The age-herald., 1900-03-15
CHIEF MULLTN
 ON THE STAND Third Session Held by InveSti-
 gating Committee. HOW THE FIRE WAS FOUGHT Head of the Department Tells of the Difficulties That Beset His Men
 in Fighting Flames-Sev-
 eral Tests Made.
HOW THE FIRE WAS FOUGHT

| afternoon. Thad. Mullin, chief of the fire | department, was the only witness before
 the committees, and he told in detail of the
 efforts to control the fire. He said that the | water pressure was very weak at certain | places for portion of tine time, but could l offer no reason why it should have been l so.
 l Several tests of the water pressure were
 made by Chief Mullin, Mayor Drennen and | Alderman Harry Jones yesterday. The
 suits of ufese tests they declined to give
 out for publication. Other tests will be
 made from time to time the mayor, the
 fire committee and the chief of the fire de-
 partment may see proper.
 Chief MulIin on the St nl
 | When Judge Banks called the committee
 to order yesterday afternoon Chief Mullin
 was asked ito take the stand. He said: 'I have been cheif of the fire department
 eleven years. We have two fire engines in | active service-one at Fourth avenue and l Nineteenth street and one at Avenue D and
 Nineteenth street-and one which is held in
 reserve at Fourth avenue and Nineteenth
 street. The two engines in active use are l alike and have the same power. One of l these was bought in 1884 and the other in l 1887. We have about 5000 feet of hose and | carry about 1000 feet on each wagon, 1 changing this every time 1t is used. The
 newest hose was purchased about three l months ago and the oldest has been in use | about four years. Hose is sold under a | guarantee to last three years It has 41k | inches internal diameter, and the nozzles | are 1A and IS inches in diameter. We have | hook and ladder wagon, but use 1t only
 on special occasions. We used both the | hook and ladder and the reserved engine at | the Metropolitan fire.
 | 'The two small engines have a capacity
 of $50 gallons per minute, and the larger | one 750. The two small ones are not of the | latest pattern, but the larger one is, there | being but one improvement that 1t hasn't | got. We have twenty men in the de-
 partment-ifteen at the Northsdde station | and thirteen at the Southside station We | have thirteen horses in active service and | two that are held in reserve to provide | against accident
 l The Alarm
 "The alarm for the Metropolitan fire was | turned dn about 1:05 p. m, and the fire de- l partment arrived about three minutes | later I got there before any water was | turned on and went down in the basement | with the first line of hose, and ordered some | of the men to lay another Ene. The fire | had gained such headway that the flames | leaped over towards the Morris avenue side, | and the basement was so dense with smoke
 that we could mot see. I stayed down there | between five ten minutes and then went | out to direct the laying of other lines | One line was connected with the hydramt at l Morris avenue and Eighteenth street, 300
 feet away; two with the hydrant at Morris | avenue and Nineteenth street, 450 feet | away. In the meantime 1 had ordered the | truck out and had carried two lines up | the top of the builddng adjoining the hotel.
 We had two lines of hose from First ave- | nue and Twentieth street, 300 feet away;
 two from Morris avenue and Twentieth | street, 200 feet away; and either one or two | from First acenue and Nineteenth street, | 800 feet away. We had an engine at First | avenue and Twentieth street, one at Morris | avenue and Twentieth street. and at | Morris avenue and Nineteenth street. The l reserve engine was ordered out about | twenty minutes after the fire started and l placed at Morris avenue and Nineteenth
 street. All the engines were i'm working or-
 der at the beginning of the fire and the hose | was in good condition.
 The Supply Usual
 "The water supply seemed to be about | as usual at the beginning of the fire, but | I cannot say what the pressure was The l line of hose from First avenue and Nine | teent1l street threw a very good stream,
 though I do not think line would throw I a stream over the Metropolitan hotel The | nozzle of the line running from Morris ave- | nue and Eighteenth street was taken up on | top of the building and the stream directed | downward. The big engine was stationed | at Morris avenue and Nineteenth street, but
 replaced the engine which broke down at
 First avenue and Twentieth street, between | and o'clock. Between the time the little
 engine broke down and the removal of the
 big engine to First avenue and Twentieth street, about twenty or thirty minutes,
 suppose, we had only plug pressure from | that point.
 | 1T noticed that two of the streams used on the front of the hotel were weak about this time. As soon as the little en- I zine broke down I ordered it disconnect- | ed, but the water may have passed | through it dor few minutes. The fire- men can tell whether it did or not, and if | so, how long. Some pressure is lost by l the water passing through engine | though I do not think the loss would be | very great.
 l ''The decrease in pressure was sufficient | to be noticeable and several persons called my attention to 1t. After the big engine was connected with the hydrant at the First National bank corner, we had all | the pressure needed The streams from | the engines did not decrease at any time. | Plug pressure does not increase the pres | sure given by an engine. only noticed l two weak streams, and they came from