The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-01-04

pressing Deinahu'
- ..u,vcroN, Jan. Especial. l-unoie
o.m like many other persons Is So'no
' aa,n, altogether too oconomicai. he savoS
','D tbo vonthole and loses at the spigo''
al Wv tbe attention of congress Is being
JuS' nt serious danger which menaces
a.. .Ss Great government buildings IN 'nis
'u The people of the United states navo
,.re.tod in palatial structures In TINS cap
in,'' "ometbine like $4,000, 900. These
i'' at buildings, such as the capitol, the
pu sauoI library the patent office, the post
Ds,oo the war; state and navy pul'a'ne'
I'M .ha treasury the national museum, tho
S sDO institution, and many oehers'
oin records and collections OF meal
'o,ahle value. 1t would seem that IL any
o ,.~ a. the United States is to have ample
ivy "wS,act;on against fire 1t should be the ma
tlonal capital
Narrow Escape.
tov nights ago fire broke out In the
..n,or If Washington but block from
w. treasury and the department. or Justice.
,.wos In n furniture house, and, or course,
IL a fierce. quick conflagration. spec
.ntOrs were amazed at the slowness OF the
s @s' dorartment 1t seemed ages before
stream was playing upon the blaze. finai-
10 one hose nozzle was aimed at the nre'
and Il was long time before there was
another. Meanwhile surrounding build
,nSs were taking fire, and there was seri-
ous danger of general conhagration.
Tortnnately there was no wind, and after
an bonr's fight the flremen succeeded In
conNnine the blaze to the building In
which IL had started. II there had been
bich wind blowing toward the treasury,
Il might have been impossible TO save that
great building from destruction.
As usual in such cases, people were quick
10 criticise the fire department for It's slow
work But when the facts were learned
all blame was taken from the fire fighters
and put upon congress 1t CHANGED that
there were three alarms almost smultane-
ously that night. They were in widely
separated parts Of the city, and they drew
the engines away from the point OF danger.
Before they could be returned to help the
two or three engines which were held In
reserve in the central part OF the town, and
which were early upon the scene, the lire
had secured great Roadway. Now it turns
out that Washington has poorer fire
equipment than any other city of equal
size in the country.
have before called attention to the par
simony Of congress In permitting this ma
tiOnal capital 20 go along with only ten
engine companies, and l am glad TO have
this opportunity again to press upon con-
gress the necessity which exists for increas-
ing the fire fighting machinery of Wash
ington 1t must be remembered that in
comparison with its population the ma
tional capital covers a greater area than
most cities
Few Comparisons.
Washington covers about 40 square miles
of ground, not including the outlying sub
urbs which depend upon the city fire de-
partment for protection. New York COW
ers only 90 miles, Cincinnati only 35 and
Pittsburg only 2S. 1t is almost incredible
that there are only ten engine companies
protect all this great city from the de-
structiyeness of fire. have had talk on
this subject with Chief Paris of the local
IRE department, in which he gives some
very interesting figures concerning the fire
nghtlng forces of various cities.
Our fire department. is altogether too
small, said Chief Paris, land / live in
constant dread lest conflagration get into
some of the big public buildings. do not
know what we could do in case great
nre were to sweep the flames into such
uuiiuings as the treasury, the war; state
anu navy building and other government
departments. We have not sufficient
iofce OF men to cope with such an affair,
nor engines nor appliances enough. 1 am
AFRAID The loss would be very heavy. Then
'nere would be great cutlery. and we
should have big appropriation for new
Engines, but that would be locking the
uoor after the horse was stolen.
our lire department consists of 16e
members, with 10 engine companies, 4
nOVA ana ladder companies and two chem
"ais, ana there are 1,757 fire plugs scat
wicu throughout the city. Comparing
this force with other cities. we find that
w., so nave scarcely more than half the facili
s, .s 'naS are given elsewhere to cope with
"' u.s. our population Is nearly 100000.
a., Al New Orleans, for instance, where
%o population Is gag 900, there are % en-
emV companies, hook and ladder com.
, ,l ana y chemicals. with 273 men on
, Io force. In Pittsburg, with popula.
nj u VI 900, there are 10 engine com.
as' nook and ladder companies, {
."ehicals and 239 men, In Buffalo, with
o,I population of 255, 900, there are 23 on
ooin panies hook and ladder com.
ttanes, chemicals, with the additional
ba O.. OF one water tower and one fire
OOat with 245 men,
Humiliating Facts.
Ooa Oe.rolt' with population of only eos,
o v, mas lire department. with 800 men
ana s1 ia5, In 20 engine companies, 10 hool
wat. .'uuer companies, chemicals, with
ah"D o. tower and fireboat. This force 1.
toD twice as strong as that in Washing
tro,.,N where the population exceeds De
onlv o., milwaukee,, with population o.
bocy, Sof'VOO, has 10 engine companies.
with anu ladder companies, chemicals
NOV water tower and flreboat and 25;
OOO no Even Minneapolis, with only 1884,
" tut equation, has fire department near
invton as a. strong as that existing In Wash
and I Ia IL has Is engine companies, 8 hool
men 'uuer companies, chemicals and 26,
latIon % raul, with only 1873, 900 popu
noa on but little more than one. haif IN,
90 mo. OF Washington, has force O
IL snn' men than we have, organized IN
comnas' companies, 10 hook and laddc
sanpahes and 4 cbem,cais T.., 90.