The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-09
Steamboats, VS.. Fires.

There seems to be misconception Ito
put it mildly with regard especially
to wharf front fires, and the
latest vagary in this line is the
claim that steam fire yacht is the
sovereign prophylactic for driving off such
evils.
For this boat there will be required as
original cost not less than sos, 900 or $50.
600, and a further and annual outlay of
50 ,020 to 1000, if kept fully manned aud
equipped for instant and constant ser
vice. Is it not pertinent for the people To
ask, whence the necessity for this, costly
toyl And also whether the appliances
already available are being fully and skill
fully utiliZedl
1t can be seen by reference to municipal
records for 1872 that the city then pro
vided ''reducer" couplings for all the har-
Dor tow boats, in ordsr that the DEPART
ment hose might be readily connected
with these boats in case of wharf fires
AT the same time it was generally forbid
den to station a fire engine under the
bluff it being then n needless peril to life
and property, and the engine being al
ways more effective on the Bay level, be-
cause it is obviously much more easy to
throw water down than to force it up.
Since that time several large and com
plete tugs have been added to the feet,
and there are now q half dozen
boats fully equipped with the most pow
erful pumps, and standard connections
adapted to our fire hose.
Two or more of these boats are at all
times within call-they have been, and
are now ready and willing and able to
cope with any fire that has broken out
along our wharf front, so far as an album
dance of water supply is concerned, but
= i,
leading hose or men to manage II, al.
though the department can make con
nection with the boat as readily as with a
fire engine and thus control a never-fail-
ing supply of water. Strange to say, not
only is this fact ignored, but when these
boats report and tender service the
offer is invariably and CURLY refused,
and the boats ordered off the scene, by
those in authority-this fact alone d.
rectly contradicts the alleged need for
any other boat service.
AS matter of fact, shown by the state
of things now on the wharf, and also by
the willing testimony of the Wilcox Il
Gibbs Co., these boats alone although ig-
nored and refused connection by the fire
men, saved the machinery and most of
the wharf factory of the Wilcox g. Gibbs
Co.. and the towing company stand pre-
pared to show most conclusively their
pOffCi dLh LOhullbob W 10 DIS HUGH anu
more in any similar case, when fire may
occur under the bluff.
This writer claiming to know some
what whereof he writes, maintains that
the appliances at present available for
fire service, are fully adequate to this
city's needs if only it be skillfully and in
telligently operated. Now comes the
query, has this been done2
There are hundreds of good individual
workers, or fighters, where there can be
found one man specially qualified and
fitted to combine and direct properly the
| powers of these hundreds. 10 manage
the vast capacities of a steam fire service
calls for degree of skill and training
and intellect fully equal to that re
quired TO properly direct artillery, cavalry
or infantry in actual warfare
Yet it is a significant fact, that while a
| long mental and manual training. under
the best masters is deemed necessary to
| fit men for work of destruction, there
| prevails a dogberry notion that the
ability, skill and other essentials for pro.
| lection comes by nature. Until we can
recognize and act upon this fact that as
much ability and intellect is required in
a contest with the element of fire as in a
contest with human beings, it will be
entirely useless to multiply our machin-
cry. FACT.