Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-07
FlREMEN TO HAVE WHEELS
Each of Several Local Companies to Re
Supplied.
squad Thus Formed to Respond tn
Local Alarms as Required
The Purpose in View,

Actlng upon a report made to the chief
Oh ponce and by him approved. the District
commissioners will authorize the purcha "a
u thirty bicycles, for the use of the bicycle
squad OF the police department. The terms
at "nlcn the wheels are to be purchased
are private. but very reasonable, it is un-
oerstooo- The wheels are guaranteed nv
the company, will be kept in good repajr
oy the company for one year and will en-
able the chief of police to increase the BIZ
cycle squad to forty men,
IL Is the intention of Commissioner
Wight to establish bicycle squad in the
nre department. number of the COM
panes OF the department will be provided
with wheel each, to be used by a man in
responding to what are known as local
alarms of fire. The bicycles will be placed
IN the engine houses determined upon in
convenient position, and the riders will
carry each a pump. provided with sew
eral feet of hose. The wheel and pump
will always be kept IN readiness for in
slant use, and the bicycle will only be used
In responding to an alarm
What the Records Show.
The records of the fire department show
that during the fiscal years ending June
30, 1897, and June 80, 1898, GO local or
silent alarms of fire were sounded in the
District, or 103 more local alarms than bell
alarms during those two years. In MANY
OF the local alarms. if not majority of
tnem. 1t is believed that a man provided
with pump, with small chemical fire
extnguisher, could have put out the fires
ana thereby obviated the necessity of call
ing full company to the work
Being of the opinion that the District fire
department. is not as large as it should be
MI Wight hopes to materially increase
poth Its efficiency and strength by the es-
Establishment of this bicycle squad No ex-
cd fh,t
be done without special legislation but
several men in the companies to be proyid-
ed with the bicycles will be designated as
Wheelmen, and one of these will be dis
patched to the scene of the fire Immediate
ly upon the officer in charge of the COM
pany receiving notice thereof through a
local alarm.
As an Experiment..
Mr.. Wight recently instructed the chief
OF the fire department to experiment in the
matter. and in several of the companies
men who had bicycles of their own were
designated for the purpose. A report was
received few days ago from the foreman
OF one of these companies. and he re-
ported adversely. He is understood to have
SAID among other things that the company
could reach fire about as quickly as a
man on a wheel, and he is also said to
have expressed a fear that the man on the
wheel would not be able to keep out of the
way of the apparatus in responding to the
alarm. The foremans report failed it is
stated to impress Mr.. Wight as being
worthy of acceptance as a conclusive argu-
ment against the establishment of a fire
mems bicycle squad, but rather a dis
inclination on the part of the foreman in
question to adopt the wheel as an addition
to his company. Therefore, it is under
stood, that the company referred to will
not be provided by Mr.. Wight with one of
the wheels he expects to purchase for the
benefit of the fire department.
Six or seven of the companies of the de-
partment will be first provided with wheels,
the companies to be selected being those
which are shown by the records of the de-
partment to respond most frequently to
local alarms. Engine companies l and I,
1t is believed, respond to as many, If not
more. local alarms than any other two
companies. and those companies, and en-
CINE companies 3, 4, ), 6, and possibly one
or two others. Mr.. Wight expects to first
provide with wheels.