Evening star., 1898-09-26


new quarters on D street northwest be-
tween 18th and 10Th streets. During the
year this company has responded to nine
ty-eight first alarms and nineteen local or
silent alarms, laid five hundred feet of
hose. raised five hundred feet of ladders
and used eight siX-gallon fire eXtinguish
ers and twenty-three tanks.
The establishment of engine companies
II. located On 18th street northwest be
tween Kenyon street and KeneSaw avenle;
T. located at tho corner of North CAPITOL
and Quincy streets; 15 located in Ana
costa. and the transfer of the chemical
engine, formerly in the house occupied by
engine company No. ii to Brghtwood has
been Of great benefit to the owners of
property in the parts of the District in
which these companies are located. 1t was
due to the work of these companies that
several serious fires were ayerted. These
companies, however. cover only a part of
the outlying territory, and at least one more
engine company one chemical engine COM
pany and one truck company are nee led
at this time to protect the valuable in
terests in the northwest portion of George
town and the suburbs adjacent thereto.
| The PORTIONS of the northwest section of
the District which will be protected by
these companies include Cleveland Park,
Oak View, Tenleytown and numerous other
welI-populated villages.
Sections without Engines.
While the addition of these companies
would afford much better protection to
| these interests, there are sections of the
city proper which should be better pro-
tected from fire. In the southwest sec
| tion there is large area that is almost
wholly unprotected. the nearest engine and
truck company having in many instances
! to make unusually long runs, rendering
them unable to reach the scene of action
before the fire has too great a headw1y
to be checked. In this section Is included
the Washington barracks, the street rail-
road power houses and the valuable prop
erty along the river front, which is at pres
ent difficult of access TO the nearest COM
pany.
An engine company is also needed In
| that part of the city south of Pennsyl-
vania avenue west and east of Rock creek
In this section there are several OF the
government departments and many Vaiua-
bic dwellings, in addition to the business
houses, which need better protection.
Notwithstanding the growth OF the city
in the last quarter OF century there has
been but little done in the way of giving
the city an adequate protection against
fire. Last year the necessity for large
increase in the number of companies and
men was plainly set forth in my annual
report, but Congress did not provide a sin
gle additional company. This year only
six new companies for the entire District
are estimated for, and 1t is noDsd that
Congress. in its desire to afford the neces-
sary protection, both to the government
and to the people, will not modify the es-
innate.
If Congress is Liberal.
Should Congress make a generous allow
ance OF fire apparatus and put Washington
on a footing with other cities there will
then be no occasion to leave any part of
the city unprotected because of a large
fire in some particular locality. During
the past year this has been the source
of much annoyance and considerable enx-
iety on the part of those intrusted with
the protection of life and property from
fire. Occasions have arisen when it was
absolutely necessary to summon tha entire
strength of the department and this has
left other valuable sections of the city
to the mercy of fire bugs or conf1agrations
from other causes, and, already stated.
with a sufficient number of companies to
guard the District such dangers could be
avoided.
For several years past an appropriation
has been requested for the erection Of
additional stable in the rear of No. engine
house, North Carolina avenue between 9th
and 7th streets southeast This recon-
mendation is again made, and, II possible,
with stronger emphasis
For several years it has been the prac-
tice to keep the sick, injured and reserve
horses at a hospital owned by the veteri-
nary surgeon. The reason for this is that
the houses of the department have only
four. or. at the most, five, stalls, and it is
impossible to care for our horses in any
other manner. Although this method has
proven quite satisfactory heretofore. ii is
rot out of the limit of possibility that
some difficulty might be experienced in the
future which would seriously embarrass
the department.
Discipline Enforced.
While the membership Of the department
was materially increased during the past
year, the number of cases involving
charges against members exceeded the pre-
vious year by only three. OF the twenty
four cases taken before the trial commit
tee there were only three acqui:tals, show
irg that 1t was not the intention of the Off
cials to bring frivolous charges against the
men The change in the system Of trying
members of the department has worked
well. Heretofore they were tried ny
partment. but during the year the special
assistant attorney for the District OF Co
lumbia. James l.. Pugh, jr, Was designated
as the trial officer, and his selection has
given general satisfaction, for the reason
that he is not connected with the depart
n,ent in any way, and there is consequently
less ground for complaint on the part OF
the men tried.
The quarterly examinations of the men
appointed on probationary terms have been
continued with much satisfaction to the
department. These examinations, which
are of a practical nature, are conducted by
experienced ~ eulbers of the department,
and a probationer who is able to stand the
test certainly possesses the qualifications
necessary to make him cftcicns MEM
Der of the department Promotions are
made, subject 10 twelve months proba-
ton, but the quarterly examinations are
dispensed with. During the past year only
three members were dropped on account
of failing to satisfactorily serve their pro-
batiouary terms.
It was found necessary during the past
year to prefer charges against twenty-four
members of the department. with the fol-
lowing results: Charges dismissed, 3; fined,
3; fined and warned, s; removed, Z; warned,
3.
In McmOriam.
A veteran fire fighter passed away during
the year-ex-Chief Engineer Martin Cronin.
He entered the department in 1862 and was
its chief engineer continuously from 1871
until the date of his retirement. May 1,
1885, While the executive officer of the de-
partment he was exceedingly jealous Of its
good name, and it was his constant en-