The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-25
IONDoN'S FIRE SERVICE.
MANY REASONS WIZ 1T rs LESS
EFFICIEYT THAN OURS.

ANAN hhA" ShN1 N"aN fN"N wv '
Works. Fire Losses Lever Than Lond"n's.
The population Of the city of London is a little
more than two and a half times greater than tho
population Of tho present city Of New York.
New York's population. officially stated, is now
2,O00,O 900; London's population is 5000, 900. In
respect of area, OF course. London is very much
larger than New York and the number OF houses
II very much greater.
whether for this reason or for some other. !
whether on account Of the method Of house con.
struction or on account OF tho materials used
for that purpose. It 10 a fact that the number Of !
aro alarms in n year In London is actually very
much smaller than In New York. The average
number Of FIRE alarms in London, according to
the last report OF the London Fire Department,
II $500 in q year, whereas the lumber OF fire
alarms last year in New York was 4.377. The
system of communicating notice OF fires differs
very much in the two cities. In London there isa
system Of electric apparatus, boxes at intervals
about the streets where an alarm may be turned
in, but there are fewer than 300 for the whole
city. In New York there arc more than 1900.
Here any citizen can turn In an alarm. There
some Of the alarm boxes have keys; some have
glass fronts that must be broken before an alarm
can 60. An alarm being turned In there, 1t goes to
tho nearest station or engine house. Only that
company turns out and goes to tho scene.
Thero 10 no such thing as ringing q second or a
third alarm from the nearest fire alarm box.
Tho glaring inferiority of the London Fire
Department to the New York Fire Depart
ment was shown on Friday afternoon, when,
after raging for five hours and destroying
millions Of dollars Of property, the FIRE was
finally extinguished only whom the
material within reach OF the flames had been
noarly exhausted.
London has 200 hremen; New York has Tor
had at tho date Of tho last annual report) 1.465.
London pays its flremen So q week; New York
pays its foremen 50. 16O o year. assistant fore
men $1,000. engineers 81, 600, and fremen
$1,000, 81. 200. and 81, 400. according to grade
based on length of service. London expends
for its fre department in q year 800, OOO;N New
York expends 81, 100, 900. The London Fire
Department uses on an average 20, O0O.0 900 gal
lonp Of water . year; last year tho city Of New
York used for its fire service 45.00o,0 900 gal
Ions, about one-third from the rivers.
Tho insuflciency Of the London alarm system
q aggravated by the fact that London has only
About one-tenth as much telegraph service as
New York for communicating alarms of fire.
Tho essential difference between the fire de-
partments OF the two cities may DO stated thus:
The theory OF London 1remen is that when an
alarm Ii sounded, after all delays and obstacles
are overcome, it will not amount to much, and
that, presumably, ono fro engine company can
oxtinguish 1t. About fve minut"s' time. on tho
r. H,e I1sSsi rs lost %S in gSs ssi sn the in sng msli start tSs
necessary preparations to respond to the call;
II. as generally happens, the fire call responded
fire 10 extinguished and the company returns.
II. however. tho fire proves to be a serious one.
for the assistance of other companies, and In the
meanwhile the flames are spreading and gaining
In New York tho theory Of fire fighters is
Numerically different. Here the notion is that
sSsny n saar and p as sr every is % oSser l1KslE New SG Se is5lGss
has had frequent occasion to remark, the burn
e or the 4 ignitine' Of wood or paper az produ uaat a:
much commotion at the outset as could q Chi.
csago or 2 Boston CONFEDERATION. The engines. all
After e delay Of 9 few seconds only: and IN the
patrols, and hose wagons seem to gather as If
6y magic, with the result that; while the precau.
need. the dangers Of tho fire gaining any head
fires in a year in New FORK than there are in
london, a city having more than twice as many
houses. the losses BY fire in this city are much
loss than they are in a year In London. The
fires Occurring there is $4,000 900. whereas the
average loss from fires in the city OF New York
Il ha so Sss sm so stsr ID so ssSu ss.sS g .6 5Sss EF SSsss s ,aas
!; sSGus ssS95: yHe sSS the average loss from hrss
tween the service Of the London Fire Depart
added that New York has more ehisIent nre-
men than aon MSIo, can 1ot boast 1T, Of. r.1 This to- t. q
hEsmsn,; though Nc qouP T. that hat, n may have
before tho establishment of the present New
York Fire Department tho putting out of fires
lie iio- SaT eife cit dssH'. and fraa re seTSiso q hsPe R SaS.
thSEsfoF re- been ~ ,1 rather srrv E mater Wp.r of .h public dIS
FIRE De sPaa p was GisSSnded in MIS- 1865 spE many my
Of the volunteer firemen were enlisted in the
1 nSw fss ersditIonis so of m shey carried Sears' 4 in soo sh 9s ssT;
of the newly, enlisted fremen. too, were brave
ever since. and no city department. perhaps.
matio characteristics Of Englishmen, in
were originally trained as sailors: and
It is a matter OF common observation
the New York hremen unrivalled, and distin-
guish Americans generally. are absent from the
not be said to lose their heads in an emergency,
T. is at least true that n the hour Of critical
dln : an ch sracs Psrt t the q Tuoit,tu Of dor ses
determination which is useful at the windlass,
but Ito Of I very little &c. ACCENT oafSt : at F 2 fire hr,r.do a.. :.
10 called officially, consists Of sixty.cight en-
glnes of various sizes and primitive styles. 100
p panic eAE New Y tsf 500 out eit" e de Sf tsiiH @ morn,
elaborate. consisting of s~ixty-six fire engines,
Bixty.nine hose carriages, twenty.eight hook
and ladder trucks, and five water towers. exclu-
Bive of the fire boats. London has five fire boats,
or rather i've boats upon which there are fire
engines. but the movement of these boats
Is not marked with any unusual celebrity
even in time of great danger, and 1t has
sometimes happened that an ordinary
London fire on the water front has been
extinguished before the arrival of the fire boat
and a half an hour or more before the engine ap-
paratus was in shape for use. In New York fire
boats arc constructed with reference to prompt
service. though the dangers to shipping are
much less here than they are in London. and it
is a somewhat remarkable fact that fires on
chips, boats and steamers In this city, notwith-
standing the enormOu maritime trade In New
York, are very rare indeed. In London they arc
frequent.
II should be said, perhaps, In part justification
OF the London system. that a fire in the English
metropolis Is less likely 10 spread with rapidity
and entail loss of life than Is the case here. The
population OF London is less compact than that
OF New York; the houses are not SO high; the
means of egrcss. il not more numerous. are less
likely to shut off the escape of residents. and
casualties are of rare occurrence at fires. This