The Washington times., 1902-04-14
Lessons Learned by Con-
flagrationS of Sat
urday.
VIEWS OF CHIEF BUTTON
Ere Chief Says That in Addition to This
the Department Needs More Efficient
Apparatus and Several Additional
Companies.

The destructive fire on the water front
Saturday served to impress upon the peo-
pie of Washington the need of more eff
cient apparatus in he Fire Department.
This has also been emphasized since the
hre by the expressions OF opinion on the
part OF the officials OF the department
and by the District Commissioner in
charge OF the fire service.
Mr.. r. W. Dutton, Chief Engineer OF
the Fire Department. while gazing at the
destructive flames, said to Times re-
porter: We want more and better en-
sines. We need several new companies,
but above all we ought to have the high
pressure water service in the business
section of The city. Some day We shall
have such a fire as this away from the
river front, and we will be hampered for
want CT water
Chief Dutton had reference TO the plan
for special water service to be used in
case of fire in the central portions of the
city. This plan was worked out by Mr..
W. A. Mcfarland, Superintendent of the
Water Department, and contemplates the
use Of one Of the high service reservoirs
TO give additional pressure On the mains
when fire is raging
The Proposed Plan.
The plan was outlined in special re-
port by Mr.. Mcfarland to the Engineer
Commissioner last October and was in
part as follows:
The project, in brief is to utilize the
water pressure from the Reno reservoir,
having mean elevation of AS feet above
tide level. by means of large trunk mains
extending to the principal business sec
lions of the city, and by special high pres
sure hydrants, properly spaced over such
territory as it might be desired to cover.
The system is to be used for fire pro
lection only. The general arrangement of
mains covers the principal business sec
ton of the northwest, bounded by Sixth
!, and Seventeenth Streets, and Pennsyl-
vania Avenue. The system as planned,
however, is capable of subsequent extern
sion TO any desired extent over territory
inside of the city limits Such extension
would require only a further laying of
trunk and branch mains.
If 3S-inch trunk main be laid an
effective head of water of about 357 feet
will be obtained al hydrants on Street
for example, while 10, coo gallons of water
per minute are flowing through the mains.
This amount of water is equivalent to
thirty strong fire streams through IL Inch
MOBILES. The pressure on Pennsylvania
Avenue would be some twenty feet
greater.
Experiments of Mr.. Freeman.
LAS examples of what can be accom-
plished by these pressures reference is
made to the elaborate experiments of John
r. Freeman. For instance, If two lines
Of 215-inch hose, each 400 feet long, were
siamesed into one line near the play pipe !
and a 114-inch smooth nozzle used at |
street level, head of 351 feet at the |!
hydrant would project stream of 45G |
gallons per minute to an extreme height !
of $50 feet, or good effective fire stream
10 height of 100 feet.
IF single line of 2Iz-inch hose, 500
feet long, were carried to the top of /
200-foot building the pressure would be
sufficient to deliver at that height Il
volume OF $50 gallons per minute through |
a 1h-inch smooth nozzle and throw ii to
q further height of forty feet; or, IL need |
ed, thirty such lines would deliver each |
an equal amount.
Even il 1000 feet of hose were used
there would be delivered u volume of $50 |
gallons of water per minute through a
one and half inch smooth nozzle. With |
an increase from thirty streams to forty |
the effective head would be reduced on !
F Street to about 1888 feet, still sufficient |
for an excellent service.
Cost of the Work.
1.-The estimated cost of this entire work,
lines, and service mains sixteen inches in
diameter and 200 special three-nozzle
high pressure fire hydrants, is s4s6,235.
Zone effect of putting such a service as
this in successful operation would almost
certainly be q reduction in insurance
rates, as there can be no question that 1t
would largely reduce the fire risk.
In this connection attention Is invited |
to the experience of Providence, r. l., |
where, il October, 1897 high-pressure
fire service was put in operation over a !
part of the city. Previous to the installa- /
tion of this high pressure service there |
were pressures of from forty to seventy |
five pounds per square inch (rnuch better |
than those now available in that part of |
Washington now under discussion |
IAN important point in favor of the |
separate high-pressure service is that it |
will encourage the extensive introduction |!
OF automatic sprinklers; there are at |
present but few of these in use in this /
city, and those few are served by local |
pumps and roof tanks. II the high-pres |
sure service were introduced these sprink
lers would be directly connected with the |
street mains, thus obtaining higher pres
sure and much more certain supply.
1.-The static heads at the hydrants in |
the Providence system varied from 1856 |
TO 267 feet, while those in the system as |
proposed for Washington would range |
from 355 to 1856 feet
Gives Entire Satisfaction.
Mr. Mcfarland quotes from a report on |
the Providence system, showing that it
is giving general satisfaction, and has re-
suited in a reduction of insurance rates
of per cent in the protected district.
Continuing, the Superintendent says:
las a partial offset to the cost of con
struction would be the saving TO the Fire
Department in the matter of apparatus.
steamers would be dispensed with in the
hish-pressuFe districts, thus saving iirst /
cost and maintenance charges, and Incl /
dentalIy leaving more men free for the
actual work Of fighting fires.
The District Commissioners approved |
the plan and included an item Of $5C0, 600
10 carry out the project.
MOZART'S SKULL STOLEN.
u !