St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-02

Fire Department. Committee
and Representatives OF the
Board OF Underwriters The
Insurance Men Want Salvage
Corps.
There is movement on foot to estab-
Hsh all insurance patrol, or salvage
corps, to cooperate with the fire depart
ment in rescuing goods from burning
buildings. All of the large cities have
an Insurance patrol, which is MAIN
tanned by the insurance companies.
The patrol force is equipped with GER
tain apparatus ladders, wagons, etc.
/ and is composed Of experienced firemen,
who make it their business to save all
goods they can from damage by fire or
water. AS result of the reduced prop
erty loss. the insurance companies
lessen their rates.
Yesterday afternoon the council fire
department committee held a lengthy
conference with the special committee
OF the Minneapolis Underwriters as
ISOLATION. The committee consisted of
Fred Wagner, chairman, G. B. Shove
and Jacob Stone. Mr.. Wagner stated
to the fire department. committee that
the insurance men understood that some
action had already been taken by the
city council towards making arrange
ments for the establishment of a salvage
corps. Aid. Lackey. chairman of the
no truth in the report The insurance
men then unfulded their scheme.
1t consisted of q proposition that the
city eXpend enough mouey-say $1,000
TO provide tarpauiins and other apparel
necessary to fremen, and the insurance
companies would employ the men and
maintain the salvage department or
insurance patrol. There is money in
the state treasury belonging to the Min.
neapoliS fire department. 1t amounts
TO over $1,000. and represents the per
cent retallatOry tax collected from Wis
consin Insurance companies on pre-
miums received. from Minneapolis prop
erty owners. This money, it is claimed,
could easily be spared.
The IRE department committee did
not embrace the proposition very heart
lily. Aid. Rand said that the charter
gave the council no authority to create
any department to cooperate with the
fire department. The insurance men
dWelt upon tue need of a salvage corps
III minneapolis, and asserted that it
would result IL reducing the Insurance
rates three-tenths of per cent.
The conversation then turned npon
the use of automatic tsprinklers in
factories and other buildings. MIR.
Shove criticised Registrar Moody for
putting i'll water meters between the
mains and the automatic sprinklers,
which only operated in case Of fire.
Aid. Harvey said that he had heard
that Mr.. Moody did this because in
some of the factories the pipes leading
to the sprinklers had been tapped. Mr..
Shove said that was impossible, and
explained why. Mr.. Shove and Mr..
Wagner both cited numerous instances
where the sprlnklers bad eXtinguished
fires. or materially lesSened the dam
ages by their prompt action.
The underwriters committee then
left, with the understanding that the
fire department committee would inves-
tigate the matter and make some report
to the council.
The council committee remained in
session for some time afterwards dis
cuSSing the matter of purchasing horses
for the fire department, and finally de-
clded 10 advertise for horses between six
and seven years old and between l 400
and l,500 pounds i'll weight. There was
blief discussion over the recent test
or nose, which resulted III victory Tor
the -Four Ace hose OF the Revere Rub
! Der company. Aid. Lackey read COM
munication from w. 5. Mott company,
! insisting that the test was not a fair
one, because the specimen of their hose
. tested was chafed and cut, and offering
to test new hose with the Revere CON-
pany. Aid. Harvey objected to any
further test by the council, and re-
/ marked:
"These hose companies are simply
playing horse with this committee and
the council. The council gave the test
and did the So uare thing. 1t has other
business on hand than to fiddle with
this matter.''
Then the committee adjourned.