New-York tribune., 1902-03-21
MORE FIRE BOATS NEEDED.
CHIEF CROKER DOES NOT APPROVE
AUXILIARY TUG PLAN. HOWEVER.

Having IN mind the great danger from IRE 10
which experts say the waterfront Of New>A orK IS
constantly subjected Tribune reporter called
yesterday on Chief Croker OF the Fire Depart
ment Mr. Croker was asked If he believed that
The organization Of auxiliary freooat service
would not lessen the danger to piers and shipping
from fires, sGch the one at Hoboken on tues
day night and the great North German Lloyd IRE
June. 1899. He said
The scheme to pay qryate tugboat owners a
sum day for helping the regular IRE tugs tugs
- IsSslS raiar+ viii never he
adopted because il is impractCahe Auxiliary
reTsr s'l1t to enart1t orders discipline the
1irst essential in times Of emergency you'd wouid Pe m
the harbor which carry pumps poWeIiuI enough 20 10
tug owners would 20 10 the expense OF edutpptng
1Eeir boats with pumps and apparatus because
they would not feel sure that they would ever
realize interest on The money expended Again, II
IS not likely thar the city would appropriate
sufficiently large sum to pay for their services.
Not every one knows how to fight iires proper,ly-
80 p'gIss oII1 ] 44 iit+I lii afartj,.e work
T ne, an 4ad bs do ~ Tey 5s's m Onefp is burning
] saw hair dozen tugs PLAYING water on e Ine
5ae 81 tIdv oI g 5G in & t o b6Id ' Of fh vessel where
the fire was The tugs did good work At Hoooken
hauling away lighters and 6arggs from The 6u5nFs &
gel in where thev could do their work Usually
have bump into them OF else turn water on
standing would result in litigation between them
looking for salvage money, ana naturally enough
don't want TO move
This illustrates just how auxiliary force would
work. Another trouble with such q system Is that
tugs would be late in arriving al ire that
their services would be almost nothing. What this
city needs and what I have been urging for a long
time Is the purchase Of al least more modern,
thoroughly equipped fire fighting tugs We have
Al present nve tugs but only TWO Of them are
first class fighters Give more good boats
and handle whatever happens along the
waterfront. These boats could he built for $Jl.Vn
$15W1.
would he much better equipped # the city
would put in a number Of salt water pumping
stations along the river front At such points
high pressure streams would he ready at all times
for instant service. The tim" VIII come when Such
installation viii he found imperative The water
front IS particularly susceptible TO great fres, ana
u he sooner the ity learns what is needed to hght
them the better
The oil jim the hold Of the British Queen. the
Sn-fsted steamer which about completely de-
stroyed by fire Hoboken Tuesday night. con-
1lnued 70 burn hercely yesterday. The smoke
issued from the hulk in such clouds that passen-
gers on nearby vessels believed another shipping
IRE had started. The British Queen Is lying in
about thirty feet Of water at Thirty-ninth-st.
Brooklyn. Ferryboats going into the slip at that
point had some difficulty in passing the blazing
wreck. The heat from the redhOt sides OF the
steamer could be felt the ferryb boats. The
steamer viii be pumped clear when the fire dies
out. and then taken 10 the Morse Iron Works, at
South Brooklyn.