Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-04-28
LoNDoN's FIRE FIGHTERS.
The Brigade Greatly Favored by Nature
and the Building Laws.


and the Building Laws.
The London fire brigade is great
" favored by nature and the build
ing ordinance "A humid atmosphere
does not inspire a fire toits most in
slant and splendid exploits, and
stone, brick and tiled edifices are
rather tenacious of life. Therefore
it may be said that London fires are
slow burning, and for that reason
the deliberately acting fire brigade
is enabled to keep up its reputation
for efficiency, which seems to be
governed less by desire to extin-
guish flames than by purpose to
keep them from spreading. That
which is particularly lamentable is
the extraordinary peril to life occu-
pants of a burning structure have to
encounter in their efforts to escape.
In two instances within a year that
came under my own observation the
buildings were of three stories, re-
spectively, SO substantially built of
brick that the four walls of each
were left intact, though everything
between them was consumed. In
each case four persons were burned
to death because the narrow stair
case, the only avenue of escape, was
shut off, and the fire brigade was
too late in getting its ladders into
service. / don't believe there is ever
the saving of life by means of those
Ncanvas receivers which in the Unit
ed States enable persons hemmed in
to leap from windows. And as for
fire escapes attached to lofty build
ings, London is without evidence of
their existence.
Within the county limits of Lon
don, some rs. 442 statute acres, there
is a population of, in round num-
bers, 4, 500, 900 To fire guard the i'm
mense territory there is a brigade
of S42 firemen, 25 men under in
struction. Il pilots and 76 coachmen.
There are So land fire coachmen
There are So land fire engine sta
tions, 5 river stations, 3 substations,
Is street stations, 81 land steam fire
engines, 9 steam fire engines on
barges, ~ manual engines, 115 hose
carts, 81 miles of hose, S steam tugs,
13 barges, 246 fire escapes and $50
call posts. The average number of
men available for duty is $50 by
day and 3S8 by night.
In the majority of London houses
there is but one stairway, and that
narrow one. There is no emergen-
ey exit or escape, and the thought
OF provision to insure safety in the
event of a fire seems never to have
entered the mind of builder That
the fire escapes furnished at the
eleventh hour by the fremen are to
large extent mockeries is proved
by the proportion of 100 fatalities
to 122 serious fires. An economic
conservatism is largely contri butory
to the gfre risks of London, where a
cheap mineral oil is chiefly used in
lighting Lamps are III common use
where a brighter illumination than
candles afford is desired. There is a
pretense of gas inmost of the better
sort of houses, but mineral Oil lamps
predominant even there, and in the
great majority of lodging houses
gas is used only on the drawing
room and dining room floors. Elec-
tric lights are coming into service
very slowly, and only at that rate
because Of the growing influence
of Americanism But candles and
lamps are still the main opponents
of darkness in London houses, as
throughout the rest of England
Their utility.in support of the fire
brigade or in supplying it with rea
son for existence is considerab bic
when weighed against other causes
of fires. Out of the total 3. GIG fires
candles may claim the credit for
206 and mineral oil lamps 800 among
ascertained causes, and probably a
fair proportion of the $50 ''un-
known causes. Chicago Times
Herald