The Portland daily press., 1900-03-07
Recommendations
the Chief.
Organ cation Should BE Taken
Ont OF FOli,ics.

The following report OF the Portland
Fire DEPARTMENT for the fiscal year just
.ndod was made public yettsrday ah'
good sh wing made by the department
for the past year as shown by Chisf Ell
dridge rspors will be gratifying to the
citizens of this city. Ths report L. rs fol
lows:
To His Honor the Mayor and Members oil
the City Government:
Gsntlemeu-I here with submit for your
con Iteration The annual rsl orr OF the
fire department for the year ending March
31st, l90J.
the officers and mem bars, The number oil
fires aud tho cause, the los ana insur-
apce, the o. esent condit on OF all proper
ty used and controlled py this department {,
additions and i'm rosemsnts MADE tnr
mast wear, and such COMMUNICATIONS as
think ould improve and inereate Inc
efficiency OF the de. srtment.
will first call your attention 10 de-
tailed report OF additions ana Improve
ments made the past year. showing you,
think. that the appropriation Tor tine
DEPARTMENT has been carefully guarded
and AIRY good business judgment used
in spending tie same.
On the first day of March, 1899, the fire
depart ment OF the city OF Deering became
q part oil The department OF the city Of
Portland. l found upon takin charge
OF the same that our depart ment had been
increased as follows. viz seven hose COM
panIes OF twelve men each ana one ladder
company OF txelve men.
Five OF the hose wagons were IN FIRST
class order, but some OF the running geal
was rather light for fire business. The lad
der truck was built for a village truck
and was not heavy enough for our work
and could not be used with any degree oil
safety and by order OF the city govern
n emf was presented to the city OF south
Portland. OF the ten thousand feet oil
hose tire. thousand ieet would not stand
hydrsnt pressure and was sold for old
Junk. Chief Moody in his report last
year called attention to poor hose One
hose wset n and ladder truck was hauled
to tres by horses belonging to the city oil
Desiring and the Others were hauled by
contract with rrlvate parties at so much
Per bre.
The mem bers OF the department were
all cali msn and received dry cents Per
hour for their services. Alter looking
thy matter over carefully 1t seemed 10 me
that a radical change should oe made IN
this section OF the department aud l &c
reported to the board Of engineers. They
recommended to your honorabls body
that q reduction be made IN the mum Der
OF com panIes also In the mum Der OF men
was adopted and an order passed instruct
ing the board to disband three comps-
MES, namely, hos companies Nos. III, Is,
Ia, and reduce the number OF call Gen In
the remaining companies from twelve TO
ten men, which has been done according
ly.
The usxt question to be considered was
"How can we best improve the Ward s
and y section of the departmentf' and ON
due confederation the following plan was
accepted and without douht has been very
successful in giving fairly good hre pro
more improvements on the same plan
would make 1t first class.
An agreement was made with Capt.
Lewis for the use of the lover noor o.
the building known az "Lewis Hall' AND
we have remodeiled tbs same, making
fairly good quarters for Hose Co. No.
and LADDER Co. No. 4. The spare truck
was thoroughly overloaded and put in me
cest condition and with a complete sci
OF new Adders and other appliances made
q first class truck and was located in thle
house lake the place OF the one con
demned Horses were purchased and driv'
ets en- ployed permanently for hose Cos.
No. and aud Ladder o. No. 4. A con
tract vas made with private parties foi
hauling Hose IL nd IL. Feeling that wt
had done ali that WAS advisable ct pres
snt for the Dsesing section We next
turned our attention to Ward ].
1t is a we'll known fact that the citizens
OF Ward One have teen calling for com
bInation truck Tor q number OF years,
"and with good reasons Toe so doing
claim" and at last they have been success
Tui. The advisabIhty OF purchasing q
com binatIon truck and chemical to be To-
Gated In Ward One has been discussed
from all points and finally after some
very close figuring a recon mendation wal
sent to the city govern ment and an order
was passed instructinz the 'ommittee or
fire dspartmsnt to maxi the contract ano
the truck was received aud accepted or
Nov. 14th.
Erbe cummittee on public buildings re-
modelled the house occupied by Engine 2
making fins quarters Tor both engine ano
com pination. Horses, harnesses and 9th
eF equipments have besn provided, perma'
nent men employed, and today Ward One
10 well protected from IRE by Company
No. 2, which consists OF engine, host
wagon and com binatIon truck and chomi
cal with a captain. lieutenant. enRinsU ar
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