New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-08
CITY WARDS IN DANGER
FIRE APPARATUS POOR.
Wards Island Has Old Hose and
Engines-Blqck7ceWS Better.

Wards Island undertaken by The Tribune, in
view of the conditions suggested by Tuesdays
fire, shows that the Manhattan State Hospital
West. despite the persistent requests Of the su-
perintendent. DR.. E. c. Dent has during two ad-
mInistrations continued to be equipped with
second hand condemned hose which burst open
in three places at Tuesdays fire. and added
strongly to the risks Of death by burning.
1t is also learned that the fire engines this
western side OF pattern long out of date;
that their use at any fire drills fatty forbid
den by Croker and barred by Commissioner
Sturgis by the imposition of conditions which
the superintendent considered impossible to carry
out
1t also learned that the hose inside the
buildings of the western hospital is of a diff
ferent gauge from that used with the engine, to
which. therefore, it canno: in emergency
be coupled. DR.. Dent, III speaking to a Trb-
une reporter yesterday, said:
Formerly We used the engine once every week n
iniure it. Nj Croker however. forbade It's use on
became Commissioner l was in frequent CORE
I'll ae subject n opbase M
use, even once a month. unless 1it were put
man. As our own engineer is a fully competent
man, and we would not recommend I'D the State Board
lively high salary, TO do this and nothing else
We have only been able to use the engine when a
The engine IS of ancient type but the
resulted in our being told that the engine was ef-
does one 5e br t 10 1H nose n9 SOONER b
another secondhand lot When my assistant this
partment with request for more hose, the Of
ficer who replied summed up the situation, when
he exclaimed whats tie OF your having
more hose? You get only condemned stuff any
What bad hose may mean In the event of a fire
the veriest tyro in such matters need not be told.
DR.. Dent was at pains to point out that he was
not seeking in any way to crticse the former
fire departments. Commissioner Sturgs having
always been courteous in his dealings. DR.. Dent
said. moreover, that he believed the facts of the
case had possibly been msrepresented to the
Commissioner
AS result of the frayed article provided. the
at Tuesdays fire had to fight their way to
the roof of the burning laundry when the hose
burst, and then apply such portions OF II as
remained intact.
This is what provokes me-" said Dr. Dent.
There city fremen whatever on
the island, the entire local fire force. both at
tached to Manhattan State Hospital east, under
DR.. A. Z. Macdonald, and west, under DR.. Dent,
being composed OF hospital employees
Neither DR.. Macdonald nor DR.. Dent however
recommends the engagement of city hremen-
first, because men who were seen relatively to be
idle the greater part of the day would set a bad
example to the patients, and, second because
the superint endents believe the cost of engaging
city firemen would be uawarraEted by cOndi-
tons
Both superintendent confident that their
own force is competent 10 render ample fire SER
vice, at least until the New-York Fire Depart
men has time TO respond from across the river
In DR.. Dents division. where more than two
thousand women patients are located. there is a
fire force OF some score OF trained employees. who
are drilled every week In DR.. Macdorald's
division, where the inmates men, the fire
force numbers some three hundred. Both sides
Of he Ta HOniDDp1 G.
capes with hose, grenades, axes and saws in
every ward.
DR.. Macdonald takes especial pride In his fire
precautions, and boast that for thrty-three
years there has never been death from fire in
his division. Here. the last thing every night
the employees handle the grenades and stretch
the hose. Every week fire drill takes place.
report of the occurrence is flied with the super
intendent A device OF DR.. Macdonald's cacu-
lated 10 facilitate quiet and orderly exit by his
unbalanced patients in case of a FIRE Is his in
variable rule that patients never leave the build
ings by the usual exits. but by the outside fire
escapes
y am confident" said Dr. Macdonald yester-
day. that had inmates OF my hospital been in
the Iroquois Theatre at the time or the fire
there would not have been single death on
Sunday, when the patients went 10 church, l
counted the time made by q certain number in
descending the fire escape. I found that for
800 TO descend It took just eleven minutes. The
time for my division at Tuesdays fire was:
Alarm received. 1905 p. m: hose started. Ill;
engine started, IA; engine arrived, lis"
DR.. Macdonald added that he had no COM
plants to make about the fire facilities either
inside the hospital. which are provided by the
State, or outside where they are owned by the
city. Both sides OF the hospital are equipped by
the city with a fire engine, hose reel and hook
and ladder, and cooperate with one another IN
of a fire.
DR.. Dent communicated with Fire Commits
sioner Hayes early this week relative to good
hose and expected one instalment last night.
At Blackwelrs Island. unlike as at Wards
Island, the entire system is on a city basis
Backwelrs Engine Company No. 40 includes
two up to date engines. two hosecarts. more
than hundred lengths of hose and a personnel
of eeventeen-two officers and fifteen men. 10
the south end OF the island there are two chem
icaI engines and a further one TO the north, as
we'll as more than dozen keyless fire alarms
affixed to the entrances OF the various tnstitu-
tons or strung to nearby telegraph poles FIRE
alarms are also studded about the inside OF tne
buildings, an alarm turned in not only warning
the local engine house. but New-York FIRE
Headquarters as we'll. In fine, an inspection by
a Tribune reporter yesterday disclosed that
everv advantage of city service which the island
hy it's insular topography has to forego is ap-
parently redeemed by additional nre precautions
and facilities.
island some half a mile to the extreme south.
and the Metropolitan similar distance 10 the
north.
guishers and hose every floor, fire escapes
breaking the outer surface of the walls
In the pententiary, which is probably build
ing as we'll protected as any on the Island, the
only danger feared is from the furnaces used
for the employees cooking. The precautions and
facilities are considered of such thoroughness as
TO render general fire drills unnecessary
while the floors of the City Hospital there are
of non-freproof yellow pine. the hospital Is
ebundantly equipped with fire facilities. includ-
ing numerous exits and a hre chute' soon 10 De
supplemented by second
Here there Is an elaborate fire drill by the
employees each week.
MONEY TO FIGHT COTTON BOIL WEEViL.