The Washington times., 1902-08-19
DISTRICT FIRE RECORD FOR
FISCAL YEAR NOT ACOSTLY ONE

| trial being housed therein The general
health of the animaR has continued
good. and they have received from those
in charge of them the best of care and
| attention. their appearance in the an
nual parade of the department last De
cember causing President Roosevelt to
remark that he had never seen finer
set of horses.
Health of the Men.
From the annual report of the Board
of Police and Fire Surgeons 1t appears
that there was less sickness among the
| officers and men of the department than
during the previous year, for while there
were twenty-nine more sick cards is
sued. there were forty-two less house
visits made by the surgeons and they
received sixty less visitors at their of
fees. There were several cases of Sc
rious illness among the members of the
department, but fortunately none re-
suited fatally. The Board of Surgeons
examined 355 applicants for appoint.
ment to the department, 156 being
passed as physically fit and 1879 rejected.
There were thirty-eight on the pen
sion roll of the department July |, 1901,
the monthly payment to them aggregat-
ing $1,245. During the past year three
members of the department were placed
on the retired list on an allowance of
$50 per month each, two at $40 a month
and one at $24. In one case the month
ly allowance was increased from $50 to
$50. in two from $50 to $40, in two from
$50 to $50, and one pensioner at $50 per
or ABB tv,rr r.
monthly payment July 1, 1902, $1,509. an
increase of 1914 per month The de-
ceased pensioner was William Kirkpat-
rick, who died April 26, 1902. He en-
tered the department as private No
vember %, 1873, being retired March
1899. after nearly twenty-six years
service.
Intoxication Means Dismissal.
Eleven men were removed during the
year. nearly all being due to intoxica-
tion. The dismissal of men because
OF intoxication was recommended for
the reason that the department believed
and still believes that no man upon
whom the community depends for pro-
lection should be continued in service
after having been found under the in
fluence of liquor while on duty, unless
he is able to show mitigating circum-
stances. There were cases of less Sc
rious offenses, but. on the whole, the
discipline of the department has been
excellent.
The policy inaugurated during the
latter part of the fiscal year of 1901 of
depriving men guilty of misconduct or
neglect of duty of their days off or re-
ducing their annual leave instead of re-
quiring them to pay fines has proven to
be most effective. the punishment fall
ing where it should, on the guilty par
ties, and not, as was the case where
fines We're imposed, upon the innocent,
those dependent upon the offenders ;or
support.
Causes of the Fires.
There were eleven fires dufing the
fective wiring, decrease of fifteen rs
compared with the record for 1901 This
good showing may be attributed to the
close supervision by the municipal au-
thorities and enforcement OF regula-
tions governing such matters.
I'm 1901 there were SO fires caused
either directly or indirectly by gasolene
or like f1uias. and during the past year
95, of which is were due TO explosion of
gasolene stoves. Eighteen persons were
more or less seriously burned in the
fires and two fatally. Too many pre-
cautions cannot be thrown about the
storage and use of gasolene because of
its very treacherous and highly explo-
sive nature. and the department renews
its recommendation that dealers in 1t
be required to furnish every purchaser
of gasolene and gasolene stoves with
printed instructions as to their care
and use.
Inspection of Buildings.
"The last six months of the past fs-
cal year were devoted by the senior as
sistant chief engineer and the fire mar
shall to an exapination of hotels, thea
ters, apartment houses, schools. asy-
lums, and like institutions for the pur-
pose of ascertainipg whether or not the
laws and regulations for the protection
of life and property were being OBJ
served. In but one case, It is reported,
did these officers find that in every par