The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-25
HAS MANY OBJECTIONS
Chief Flannery Not Enthusiastic
Over Moving the Fire Station.
WOULD BE TAKING A RISK
Time Is of the Utmost Consequence in
Fighting a Fire-The Fire Station
Should Not Be Moved OF
From Broadway.

Fire Chief F'Iannery is not enthusiast
tic over the plan outlined in yesterdays
Standard of moving the central fire sta
tion from the city hall to Quartz street
He was asked by a Standard reporter
yesterday whether the proposed change
would not be beneficial, but he did not
think IL would.
"Of COURSE" said the chief, Our pres
ent quarters are as bad as can well be
and the city hall is of. all places the
least adapted for the headquarters or
the fire department We could undoupt-
eddy have much better quarters in the
proposed new building on Quartz street,
and that would be pleasant But L
don't think the change desirable from
the standpoint of a fireman. l don't
agree in the opinion that the business
part of town could be covered as well,
or better by having the central station
at Quartz street as in the city hall.
The most important thing in dealing
with fire is CELEBRITY. BY having Two
fire stations in the business section, as
at present, the apparatus from one sta
ton or the other viii reach any fire in
the business center very quickly. liz the
fire Is in the upper part or town the
Quartz street firemen viii gel there
first and then the firemen from the CEN
trail station will reinforce them. If the
fire is in the lower part of the business
center, the city hall firemen will reach
ii first and the Quartz street firemen
reinforce them. If all the fire apparatus
were at Quartz street. fires on Broad
way or Park could not be reached near
ly as soon as they are at present.
minute of time or a block Of distance is
OF priceless value in dealing with fire.
Take the fire in the Boston store for
example. The city hall firemen got
there a full minute before the Quartz
street fremen who were three blocks
r.,. RRt 1lxr %
that one minute of time was all that
prevented a terrible confiagratton IN
Butte. The fire got a big Roadway as
il was and had all our apparatus been
at Quartz srteet, | think the fire would
have gotten beyond control before we
could have reached IL.
Another objection to making cen
trail station on Quartz street, is that by
having all the apparatus in one station
fires could not be responded 10 so
quickly. The drivers of the different
fire wagons would be likely to interfere
with each other and would have to wait
for each other in getting out Of the sta
ton and could not make as fast time
as they do when unimpeded. A few
seconds are aWfully important in IRE.
II would like to see the fire depart
ment moved from the city hall, but
would not want to see it moved off
Broadway for a fire hall but would
rather stay in the city hall than move
up To Quartz street. One advantage OF
the present location is that we are as
close as possible to the Butte hotel. In
case of fire breaking out in the Butte
hotel nothing could prevent a terrible
conflagration unless we could catch the
fire in its incipiency, There is not ire
escape in the building and nothing to
prevent the fire from spreading rapidly.
Being so close, we might catch the ire
and stop it before 1t had gone too far.
We could do nothing with it after 1t
was well started and If we were at
Quartz street a fire in the Butte motel
would gain tremendous start before
we could reach 1t.
Another fire station on East Park
street would be of no benefit in such a
| case. for the apparatus would have TO
! be pulled up hill one block and could
! not reach a Broadway fire any quicker
| than could the Quartz street apparatus
! | would not want to see Broadway left
without a fire station.
\ Another reason why ] would be OPP
/ posed 10 moving the central station to
! Quartz street is that four-tifths ot all
| the fires in Butte occur on the east side
| of Main street For that reason the
! central fire station should be little
| east of Main as il is at present, Instead
| of west of Main, as 1t would be at the
/ Quartz street station. y block Is big
/ distance When you are trying TO catch
| a fire in its incipiency
| Butte mas DEen very lucky III TIT
| matter of fires. but II must not expect
| TO be always SO fortunate. We never
| had but one really big fire. and that
| was the great fire of 1889. Although
| the present department has been very
| fortunate in putting out fires with very
| little damage we cant expect our good
| fortune To continue always and ! think
! il should be understood that our de-
| partment is not strong enough to cope
! with a big fire should one get under
I way. Spokane only has about 81 .00Q
! population. and il has 40 hremen. But
| they were powerless to cope with the
| fire i'm the Great Eastern block. What
| then could he expected of our II men
Il never respond TO an alarm OF fire
! from South Butte without terrible anXi-
| ETY.. Suppose while we are AZ work al
South Butte there should be an alarm
! for fire ia the Butte hotel or some
other place IN the business center. II
would he utterly impossible TO drag til,
| apparatus ZIP the hin soon enough To III
of any service. We leave up town Il
hose cart and three men, but they could
do very little towards handling q fir
SO lucky that we have never had TIVE
fires at the same time But other cities
nave them. and we must expect Butte
la have two fires at once some time. VT
are not prepared TO cope with such q
contingency.
See John Tassells show window fol
L.. ..l,.a NlNFS