El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-12-30
THE REAL COSTS.
SOME FIGURES TAX
EN- FROM RELIABLE SOURCES.
Figures That Talk Show What it Will
Cost to Maintain q Paid Fire De-
partment in Ell PasO.-I ct the
People Know the Facts.

The HERALD has no desire what
ever to cast any reflection on the citi-
zens committee appointed by the city
council as steering committee for the
coming year. The personnel of the COM
mittee is made up OF some OF the best
business men of the city, but the cues
ton at issue is one of vital importance
and one in which every tax payer is
vitality interested. Taking this into
consideration this paper has tried to
furnish facts aud figures to the public
to convince them that the committee
was either led astray in their report on
the cost of q paid fire department, or
d d not go deep enough in the matter
to find out the real facts For this
reason this paper has produced several
inter views on the matter and today
gives the statement of Frank Powers,
ex-chief of the fire department, tax
payer and q man of business ability.
To HERALD reporter this morning
Mr.. Powers said:
''Of course, do not think that ten
men would give Ell Paso AN efficient
fire department. 1 know from exper-
fence that ten men could not possibly
do the work at Q fire. In the first
place the department. has now six men
and every ore of them is now and
would be required at their present sta
tions if the department. is made paid
affair. If q chemical engine was pur-
chased it would take one more driver
and if an electric fire alarm system
were adopted it would take an cleo
triciau. Or in other words, the de-
partment would be composed as fol-
lows: Four drivers, one engineer, one
electrician, one tillerman and one jan
itor, making eight in all. These eight
men would be employed SO that they
could not assist at fire outside OF
their regular positions and With the
committees estimate as to the number
of firemen required it would only leave
three men and the chief to fight the
fire and no sane man can possibly be-
lieve that there is any three men that
could do this. I estimate that it would
take at least twenty paid men to han
die the apparatus and fight fire of
any consequence, divided up as follows:
Seven men on hook and ladder truck.
five men on hose wagon, three men on
chemical engine, two men on steamer,
one electrician, one janitor and one
chief. The cost would be about as fol-
lows per month:
10 fremen at $50 per month. 81 140
l chief. 100
Horse feed 80
Total per month. ................ 81 $3.50
4hto 10 O NC' J. INV SSOi" QUO Ouo
would amount to SIS 800 per year out
side of incidental expenses in the fire
department W hich will 60 On continual
ly whether the department is a psid
ore or volunteer. The committee
est mated the cost at S11 ,442 so you can
see the difference and the committee
figure in all the incidental expenses.
snow about the cost OF adding a
chemical engine and fl e electric ala m
system. The committee recOmm end ed
hat $500 be appropriated for that
purpose, but it will cost double that
amount before the proposed addition
could be completed. This cost would
be about as follows and I have figured
it out several times:
One chemical engine. 80. 81 800
Two horses ............... 300
Set OF harness. 13O
Hose, chemicals etc ,........... 500
IOtal. .-...... '..~E, 4oO
Fire electric alarm system. ..... 1000
grand to'al. SO 400
Now there is no doubt but that with |
these additions to the dep rtment it
would be as good rs any department in |
The state if enough men are employed !
to handle it, but will the tax payers !
stand the extra expense. It has been
proven that q chemical engine Is the /
most useful apparatus In the fire de- |!
partment ct the present time. The
chief of thu fra GoOArtmeBk in