The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-28
NEW YoRk.s FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Comments by . Man VINO slept with
Engine o..

COmment9 Dy q wan VINO btept WIN
Engine %.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sfr: Henry
W, Russell. who says he IL a waiting cleo
t%rician." In a communication to The Sun.
paints In rather dull colors the exploits
OF our Fire Department. a department
of which we are proud. With your permits
sion ] would like 10 say a word In its defence.
Possibly ! have not had the wide experience
In electrical matters that Mr.. Russell has had.
nor have ] had the opportunity OF comparing
our department with that OF Newark. n. j.,
TO say nothing OF st. Paul. Mich. j have.
however. seen our men at work at scores Of
fires. and. what IL better. ] recently passed
a night with Engine es and turned out twice
with the company in response to alarms.
The company's quarters Ia In Forty-third
street near Fifth avenue. The commander
Is Capt. Henry Hauck and his lieutenant
John O'Neill. II st. Paul has two men livelIer
on their feet than these two. they must have
wings. On the night | was with the company
corner Of Thirty fourth street and Madison
avenue. The first stroke OF the gong struck
at ! 81 and we were In the street headed for
Fifth avenue when the second round began
to come IN. From quarters to the, hydrant
at the hortneasa corner o. hn,' yrahifd snIef'
there are ten blocks. straightawny, and one
crosstowp TO Madison avenue Counting
we have a total OF eleven and one-half blocks
or half a mile. The records In Fire Chief
s sc8yG thres Sn minu wsi in sAG reaching Sfns n the i sTs Plug lug
and coupling its suction pipe thereto. count
ing from the moment that the clock in quarters
or hose up three fights OF stairs. through the
house adjoining the one on fire, and water on
the flames from the roof
Late that, evening William Leary, the
the apparatus, and while standing on the
apparatus floor he said to Capt, Hauck: Let
me see what the. men can do. The men had
no intimation Of what was coming. some OF
struck q station while Mr.. Ieary held a watch.
When the dryer was IN he seat Mr.. Leary
All our fire engines. hose wa CONS or trucks
are not In s~potless coats. OF paint, ] am sorry
TO admit that here and there you may find
some paint sCraped of wheel or body OF wagon
and possibly an engine or two may have a
dent in It's boiler. but those are honorable
scars; they were received when there was
"something doing. Z. A. l..
INV YORK. Feb. p.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUY-Sir The let
ter written by Henry W. Russell and pub
lished in to-day's issue OF THE Sun calls for a
few words. not In defence Of. hut In Justice
20 the Fire Department OF New York. Had
Mr.. Russell construed Chief Cookers words
correctly he certainly never would have given
utterance to hiI erroneous impressions.
When Chief Croker stated This FIRE never
would havahappened in New York." he was
right, for OUR buildings are mostly modern and
not the antiquated style OF the wooden struc-
lures found on the principal thoroughfares OF
Paterson. Newark and other smaller cities.
CONGREGATIONS such has happened In Water
bury. Norfolk or Paterson. cannot take place
In New York.
Now. MIR. Russells uncle may be the author
OF the statement hat "Newark's fire loss is |
much lower. In proportion 10 It's size and popu- |
lation than New lork's." but. barring two
department stores. one bank and one insur- |
ance building. Newark has no structures to
compare with the large ones OF New York. |
A fire that would consume one square block
in Newark would not cause az much none
one of our big buildings In this city. There |
are more articles Of value stored in one square |
block in our retail dry goods district than in
II MIR Russell will refresh his memory he |
viii reoollect that during the past two years
partment store and various factories in the |
city OF Newark
Mr. Russell how many other cities. other than |
New York. have searchliEht engines. As to |
our fire houses not being 30 rood az those In |
other places, allow. me TO state not only are
as good, but they are far superior to the |
average FIRE houses Of other cities. Let MIR. |
Russell take q stroll. with his uncle. some fine
morning, and inspect, say the quarters of /
Engine Company 80 in Great Jones street, |
Engine Compeny. II In Eighteenth street.
HOOK Ntu la1flfT 7 oTlDNnN ~ II tet lnIfN- /
third street, Hook and Ladder Company q in
east Canal street. Engine Company IL in West
Seventy-sev enth street, and should he be up
in the borou Oh OF The Bronx. let him take a
AZ the fine houses Of Engine Company II
NJ i6ist street and Park avenue, Fngine Com
any az in East Nth street, Engine Company
IN lj2d street, and n score OF two OF others, |
and then they will see what fine houses this
Fire Department of ours possesses. They
need not Confne themselves TO one or two
closest to the main station OF our
walls or brass beds in the dormitory. an
alarm may be received and they Will soon
and ont how greatly Mr. Russell. Jr, was
IN error when he stated that our fremen
do not hitch their horses until the big gong
rings Why. the apparatus IRE on the
house ,whcn, the second. round of the small
Is still ringing ] should advise Mr.
Russell 70. 90 Engine q In Cedar street,
west OF broadway, where this company
to such short t~appings OF stations
rs -, 10. OF, IL ~, I or : taps and he will
notice that the apparatus ia almost at Broad
way when the big gong is hitting. These
ire facts to be substantiated az any time.
As TO the street fire alarm boxes, a New
orRcr on giving an alarm need not smash
my glass before sending II in. as one does
n tho city Of Newark. since Mr.. Russell states
As to the srmorv Are getting the best Of
department. allow me 10 state that that
'nilding was doomed before even the alarm
lad been turned in, Furthermore. has
lr Russell seen n stubborn Are eStin-
rushed In lower Pearl street, where the T.
Dad occupies almost the entire open space
the buildings there1 II be has not,
him wait an opportunity.
CHER Cookers claims are lust, and the
OF New York city think so too.