The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-21
CHIMyEY FIRE FINES.
The "Sweeps" Have Gone and the City Col
lects Penalties for Unnecessary Fires.

Along with the wooden coal boxes on the side
walks and knockers on the front doors, there has
disappeared from contemporaneous New York,
probably never TO return, the familiar figure Of
the colored chimney sweeper, who with brooms.
bristle brushes and a blanket in hand was accus-
toned TO give notice of approach by singing. In
the fall Of each year, about the time that the ar
Engagements for winter fires were made-stoves
put up, ~'gratesl replaced and fuel for the win
ter purChased-the chimney sweep" made his
appearance, and usually did a lucrative
business In removing the SCOT from chimneys with
the help Of one or two colored men who assisted
10 the extent Of carrying the bags and brushes.
I'M some of the old fashioned parts NJ New York
the appearance Of the chimney sweeps on the
streets Was a. much q mark Of the beginning Of
winter as the appearance Of the "Quakers' in town
u attend the annual meeting Of the Society ot
Friends was regarded as the beginning Of spring
and the precursor OF rain.
4 regulation as 10 the collection Of pen
nlt~ from fire, as established by the Fire Ie-
partnent. which prescribes a fire for avoid
eble chimney nres, makes the Fire Pension
Fund the beneficiary Of such collections Such
nvoidable chimney fires number in a year about
one hundred, and the penalty in each case Is So. SO
that the revenue from this source to the Fire Relief
Fund is $500 3 year in the boroughs Of Manhattan
and The Bronx. and during the twenty years pre-
ceding consolidation the number Of such fires
yielded in penalties collected over $4,000
All chimney fires ore not due to ca relaSsness
"a chimney fire may be started from spa rks from
another freD, but most Of them are, and they
occur almost exclusively in dwelling houses. and
ore very re- rely the causes OF serious fire losses,
though they entail unnecessary labor on the part
Of fire companies In responding, occasion much
excitement. and sometimes lead TO casualties
not directly connected with the Are
The number Of dwelling houses In New York
county, OF course, Is constantly on the increase
The number Of fires burned has increased CORE.
spondingly The penalty for neglected chin neys
was intended rs a deterrent. For these reasons IL
would seem natural that the demands for the
creased than diminished, whereas the eShct con
trary Is true; the chimney sweeps have disappeared
from the streets, and the number of 10 be
/ cleaned gives no work, apparently, for any Chin
ney sweeps trust" or any like organization.
Various explanations have been given some
satisfactory, others not. The most plausible rea
son assigned is this Much less soft, SCOT making
coal is now burned in New York in dwelling houses
than was the case before the more general use
Of hard or anthracite coal. Decidedly less wood
il used for fuel than was the case some years ago.
when coal as not brOughtintO the New York mar
keith such abundance as at present, and when the
supply Of wood was much larger and the cost Of II
was much less than Is the case now. There is
less accumulation Of SCOT In chimneys and less
danger Of the SCOT ieniung than was tho case be-
fore. The method OF constructing chimneys, TOO,
has been altered 10 some extent through the use Of
t~in'lining material al Joints and the covering OF
chimney on roofs with swivels The chimney
sweep has departed. but the chimney-hre fines
continue 10 bs collected In New York