Waterbury Democrat., 1902-11-26
BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
Petitions for Fire Protection in Vicin-
 ity of Prospect and Grove Streets.

Petitions for Fire Protection in Vicin
 ity of Prospect and Grove Streets.
 The board of public safety held an adjourned meeting last evening to hear the petitions from residents of High land park and of Waterville regarding fire protection in the first place and police protection in the latter place. It was a very interesting mee ing. The statements made by the petitions from Waterville illustrated the old say ng that one-half the people do not know how the other half lives. Their state ments also showed up a terrible state of affairs and that it was a good thing the other half of the people did not know how things were in Waterville else they probably would have moved away and decreased the population. Commissioner Taylor presided and all the other commissioners were present except Commissioner Hardie. The meeting was held in the aldermen's room to give accommodations to the large number of petitioners who were expected.
 The petition for fire protection to that district which Ties west of Pros pect street and north of Grove street" was taken up first. Ex-Alderman Frank T.. White, George Tracy and Charles M. Chapman were the speakers for the petition. They said they rep resented a good many others who dele. gated them to present the situation of affairs to the board There were about twenty present MT White stated that in his opinion a lot for an engine house l could be bought on tnp of the hill in the district named, that is. north of Woodlawn terrace. for about S1.500. He was certain land could he bought very reasonably. for those dosirous of l having an engine house Gin their midst'' would put no obstacles in the way of that project.
 MT Tracy stated that in his opinion there was no section of the city that had so much money invested in dwell ing houses and yet was so poorly pro- tected. He thought no time should be lost in giving an engine house to that l section
 MT Chapman said he represented the sentiments of many property owners
 He has lived in the district ten years and taken freuuent observation of things. He said that the present fire conditions give no protection what ever to the district, and the fire of the evening before gave the neighborhcod such a scare that will not be forgotten i'll some time. 1t took the firemen from the Burton I street engine house fifteen minutes to reach the scene of the fire. He was I told that several times the heavy ap- paratus of the denartment had to stop on it's way up the hill and when at last the top was reached the horses were in such condition that second fire that night would surely have ren- dered them incapable of further use to l the department. He was certain that no private owner of horses would all l low them to go up North Willow street I at the rate that the fire horses are ex- Dected to go. Another thing MT Chap
 man objected to was the water press ure. 1t was far too low on thirty I pounds, and were it not for storm I that occurred two wears ago when q fire broke out oil Willow court, that
 whole section would have been wiped I out. The petitioners did not ask for d I fancy. engine but something practica- I ble. Tn reply to Commissioner. Beach. MT Chapman stated that insnrance
 rates are no higher in the district in question than in any other part of the l town. This closed the hearing on this matter and the petition for police pro-
 tection in Waterville was taken up. q Alderman Gates was the first sDealS- CT. He was of the oninion that the 4 1 400 people living in Waterville are lI entitled to better protection than tliav
 are getting. Every dav and night
 fDhts of most ferocioHs character
 take place there and without licenses
 at that. Last Saturday nioht no less
 than three took place. There are d number of voUng bloodS LID there who
 keen the village in state of constant
 alarm and to 90 out at night without
 an escort is tho last thing a woman
 would think of doing. There is no re
 snnct paid to anyone for the vouno
 blnods own the village every night and
 generally until abort 4 o'clock Sunday
 mornings. A MT WnIffe went into
 more particulars. When the people
 cnmnlain to the police. he said. thev
 are told to get a warrant from the
 prosecutor. "A nice thing, sometimes
 about midnight'' said he. Last Sun
 day evening. when people were coming
 from church. the street was in the DOS
 session of number of the young
 hloods. "Proteotion went out" said he,
 "whnn consolidation came in."
 The last sneaker was Attorney N k
 Bronson. who spoke lonoer and in more detail than any of the others. He said
 hn represented the intarests Of the late
 w s. Rabcnck in the Waterv'lIa Cut. low Go and had occasion to be in the Ivil1aoe frequeDtlv of late during the nioht time Hc reminded the board that therp are three or four very large factories in the place and that every evening young men and old men arf set loose from fhesa conrerns witI } noonnv fo srend. Thnre being no re