could be asked in the way of fire
MankatO is indeed for
tunate in having so splendid system,
and the underwriters recognize it and
are satisfied. If we delude ourselves
into the belief that we are not suf-
ficeutly protected, the insurance com
panies will be quick to take advant-
age of our emotional insanity to raise
their rates and profit themselves.
If the city was in proper financial
to make the expendi-
ture, there would be no very great
objection to the purchase Of another
pump, in order to render the city in
dependent of private pumps. But it
should be borne in mind that the
lnds collected last spring and sum-
mer are all expended and that the
city has again begun to borrow, and is
already paying heavy interest on
$1,000. The money market is con-
tracted and the city cannot borrow as
much as it could in past years. Bonds
cannot be given in payment for the
pump or issued in any manner without
4 vote of the people, and the people
are not at present Of disposition to
add to their burdens. So where is
the $4,000 or $4,000 needed for
pump to come from?
Let us not forget that one year
from this present month $4,000 of
railroad bonds fall due. These bear
seven per cent. interest, or S., $40 an
nuallY.A portion of these should be
redeemed and the remainder relocated
at five per cent. or less, thus making
a considerable annual saving to the
city. If our finances present CYCLIC
nic aspect there will be difficulty in
floating these bonds at any rate Of in
tereSt For a wear to come all I'M