Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-10
A VERY FINE DISPLAY
INSPECTION OF THE FIRE DEPART
NEWT A GREAT SUCCESS.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITNESSED 1T.
Two Practical Demonstrations Much
Enjoyed -MedaI for Conspicuous
Bravery Presented 80 Captain o. f..
Wise.
Wise.

inc annual inspection, NnlCn look place
/ yesterday afternoon. was a success from
every point Of view. The department made
/ a splendid showing. and the closest ex-
| animation by the eminen,ly practical
members OF the Board OF Commissioners
/ failed to discover any spot or flaw. The
/ horses were all in fine condition, and the
| apparatus as bright and clean as the pro-
verbal new pin.
/ The streets were crowded with people,
| and ropes were stretched on either side
/ Of Broad street from Ninth to Eleventh,
/ to keep the multitude from interfering
with the inspection. In the enclosure, be.
/ sides the fire commissioners, were Mayor
| Taylor; President Caskie, Of the Council,
! Commonwealth s-AttOrney Richardson,
/ Judge Minor. and many other prominent
/ city officials. with Major \. V. Randolph
! president of the Virginia State Insurance
/ Company; Mr.. Mann s. Quares, Of rhe
| virginia Trust Company. and representa-
/ tives of various insurance companies ana
| financial institutions.
! WITNESSED BY A GREAT CROWD.
The crowd was as long suffering as it
was enthusiastic. and though the streets
were lined with people long before 3
| o'clock, the hour set for the inspection,
| 1t dwindled not at all as the time length
| ened. and no explanation of the delay
| was vouchsG fed
| 1t was after 800 o'clock when the COM
| missioners started down the line of steam
! ers, examining each one carefully, TO see
| If the least trace of dirt or wear and tear
was upon it. The hose wagons, chemical
wagons, and combination each came in
for critical inspection, and the only fault
/ registered was that one driver had not
| cleaned his harness thoroughly, and il
| left a mark upon the white horse he
| drove. The horses came in for large
share of admiration at the hands of the
/ crowd of onlcokers, and they were seen
| TO excellent advantage in the gallop past.
| The reviewing stand was by the Side OF
! some huge dry-goods boxes, which were
| filed with excelsior, branches Of trees
ana other inflammable material. all satu-
rated with kerosene oil, with incidentally
a few fireworks thrown in to make mat
tiers more interesting.
FIRE QUICKLY PUT OUT.
This weird and ill-smelling combination.
} standing some six feet high and ten feet
| wide was situated almost in front of the
| Broad-street engine house. Soon after
! the department had driven by at the gar
| op, and dispersed a torch was applied,
! and in a few seconds the whole thing WAS
a mass of flames. An alarm was sent ia
| to Engine Company, No. g. and the com
bination chemical wagon came thunder
! ing down Broad street from the Brook
avenue house. BY the time it reached
! the Broad-street house. however the
queer structure seemed in a hopeless
condition, but almost as quickly as the
| blaze had started ii was subdued, and
| very soon there was not even spark
| to be seen in all the blackened outline OF
| the wooden cases.
The next feature of the inspection was
an exhibition of water throwing by
Steamer, No. 3, a very handsome second
size La France engine. The pressure Of
water was very light at the time of this
! exhibition. but despite this fact, stream
| was sent through an inch and a quarter
| nozzle about $50 feet up the side OF the
! City Hall tower.
| This achievement was loudly cheered,
| and though ii was not quite so high as
| last year, when a stream was sent clear
over the tower-a distance of $50 feet
the conditions were distinctly less favor
| able.
THE MEDAL is PRESENTED.
The commissioners then adjourned TO the
! board-room i'm the City Hail. where the
| presentation of the medal for conspicuous
! bravery took place. All the firemen who
could be spared from the different COM
panies were present, as also were
number of prominent citizens.
The president, Captain John Frischkor1 I,
| in calling the meeting TO order, con-
graduated the department in enthusiasts
tic terms upon the unqualified success ot
| the INSPECTION. Abiding to the cause OF
the gathering. he spoke in compliment
tary terms of the Virginia state lnsu-
rance Company which had made 1t posi-
! BILE to sgnalize conspicuous acts OF gal
lantry at fires. There were several men
I'm the department he said, TO whom that
medal might be awarded but no one de
| served it more than Captain o. F. Wise,
| of Company No. 4. He spoke in this
! connection of a fireman belonging 10 Com
! pany No. T. who had put out a hre al
| most single handed though he was seri-
| ously hurt by the bursting Of a chemical
extinguisher.
! Mr.. Joseph Levy who had been CHOSEN
to make the presentation, referred N
Passing. to the generosity OF the com
pany which gave the medal each year
| He smoke i'm highest terms OF the achieve
rents Of CAPTAIN Wise. and remarked the
! singularity of awards being made last
| wear and this for bravery displayed while
| lighting flames in churches. In handlhs
he medal TO Captain Wise he expressed
! The hone that ii would be worn to the
greater credit of the Captain and OF the
| department wi
In accepting the medal Captain Wise
! detailed the circumstances Of the fire al
81 Peters Cathedral, which the medal
| arves 10 cornmemoTate-Of his accident
! before be fell iutc the cellar, which was
so filled with smohs- - he could not
| breathe. Of mis- rescue, ana his subse-
! ouept return to do battle with the flames
with his hand upon his broken rib. He
! never had any thought OF reward, for
| .-b a hing never enters fireman :
| head He thanked the board for electing
IN honor him in this singular manner,
but said he would really rather that II
had fallen TO the lot Of one of the pri-
| Yates.
OTHER SPEECHES MADE.
The president called upon Captain
| Charles f. Taylor to say few words of
| encoura cement, and though the call was
| UNEXPECTED, the popular commissioner
| rose to the occasion. and after an inte-
| resting address, cleverly turned the tables
| on the president by presenting him with
! q brazen tribe which Superintendent
| Thompson brought from the recent con-
ventiOn IN Philadelphia.
He presented il as a costly trife from
representative hrenen in the City Of
| rro.heTly Love, as a mark Of esteem and
respect for the great achievements of the
resident OF The Board of Commissioners.
! Major Randolph and Hon d. c. Rich
| ,6son made interesting soeeches. after
which the Fire-Alarm Department was
I ~, We IN he