The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-06-29
FIRE DEPARTMENT.

| Unles councils take action at once
the majority of the fire houses in the
| city Will be without telephones. There
was no provision made this year in the
| appropriation ordinance for any
phones in any of the fire houses be-
| cause the cOuncilmen labored under
| the delusion that the twentyseven
| telephones which the Lackawanna
| Telephone company agreed to furnish
| the city could be stretched out to
include the whole fire department.
The larger part of these twenty
seven phones were eaten up in the
Municipal building where one was
| placed in nearly every office. The
only fire companies which secured new
phones We're the Eagles, Excelsor's
General Phineys, Hook and Ladders
| and the William Connells.
Director of Public Safety Wormser
has notified the Central Pennsylvania
Telephone company to take it's phones
out of the following fire houses be-
cause there is no money to pay for
them; Nay Augs, Crystals, Phoenix,
Niagaras. Reliefs, Cumberlands, Col
umbias, Neptunes. Centurys, Frank
| lins and EXcesiors. He is greatly
| impressed with the necessity of having
a telephone in every fire house, especi-
| ally those in the central part of the
| city. where still llalarms is often turn
ed in over the wire. He has commune
| Gated with select council on the sub
ject and the question has been referred
to the fire department committee
of that branch for consideration.
| The bunk and call men of the fire
| department, who have now effected a
permanent organization, will meet
| some night next week to consider the
question of securing their pay at regu-
| lar intervals. Director WOrmser has
left the matter entirely in their hands
and whatever they decide he will abide
| by. The majority of the men seem to
| favor receiving their pay every three
| months or four times a year and it is
very probable that this will be decid-
| ed upon.
The city has now purchased for
| about $1,000 as much of the furniture
| and fittings in the several fire houses
as it desires. Director Wormser has
decided to purchase linoeum for the
upper floors of the larger number OF
| the houses and has received bids from
a number of firms. The contract is to
be awarded in a few days. Linoleum
has been given the preference over
| carpet on account of its better wear
ing qualities and because it is con-
| sdered by santarans to be much
healthier than carpet in rooms which
| are much used. as it collects no dust
The promise made when the fire de-
partment was re-Organized that when
ever vacancy in the ranks of the
permanent men occurred it would be
| filled from among the bunk and call
men has been fulfilled during the past
week in the appointment of John
Ruether to succeed Fred Kaeppel as
permanent man at the Neptune Engine
company Reuther was a bunk man
and secured the appointment without
any of the wire pulling which was
formerly required to secure place as
| paid man,
Another 800 feet of the 1,500 feet of
hose recently purchased by the city has
been received, accepted measured and
stored in the Nay Aug engine house,
but has not yet been given out to any
| of the companies. This makes 1,0O0 feet
which has already been received
This fact, it Is believed, will lead the
common council to refuse to pass the
| resolution adopted by select council on
| Thursday night, providing for Ie-
| advertisement not only for bids for
hose but also for the fire engine and
hook and ladder truck recently con-
tracted for.
When goods are once received and
| acce pied by party to a contract il is
generally pretty hard matter to get
| the other party to take them back
without a lawsuit, and the latter Is
just what the conservative members of
council desire to avoid, contending that
1t will hold up the Improvement of the
| fire department for an indefinite period.
| The toop floor of the new club house
of the Firemen's Relief association, on
| Spruce street, is to be converted into
a gymnasium in a few weeks. A row.
ing machine, horizontal bar, parallel
bars, Indian clubs and dumb bells are
to BE- installed. There are already two
finely equipped shower baths on this
floor, which can be used to advantage
By the members who may desire to
Take athleNe exercise.