The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-09-28


Director OF Public Safety T.. l..
Wormser yesterday issued an order
providing for the numbering of the sew
eral fire companies in the city and the
dispensing with the names by which
they are now known. The engine, hose
and chemical companies arc to be
classified by themselves. The numbers
by which they are to be known are as
follows;
Nay Augs, Engine company, No. I;
Neptuncs, Engine company. No. 9:
Franklns. Engine company, No. 3:
Crystals, Engine company, No. 4; Cen
eral Phinneys, Engine company, No.
B; Libcrtys. Hose company, No. /; Nj
agaras, Hose company. No. . Eagles.
Hose company, No. 3; EXcesiors, Hose
company, No. 4; William Connells,
Hose company, No. ); C"rturys, Hose
| company, No. 6: Cumberlands. Hose
| company, No. {; Phoenix, Chemical
company, No. /; Columbia, Chemical
company, No. >; Relief, Chemical COM
pany, No. 3; Hook and Ladder COM
pany, No. /.
Chief Ferbcr was the one who Sug
gcsted the numbering of the companies
| to Director Wormser, and the latter
agreed almost Immediately to issue the
order. There is no city OF any size in
| the country i'm which the fire COM
panies go by anything except numbers.
Names were all right FOR volunteer
companies" said Director Wormser
yesterday, but now that we have II
| paid department the companies should
| be known by numbers. We would look
countrifed if We did not make the
| change
chief Fcrbcr has decided to make
some radical changes in the system of
| fire alarms which now prevails. The
| time for turning i'm test taps is to be
| changed. beginning with October l..
| Three taps are to be turned i'm daily
| for the purpose of testing the fire
alarm system. These will be turned in
at $50 and 11,3O a. IN. and 80 p. IN.
There are now but two taps turned in
daily, one at 615 a. IN. and another at
$50 p. IN. The permanent men of each
company will be expected to arise from
their slumbers at $50 in the future.
| Boxes 30, 30, AZ, - and &c are to be
done away with and are to be re-num-
bered 23l, 32S, 4l3, 523 and 623, respeo-
| lively. This will be done that chief
Felber may carry out his ideas regard
ing the summoning of extra companies
| to a fire in case their services are re-
quired. In case he requires the SER
vices of an engine company the num-
Der of that company will be turned in
from the box, according to special
code. Thus - will mean that Engine
company, No. !, is wanted; 33, that
| Engine company, No. ., is wanted; a.,
that Engine company. No 3, is wanted
ana so on. Hose companies are TO be
summoned by a special call system, yet
TO be arranged,
Chief II. +. Ferber, the new head
of the fire department, is rapidly PROV
ing himself to be still the able fireman
and the splendid disciplnarian that he
was when he formerly commanded the
city fire fighting force. He is rapidly
reVOlutionHing the methods which
I have prevailed in the past and is de-
termined to make the department the
equal of that of any city of a similar
size in the country.
During the few weeks that he has
been in charge he has personally in
spected every piece of apparatus'in the
department and in several instances
has found that things We're not at all
as they should have been. He has dis
covered that the steamers, in particu.
lar, have been Wocfully neglected
They have been kept bright and clear
outside, but have been allowed to rur
down inside.
| He has found one steamer, in par
ticular, in which the packing of the
pumps had been neglected To such =!
: extent that it was practically of nC
use a all, the water merely running
through il and out, with very littlt
more than the ordinary hydrant pres
: sure behind 1t. The steamers have al
been repacked ana their engineers
have been warned that if they arr
neglected again they will be made tC
! walk the plank themselves
Another important innovation WhiCl
the new chief has introduced is tn
instructing of all the firemcn in The
city in the use Of the hook and laddo
truck. He has the truck placed Or
West Linden street, near the Robinson
brewery, every Thursday afternoon
4 and takes four permanent men from
as many companies, These men ar,
put through a regular hook and ladde
drill, together with the four perman
ent men of the hook and ladder com
pany. In this way, he expects to givt
every fireman in the city at least
fundamental knowledge of the han
ding of the truck, so that they ma!
, he prepared to take a hand i'm cas-
the hook and ladder company require
assistance The chief is determined Il
: make every man work at "A fire ant
l will insist upon their working Will
another company if their own has m
especial work to do.
The new frst-Class fire engine wa
attached to the fire hydrant at tht
, Coyne house on Lackawanna avenue
, a few mornings ago, for the purpos,
: Of ascertaining whether the wate
pressure is sufficient or not. Accord
Ing to Chief Ferber the test was emi
nently satisfactory and proved Conclu
sively that there is more than suft
cient water pressure in the Lacka
: wanna avenue main to handle a fire o
the largest kind,
one hundred and fifty feet of hos
! was attached to the engine and
stream was thrown from A. Roses ha
store to point some distance beyon'
the corner of LaCkaWanna and Frank