The age-herald., 1900-03-16
Another Meeting of Joint Com
 mittee Yesterday Afternoon.
MORE WITNESSES TESTIFY
Careful Inquiry Being Made Into the Question of Fire Protection and Water Supply Report of
 the Days Proceedings

| ing on ithe questions of Birmingham's ire | protection and water supply.
 | Tine principal point so far brought out
 is that from a period of thirty minutes to | one hour, during the progress of the fire
 that destroyed the Metropolitan hotel, the | Moore Moore 6 gIandley building, the | Hewlett block and other properties, the l fire department unable to throw stream of water above the third floor of
 the burning buildings. Why this condition
 existed is the question the joint commit
 tees are trying to fathom. Chief Mullin and other members of the fire department
 have stated that they did not have the
 pressure necessary, but whether It's ab- sence was due to an insufficient supply of | water they cannot say. The Birmingham Water Works company say they Furnished
 all the water necessary at all times and ] that the pressure, as Elown by the indi- .cator in the company's office in Third ave- nue, never fell below S5 pounds.
 | The attendance at the session yesterday
 afternoon was larger than at any hereto | fore, there being several spectators who | had dropped in to hear the testimony of | the witnesses. The water works company
 introduced some expert testimony to snow | that the pressure in the fire district was what the company claims 1t to be.
 Captain Bennett Testifies
 | Captain A B. Bennett foreman of tie
 Southside station of the fire department, l Was the first witness to be examined yes | terdly. He said:
 | 'I have been with the fire department lfor
 about ten years. I am foreman at tke | Southisde department and have been to a | great many fires. I reached the Metropol-
 tan fire about 1:O5 or 1:1O p. m., or a5ous | three or -four minutes after the alarm | sounded. One line of hose from Morris
 avenue and Nineteenth street had been laid
 when got there. One engine was ready.
 but not in use, When got to tGe fire My | engine, the Nellie R. Raps, was stationed
 at First avenue and Twentieth street. Two
 ines Of nose We're connected with 1t. I
 went on top of the Weeden & Dent build
 ing, back of the Metropolitan hotel, and | remained there most of the time. I had two
 lines or hose there-one from Morris ave- | nue and Eighteenth street and one from | Morris avenue and Nineteenth street The | big reserve engine was connected with the | hydrant at Morris avenue and Nineteenth
 street until the Nellie R. Raps broke down,
 when it was removed to First avenue and ! Twentieth street I noticed marked | dfminution of pressure at one time When | l noticed the fire gaining on us I had the | hose brought from the top of the building | and one line taken ito the second story and
 one to the third story. The second floor | line came from Morris avenue and Eigh- | teenth street.
 "At first we could play water with strong | force to the third story, but after while | when bent the hose upward we could | scarcely get the water to the third floor l The pressure finally became so weak we l had to stop. This condition lasted for about
 an hour. The hose was in good condition, | a good portion of the lines used having | been in use only about two months. The | lines were nearly straight. At one time I | noticed a slack in the hose and ordered it | strengthened we could reach the third | story. The pressure returned in about an | hour, but I don't know whether it came
 back suddenly or gradually
 | 'The pressure from the Morris avenue
 and Nineteenth street hydrant was weak | after the engine removed, but can't | say just how long. The pressure came | back on the Morris avenue and Eighteenth | street and the Morris avenue and Nine-
 teenth street lines about the same time. | The engine at Morris avenue and Twen-
 tieth street was used all the time and the
 stream from there was good. We used one | stream from there the fourth story of l the Weeden and Dent building and it was | good all the time. The falling off of the l pressure from the two lines from Morris
 avenue and Eighteenth street and Morris | and Nninatppnth ct wa | noticeable for the reason I kept trying to l get water in the third story window of the
 Metropolitan hotel and could hardly do so | Water passing through an engine at rest
 loses some pressure, but it is very slight,
 not enough to make a noticeable difference
 It was about twelve feet from the end of | the nozzle to the point where was trying
 to throw tte-water. The stream went in | the window but had no force I noticed
 no more than the ordinary difference of
 pressure in hose from Morris avenue and
 Eighteenth street and from Morris avenue | and Nineteenth street I never before | noticed a falling off of pressure during a | fire. but have noticed an increase. I know | nothing of the pressure at times other than
 during a fire. With hose in good condi-
 tion and the plug wide open the lack of | pressure could be due to no other cause | than the lack o{ water.
 q did not think the fire department was getting enough water during the fire. A
 hose 900 feet long will give less pressure
 than a hose 450 feet long,"
 l Pipeman J. A. Browning
 | J. A. Browning of the southside depart | ment, was the next witness. He said: q
 am a pipeman and stay at the southside | department. l was at the Metropolitan ho-
 tel fire. I took the hose out of the wagon
 and put the nozzle at Morris avenue | and Twentieth street. I then got on the
 line running from First avenue and Nine
 teenth street and staid with 1t. The engine | was connected with the hose about 4 | o'clock. It had only plug pressure up to l that time. noticed failing off of pres | sure in about an hour or an hour and half after l got there. and this continued