The record-union., 1898-08-04
WRETCHED WATER SERVICE.
HOUSES BURNED THAT MIGHT
HAVE BEEN SAVED.
Had There Been Water - Anti
uuated Alarm Service Causes
Confusion.

About Z o'clock last evening IRE
started in the basement Of the cottage
owned by Mrs. Mary Joseph, 2oI9 Z
street, and, owing to confusion In turn
ing in the alarm, and to deploraple
scarcity of water in the mains, a1ter
the fire engines finalyl did arrive that
building and the large two-story resi-
dence adjoining, owned by James i.
Leary, were burned to the ground
Three alarms were turned in, the first
from box "a, at Twenty-fifth and y
streets, the second almost Immediately
afterward, from box II, at the Buffalo
Brewery and the third again from Oh,
which was mistaken for .. AS result
the firemen were confused, and 1t was
nearly a quarter of an hour before the
first engine arrived on the ground.
When a line of hose was finally at
tached to the nearest fire plug 1t was
found that the pressure, although regis
tering 80 pounds at the city water
works, was not sufficient to throw
stream to the top Of the low buildings
For the first few minutes it scarcely
filled the hose, and after the fire had
been in progress a half-hou the stream
would not at times ascend more than
three feet.
Had water in any considerable guam
tity been available the fire would have
done no more than scorch the paint on
Mr.. Leary's residence. AS it was, there
was nothing to prevent the spread OF
the flames, and both buildings We're de-
stroyed 1t was not until it had been
completely gutted and the roof had
fallen in that a stream of any conse-
quence was to be had and had the
wind been blowing from the east, or
from the west, instead of from the
south, every building on the block from
the point of starting would have been
wiped out of existence.
Mrs. Joseph, with two small children,
occupied the lower story, where the fire
caught it's origin being a myS-
terry. r. E. Looney and wife occu-
pied the upper portion of the Joseph
house, and the entire lower story was in
flames before they knew it. Mrs. Loo
ney attempted to get a stream on the
flames from a garden hose, but was
driven back by the heat. Mr.. and Mrs.
Looney succeeded in saving some Of
their furniture and clothing, but the
most of it went up in the flames. Ao-
solutely nothing was saved from the
lower story, occupied by Mrs. Joseph.
Mr.. Leary and family are spending
the summer at Santa Cruz, and the res
idence was being looked after by Har-
ley Jeffords, an employe of Hall, Luhrs
& Co. Mr.. Jeffords and family occu-
pied the lower portion of the house, and
the greater part of his furniture, as
we'll as that belonging to the Learys,
was saved by the prompt action of the
neighbors.
Mrs. Joseph's property was insured
for 5000, which will not cover the loss.
Mr.. Learys house was also insured,
but the amount could not be ascertain
ed. The building was worth at least
$4,000.
Chief Guthrie said, relative to the
fire, that the alarm came just at supper
time for a portion Of the men, and too
many We're away to supper at one time.
Second, the box was counted wrong,
and the Nineteenth-street engine went
scurrying downtown, when it should
have gone uptown. The Chief says
that such mistakes may occur; that he
has had them happen with himself.
Our alarm system. he said, has no
register method, as it should have.
That system all leading towns now
have. Under it the firemen do not have
to rely upon the stroke Of the gong, but
the box sent in is indicated to the
sight as well as struck on the gong.
Again, some smart person sent in a
second alarm, just after the first was
sounded, and that confused the men.
1T was very wrong" said the Chief
1T was supposed I sent it in as gen.
eral alarm, when the truth is did not
have water enough for the hose / had
on. All hands and the cook were irri-
eating, and evidently very few shut off
when the alarm was sounded. That
plan is a good one If you want TO see
your neighbor's house burn up
The Chief says that until after the
second house was half burned he could
not get more than five pounds pressure,
which gave the pipemen only tiny
stream. Then, too, the pipe system
is laid wrong. It grows smaller as the
lines extend, so there is constant pump
ing against cushion, and the farther
east a fire is the worse the pressure
and thegreater the friction, as any one
can understand who attempts to force
a large body of water through a small
aperture at the end of a steadily dimin-