The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-12
A Part of the south side Market
House, He Says, Could BE Used
AdvantageOusIy.
HOSPITAL FOR SICK HORSES
PART OF BUILDING COULD ALSO BE
USED FOR STORAGE.
Developments in the Trial of Albert
Van Camp-MunicipaI Affairs
of Interest.

Chief Edward f. Coots, of the fire de-
partment, is preparing the details of plan
of Improvement in that department. which
he will recommend to the mayor and the
Board of Safety, a means of saving
several thousand dollars annually, and
will also be a means of vastly increasing
the efficiency of the service.
He suggests that the fire department be
given the use OF the north half of the
South Side market building. on Shelby
street in which to establish a general sup
ply station for the whole department. He
considers that the plan is perfectly feasible
for the reason that the market house is a
very large structure-much larger than the
needs of the market require. In his opin-
ion the market could be moved into the
south half of the building, the one-story
section, and still have sufficient space for
the peoples needs. The north half of the
building, two stories in height, could be
devoted to the of the fire department
for purposes greatly in demand at the pres
ent time.
In the first place, the chief believes that
the market building is needed to furnish
storage for the annual supply of feed for
the horses Of the department. The depart
ment has at the present time no general
feed supply station and provisions are
bought piecemeal, necessarily at the top
price of the market. With the market
building as a general stOrehouse, contracts
could be made for enough feed of all kinds
to supply the department for one year, and
provisions could be secured in bulk at
greatly reduced expenses. The chief esti-
mates that one-third or one-fourth of the
amount expended yearly for feed could be
we'd nv lGir he sarlxa hon =tnr-
age station and making annual feed con-
tracts. Last year the department spent
5000 for feed. According to the chief. be-
tween $500 and $1,000 could be saved on
similar yearly expenditures.
A SECOND NEED.
A second pressing need of the fire de-
partment which Chief COots thinks the
South Side market house would supply is a
general workshop and repair station. He
points out that other big cities maintain
such general repair stations for the use of
their fire departments, and believes that
the Improvement would be a good thing
here. There is plenty Of space, he says, for
a shop which could take care of all the
apparatus and wagons needing repairs and
OVerhauling. In addition, the market house
would give sufficient room for a blacksmith
shop, another detail of the service greatly
in demand. At the present time the In
dianapolis department has nothing of the
sort, and Chief COots thinks the convent
ence which would be afforded would be
exceeded by the leSsening of the expense in
annual repairs and shoeing.
The fire department needs a horse hos
pital, the chief declares, and here again
the market house would furnish an ideal
location for one. Fire horses are subjected
TO danger from accidents more than horses
in any other class of work, and the per-
centage of injury is very high. Horses are
constantly falling and injuring themselves,
and there are many animals on the sick list
annually. They are taken care of now at
the engine houses where they belong, some
times at considerable inconvenience The
city veterinarian who looks after the in
jured and sick fire horses must travel all
over Indianapolis in pursuance of his du-
ties, and Chief COOtS does not THINK that
the best results are obtained in that man.
ner. With a central hospital the veter-
marian could care for all the Invalid ami
mails in one place, and the various engine
companies would be relieved of the in
convenience of taking care of them. The
chief says that sick horses need as much
care as human beings, and that it would
be an excellent thing to have a man con-
stantly on duty at the hospital, If IL is
established, to give the horses their medi-
cines and TO look after their comfort. he
points out once more that the expense could
be lessened by treating horses in hospital
rathed than singly az far separated points.
AS A STORAGE ROOM.
There is a remarkable lot of old and
disused apparatus now numbering the va
rious engine houses of the city. and the
chief thinks every engine house ought to be
freed from the inconvenience Of furnishing
storehouse for old hose. old wagons. reels
and worn-out apparatus. 1t gets in the
way when the men are in a hurry and
takes up valuable space which is needed
for other things. The South Side market
house, in the opinion of Chief Coots, is big
enough to furnish storage room for all the
ancient apparatus now filling up engine
houses.
In addition to it's suitability a general
station for repairs, hospital and storage,
Chief Coots believes that the market house
would be roomy enough to furnish quar-
tiers for service truck and new engine
company. He suggests that the Board of
Safety, if it adopts his suggestions, install
there a truck and a company of thirteen
men, Another station in that section would
be an excellent thing, the chief believes,
and should be favored by South Siders.
Chief Coots has not conferred with the
MAYOR or the members of the board con-
corning the plan he has in mind and does
not know whether they favor 1T or not.
There is a probability that South Side citi-
zens may oppose the plan as restricting the
space of their market, but Chief Coots
thinks that when it is shown there will still
be left plenty of room for the market. and
when, in addition, the increased efficiency
of the service is taken into consideration,
sl,.lr