The times., 1901-05-17
PRAISE FOR FIRE LADDIBS
A House Warming for Columbia
Heights New Truck Company.
Citizens Inspect the FIower-Decked
Apparatus - Commissioner Mncfnr-
land Says He Believes the Men
Ought to Receive Better Salaries.

!
Apparatus - CommissiOner Macfnr-
land Says He Believes the Men
Ought to Receive Better Salaries.
! hearty welcome was extended to the
members of Truck Company f yesterday
| afternoon by the citizens of Columbia
| Heights. The newly organized company,
under Foreman Schroom, took possession
! of the house and apparatus last Monday,
and yesterday received the formal greet
! ings of the residents of the neighboT-
/ hood.
a large crowd had assembled in and
! about the truckhouse on Whitney Ave
nue.. Many ladies were present and We're
courteously shown through the house by
| the fire laddies. The Chi Engineer and
, his first assistant and Comm ssioner Mac
farland arrived inquick sI.-es scion shortly
| after clock,
The apparatus, standing ir position and
without a speck on its 81 mig surfaces,
was adorned with flowers Foreman
| Schroom and his men, who were in
parade attire, appeared ready to at
tempt any daring feats to rescue unfor-
tunate people from danger.
About f:90< o'clock Judge c. 5. Bundy,
in behalf of the citizens of Columbia
Heights. addressed the foreman and men
of the company. He said the people OF
that suburb were proud to welcome them
and in future would feel more secure as
to life and property because CT their
/ presence.
Judge BuEdy then presented the com
pany with a flag for the truckhouse, as
the gift of the citizens.
Commissioner Macfarland in response
addressed the citizens present as follows:
afsatn q 10
terest of the citizens of Columbia Heights
in the opening of this new station for
protection against fire. 1t is most fitting
that citizens should take a constant and
intelligent interest in the Fire Depart
ment which is their means Of defense
against an insidious and powerful enc
my. always ready and often endeavor-
ing to destroy their lives and property.
The hcroism. silent and unassuming,
bat constant, of the men who take their
/ lives in their hands daily and nightly to
defend you and yours touches every gen
! erous heart as does the heroism of our
/ soldiers and sailors. 1t draws forth a
general interest in the department and
! a general desire for its welfare, but it is
| astonishing how little most of our ciu-
! zens actually know of the department and
it's deeds and needs.
seems to stand in many minds instead of
the modern fire department, which IS as
! different as a locomotive from a stage
coach 1t is a big business machine,
built on scientific principles and demand
ing administrative ability Of a high order.
The ingenuity of our land of inventors
has produced marvellous apparatus for in
slant and accurate fire alarms, and
great variety of remarkable apparatus
for fighting fires, and for their effective
use a large body of trained men under
semi-miIitary discipline and under strong
central direction is required.
I'VE have in the District the finest fire
alarm system in the world. We have
some Of the best firemen in the world.
We have a few modern houses ard some
of the best modern apparatus, although
we have not one of the highest type of
FIRE engines. We have just made great
gain in getting at the head of the Fire
Department a man who has the executive
ability to manage it effectively as
whole, who knows 1t through and through
and who knows how to suggest improve
ments in it.
This makes the twenty-second fire
protection station in the District Of Co
iumbia. and We shall open another in
few days at Tenleytown- We have au-
thority for building two others. We ought
to have at least three more within the
next two years. Some of the old houses
should be rebuilt or extensively repaired
We ought to have more and better appa-
ratus.
Above all we ought to have more Off
GERS and men and better salaries for them
all II is ridiculous to pay the man who
is to manage this big business only 5000
a year. when men who manage private
businesses much less extensive and i'm
portant easily command two or three
times as much And the assistant chief
engineers, including the first assistant
chief who is now TO lead the actual fire.
fighting receive but $l,201 q year the
foreman of companies. with all their re-
sponsibilties only a thousand dollars
year: the Fire Marshal, who has such
important functions Of inspection and in
surance investigation, receives only 81, 90
a year, while the subordinates are equally
underpaid.
Congress. upon the recommendation Of
the Commissioners, gave the subordinates
some increase last session, but much re-
mains to be done for them, as for the
others. ] feel sure that this state Of af-
fairs is due partly to the fact that the
department has developed so gradually
and has done its work so quietly that the
citizens generally have not known how
great both it and its work had become.
feel sure, also. that all our citizens viii
now unite TO support the Commissioners
in their application to Congress next ses-
sion for such appropriations as will make
in the world
after Mr. Macfarland's address felicf-
tatiOns were extended to the firemen, and
with the congratulations of the people
many floral tokens were left as reminders
Of the occasion.