Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-02-26
THE NEEO OF THE HOUR
Insurance Companies Feel the
Importance of a Better
Alarm System.
FOR LOCAL FIRE PROTECTION
City Ought to Make Start With
the Best Service of This
Kind Possible.


A prominent insurance man. speak
ing today of the stand The ARGUS has
taken for better fire protection in the
business portion of the city, said:
Crock Island is unquestionably def
cient in the matter of fire alarm
system, as well as, to q less extent, in
means of combating the destructive
element. My ideas as to present short
comings are pretty well summed up
in the recommendations of the travel
ing agent of the National Board of
Fire Underwriters of New York, who
looked into conditions here a year
ago, and afterward made public his
finding in regard to the same.
You may perhaps remember that
he recommended the establishment of
an additional hose company in the
eastern part of the city. This need
has been partly met by the building
of the new quarters for the No. hose
company at Seventh avenue and
Thirty-first street. Another needed
Improvement he pointed out was the
charging of the mains in the yesi-
dence portion of the town.
The Greatest Need of All.
1.-The most important recommen-
dalton. however, in my judgment
was the one condemning the alarm
system now in use and the substitu-
ton for it of a irst-class, reliable
electric system, with at least 50 sig
nal boxes, station alarm Indicators.
storage battery and machinery, with
automatic striker attachment to tower
bell or to whistle st the waterworks.
"While an improved system is
needed all over the city, the business
district is in special danger and should
be looked after at once. Telephones
are unreliable when available, and in
the dead of night very few are avail
able in the business portion of the
town. What is needed is a direct wire
from the alarm box to the department
so that an alarm will have no chance
to be hung up enroute through the
action of third party. OF course it
would seem rather costly in view of
the present condition of the city ex-
chequer, but a single fire, started by
reason of tardy alarm, could very
easily destroy property worth many
times the eost of proper system of
alarms. The start could be made at
reasonable expense and a limited
number of boxes put in-and others
each year until the system is COM
plete."
last Night For instance.
Last nights fire afforded another
instance of the need of direct fire
alarm system. In this particular case
the telephone service was as satis-
factory as it could be expected and
Officer Mccarthy, who sent in the
first alarm from Thomas drug store,
states that for signal passing indi-
rectly the response was unusually
prompt, but at least five minutes
would have been saved had there
been an automatic alarm box within q
block of the fire. There were other
causes of delay that handicapped the
department. The water pressure was
insufficient at the start, and all these
obstacles the firemen had to contend
with, and when these are considered
the accomplishment of the depart
ment is remarkable. The city needs
improvements in it's fire alarm sys-
tenn more than anything else. It
needs first of all the direct alarm that
will notify the fremen and the walter
works building simultaneously and
simultaneously, and when this is pro-
vided the general alarm may be given
at the same time, by means of the en-
CINE house bells. which should strike
the number of the box, instead of
sounding the ward from the water
works whistle. The latter is nuis-
ance. anyway, as it takes time when
the men there should be occupied in
giving the mains the advantage of the
direct pressure. At time of fire,
that which is of first importance is to
get the firemen to the scene and have
the means at their immediate COM
mand with which to do. The pres
ence OF the general public is not half
so vital, and is more apt to be hind
rance than a help. Give the firemen
every possible chance, and they wi
do the rest.