The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-07
No PARALLEL
~. FIRE LOSSES
Ctty Suffered More Last Year Than
Ever Before.
TIE REPORT 10 The BOARD
President frisehkorn Makes Recommends
tions for Improving the seryice-hir.
Thompson favors Uader.
greuld System.
THE REPORT TO The BOARD
President frischkorn Makes Recommends

which he tod of how the city mad SUI
fered from fires curing the past year.
SUPERINTENDENT w II. Thompson SUB
united a special report ia regard to piac-
t,,e, the CITY 5 wires underground In the
Hell telephone Company's conduits, re-
commencing that the board ask ior an
appropriation FOR this purpose. Inc board
ordered that the report be referred 10 the
City Council, ana recommended tnsI
s2505o or as much thereof as may be nee
ossary be appropriated to carry out t'1is
work.
Representatives OF the two street ralt-
v,avs and the Development company were
s--aee,t and conferred with the board IN
regard 10 cutting off their electrical cur
a,cTr in case OF fires. This matter was
referred to superintendent thompson
chief Puger and the representatives OIL
the above companies.
I.ne street car representatives also us
cussed the matter OF hose Jumpers
beng used at fires SO as to Keep up
their traffic; they wanted the flre 80, De.
rartruent TO carry these Jumpers on lneif
:pparatus This matter was iaio over
,,ntlI the car companies can get sample
3u1nryer. which they viii snow TO Inc
The resignation of j. II. Haley, sub
sutute in Engine Company No. O. was re-
cefved and accepted
lpILrzslIJ1.NI > htSI oAt.
in his report President t1ischhorh says
among other tninss:
."rhe year ending has had no parallel
i: Sc l1,.sss s3Itce the city WAS founuea-
frheTa were nine general alarms Se-6-o)
during the wear, and only eight Tor the
previous five years.
This means that the entire city Is uIl-
PROTECTED says the report with me
exception of one engine company ana
one hook and ladder truck, when lu"sl
cover miles of territory, and several &C
casions have arisen where the last Svi,i-
NAMES were pressed. into service. VIII
out special reference, the Meyer llIe,
Anril 10, 1901, was the most severe ana
crucial test that the department was
ever called upon to perform and our
most conservative fire fighters predicted
an extensive and disastrous conhagTation
hIt as in every case during the year
Il was stopped at its starting point.
eve have had great misfortune In
DELAYED notification, yet the RECORDS VIII
show the arrival of the department III
every instance inside of three minutes
while with d single exception the alarm
has worked correctly. our elsht eng
1saye never broken down at single
IRE.
.eThe conditions under which we oper-
ate are fearful. and would not be toier-
stct7 north of Mason and Dixon me
where the fire departments always re-
ccive first consideration. 1t is an ordl-
mary circumstances for us to pump water
a thousand feet through IL inch hose.
which friction We cannot overcome anu
have a satisfactory stream on the hre-
AT the Whitehurst and Hahllstoh
buildings. engines sandwlche" on 'lie
same main were practically powerIess.
Again and again have our men gone
into the basin and dug holes deep enough
10 cover the strainer on our suctions so
as to get water.
al, the naptha fire at the lower gas
vorks greater heroisnl was never DIS
shaved. Our men stood under the tlaz-
ing oil TO protect the reservoirs and had
their clothing burned from their bodies
and our second alarm engines pumped
from James River through l,5oo feet OF
hose. and the hydrant in the WORKS
proper would not enable our engines TO
tbrnvy water Is feet This valuable prop
erty has repeatedly, since the introduce
zion of water gas called the department
"a its nIsnt but we are dreadfully handi-
canned for the want of fire plugs and not
:. moment should be lost to make this
comparatively trifing expenditure Tor
more hydrants TO enable US 10 save the
city's property.
las an evidence Of the importance Of
good streams all five engines employed
ut the Warner Moore lime fire threw
water a distance Of 200 feet and steadily
maintained a wafer pressure on their
,,unps through 500 feet of hose of 20
mounds thereby enabling them TO put
water on the shingled property of the
Richmond Ice Company, which, if once
afire. would inevitably have wrought great
destruction on the river front This Is
f3,e answer to what is called water pres
sure What we need is quantity and
the engines VIII provide pressure. In
this connection it is important TO pass
some law regulating the storage of lime
on The water front and at such places
Us NAV hecorne INUNDATED from fFeshets'
NEED MORE ENGINES.
1--WE sadly need two more engine com.
NAMES for the northern and western
parts of our city. Ten engines are sim
r1y a reasonable number for such a city
as Richmond. which stands ahead of so
many cities OF equal size in every other
respect
AS a business proposition YOU will
observe at a glance that the underwrit-
crs, after such a year. would not hest
tate long IL they lost confidence in the
fire department and when we implore
you TO strengthen our hands and IT is re-
fused. the consequence is clear and would
affect every citizen alike
.'our appropriations for expenses are
The same las we have often reminded
you beforel as fixed in she year 1856. and
from that sum we are obliged to sustain
the department and purchase houses. en-
gtnes. etc. never contemplated. We car
q, nearly fifty horses against twenty-si;
in 1856 as We are obliged to double up
wagons and add the three-horse hitch
PAY FOR FULL TINE!
'.Above all, in the opinion of the board
end its executive officers, should the
payroll be so increased as to make the
department composed of men paid FOR
their fun time. and should those oppo-
rcnts TO the measure say otherwise, Their
Il is only necessary to make inquiry and
comparison TO see whether the man vie
responds with his company is more ad-
vantaeeous than the man who runs miles
or quietly awaits a street-car Oar ex'
tending western section, built almost en-
tirely OF churches. asvlums and beautiful
homes. must have additional protection