The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-19
A Good Many Recommendation for
Retirement Arc Made ny
Chief Barrett.
PAST YEARS STREET WORK
SUPERINTENDENT HERPICk ALSO
MAKES ANNUAL REPORT.
Fire Department. Bonds Are Valid
Safety Boards Meeting
Municipal Affairs.

Fire Chief Barrett filed his annual report
for 1900 with the Board of Public Safety
yesterday afternoon. 1t was the tenth re-
port of the fire department filed under the
new city charter and the fifth filed by Fire
Chief Barrett. The report is very COM
plete. setting out in detail the work accom-
plished by the department during the year
and the apparatus now in use. Fire Chief
Barrett makes many recommendations in
the report.
The report says there were $50 regular
gong alarms and 4O2 still alarms making
a total of 1,O52 alarms for the year, an in
crease of So over 1899 During the year
engine houses Nos. 4, 5, 6. s. 10. IL, Is and
10. chemical house No. 8 and hook and
ladder house No. were repaired and re-
painted. The chief recommends that other
houses be also repaired. The department
now has 1927 feet of hose and of this
amount 15.7s1 feet are in good condition,
1926 in fair condition and 9,115 in bad con-
dition. With the 1000 feet to be purchased
the department will have 81 107 feet of good
hose.
There are ninety-seven horses in the de-
partment, eighty-six being required to haul
apparatus and eleven held in reserve
During the year six horses were sold as
they were condemned and two were killed
in answering alarms and one dropped dead.
There are nine engines in service, two OF
them being first-class and all in good con-
dition. Three were repaired during the
year and with the two new ones to be pur-
chased the department will be fully equip
ped.
There twenty hose wagons in serv-
ice, few of them needing minor repairs
With the three new ones to be purchased
the department will be well equipped. Chief
Barrett reports that the water tower has
been a valuable acquisition to the de-
partment The watch tower reported 29S
alarms many of them being in dangerous
locations. The tower has been of great
value to the department. The six con-
demned horses and old hose that were sold
brought $365.27. The department has one
aerial and four service trucks. Two or
them are in bad condition and the chief
recommends that they be repaired at once.
The three chemical engines of new pat
tern and one old chemical performed good
service during the year and saved thou
sands of dollars worth of property. There
are 166 cisterns ranging from 700 to 1000
barrels capacity. Chief Barrett recon-
mends that all of them be connected with
water mains.
Chief Barrett recommends that water
mains be laid in Eighteenth street from
Mount Calm avenue to GeIt. street, north
in Gent street to Nineteenth and west to
Sherman drive. He recommends that one
new wagon for the telegraph department
and one supply wagon be purchased. He
recommends that fire cisterns be built in
Miley avenue and Walnut street, Kentucky
| avenue near Washington street, Maryland
and Meridian streets, Maryland and Della
ware streets and one in Stockyard lane for
| the protection of the Union Stockyards,
Moore Packing Company's plant and In
| dianapols car works. He recommends that
| fifty-gallon chemical cylinders be placed on
| trucks to be stationed at engine house
| No. 49, The chief recommends an addition
| to No house for the accommodation of
| the first assistant chief and also an addi-
| ton to No. 10 company for the use of the
| second assistant chief.
The report shows the cost of maintaining
| the fire department for the year was $l15,-
! 1883 The recapitulation of alarms shows
| alarms answered. 1052; miles Travelled, TO-
596S; feet of hose laid, 442, 040 feet of ladder
| raised. Is, 1885, Tanks used, 266; small ex-
| tinguishers used, 291; buildings inspected
during the year, 1,541, of which hose COM
pany No. 13 inspected 49S
| Chief Holderman. of the telegraph sys-
| tenn makes report of alarms received and
| repairs made to the system. He made no
| Recommendations in view of the fact that
| the new bond ordinance provides for COM
| plete new fire alarm system.