The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-12
WHAT CAUSED FIRES
Chief Walden Places Gasoline
Stoves at Head of List.
SMALL BOY CONTRIBUTES
To Conhagration List With
Matches and FireCraCker6.
SMALL BOY CONTRIBUTES

A. G. Walden, chief of the Wichita fire
department, has submitted his annual
report TO the city council. The report is
the compIetest ever submitted to that body,
and shows a commendable proficiency IN
this, one of the most important features
of the public service. During the year the
department responded 10 % alarms, and
Chief Walden, in nearly every instance,
found out the cause Of the fire The
treacherous gasoline stove heads the list
with twelve fires to its credit. Burning
chlmneys caused nine fires to which the
department responded. Lamps in the hands
of careless individuals exploded and
caused eight fires. Carelessness Of the
servant girl or the mischievous kid Of the
household IS responsible for six fires.
Twelve fires were mysterious as 10 cause.
Overheated Stove caused five, and defect
i've flues come in for a good representa-
ton on the list, having nine to their credit
Defective CRATES caused two. The small
boy with a mach has three fires to his
credit. Electric light wires caused three
and gas jets caused two. The careless
servant girl bols up serenely with the hot
ash pan and gess in the list for one fire.
The innocent looking cigar stub discarded
when It was Of no further use TO its owner,
makes itself known by causing one fire
One fire was caused by plumbers forge
That ever. prese Ut element of the patriotic
instincts Of a patriotic boy, the hrecracker
not content with causing numerous run
aways, gets itself in Chief Walden's list
to the extent Of three fires. There were
two prairie fires Burning sulphur, spon-
1aneous combustiorl and lightning caused
one fire each. There were four incendiary
fires. The blasphenlous husband, disgust
ed TO the extent of hurrying through with
his Job. put up the stovepipes in such reck-
less and defective manner as to cause three
fires. The other calls for the department
were caused joy false alarms. Notwith-
standing the rambler Of fires during 1898,
there was very little property destroyed
and scarcely any toGal losses, except where
It was a physical impossibiity 10 reach
the fire.
The department was maintained during
the past year at an expense of S5,179.l5,
being 81. 222 50 less than last year The
total expense for the two years past show
a splendid decrease of $3,7S622 in the ex-
pense Of the department, and Chief Wal
den thinks the expense Of maintaining the
department viii be still less for the COM
ing year. The department employs twenty
men, which includes the chief, assistant
chief. five foremen one city electrician,
eleven fnst-class firemen and one house
man and engineer
There are nearly twenty-five miles of
line. divided in two circuits, all Of which
IS strung on telephone and electric light
poles. On account of the new poles being
nut in by the telephone company, it was
necessary to use one and one-haf miles
of new wire.
Chief Walden has long contended against
the unsafe and hazardous condition Of the
electric light wires. He says they are
constant menace to the fire alarm wires,
and very frequently have they had to re-
move heavy currents, which have dam
aged the system materially. Chief Wal
den saws a great many Of the boxes are
worn out and should he replaced with new
boxes.
The water mains have been greatly i'm
proved by the substitution of iron mains
for the old wooden ones removed. A great
deal of new mains have been nut in in
various sections OF the city. There are
located throughout the city 224 hydranjs
and thirtv-one miles Of water mains, and
the pumping capacity Of the water works
seems sufficient
The freman's benevolent fund is in
healthy condition.
Mr. Walden recommends IN the way Of
improvements for fire protection that an
additional main leading from the pump
ing station to the mains on this side of the