The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-20
MAGUIRE BACK
FROM CONVENTION
WAS PLENTY OF WORK
MORE CONVINCED THAN EVER
FIRE DRILLS ARE GOOD THINGS.


Gives Extended Account of Con-
vention-With Model House 1t Was
Explained How Great baltimore
Fire Spread So Rapidly.
Fire Chief Mcguire returned yester
day morning over the Central of Geor-
gia from Chattanooga, where he at
tended the annual convention of the
National Association of Fire Engi-
neers.
The Savannah chief is more firmly
convinced than ever that there should
be fire drills in all public schools, fac
tories and other places where chill
dren are congregated.
A fire drill ordinance for Savannah
is to be drafted after a conference be-
tween Alderman Oliver, the chairman
of the Fire Committee, and Chief Ma
guire. This ordinance would have
been drawn some time ago, but
Chief Mcguire requested that it be
held up until after he attended the
convention, as he thought he might
get some valuable ideas on the sub
ject.
The following enthusiastic account
of the convention was given by Chief
Mcguire upon his return:
The Best Ever Held.
1.-The convention was one of the best
ever held and every one agrees that it
was in every respect a working con-
ventiOn I have attended a number of
these meetings where it appeared all
cr1t l,,A fI,;e
cannot be said of the recent gathering.
Every delegate in attendance SEEM
ed to be a worker. More interest
seemed to be taken in the late conven-
ton, perhaps, because of the strin-
gent measures taken by the national
fire underwriters since the great Bal
timOre cOnf1agration, regarding fire
protection. The National Association is
taking steps to have better equipped
fire departments in all of the leading
cities of the country, and as a result
the fire chiefs were deeply interested
in the proceedings of the convention.
"Mr. F. M. Griswold, chairman of
the Underwriters Committee, and Hon.
Yancey Hamilton, president of the
Southeastern Tariff Association, were
at the convention and invited the fire
chiefs to cooperate with their respec-
tive organizations for the benefit of all
llC val lOuo lOplNS IOI ulSCuSSlOl
were taken up in regular order and 1
have no doubt every member has
learned something that is new to him.
Baltimore Fire Explained.
zone of the most interesting talks
OF the session was made by William
McDevitt, chief of the electrical de-
partment, Fire Underwriters Associa-
ton of Philadelphia, on the topic,
Notes of the Baltimore Fire, With
Demonstrations OF Explosion
"Chief McDevitt had specially con-
structed for use in his demonstrations
a model of a two-story frame house
placed on a table at the front of the
stage, The speaker had made thor
Ough inspection of the burned district
of Baltimore and he demonstrated his
theories regarding the explosions
which are now considered the reason
for the fires spread.
'"The subject Will automatic sprin-
klers in theaters be as efficient in safe
guarding the lives of audiences as
emergency standpipes operated by
hand? Also the advantages of air
shafts over center of stage and steel
or asbestos curtains was the subject
of Importance handled in an able pa
per by Chief Fire Marshal w. H
Musham of Chicago. Especial interest
was attached to the subject, because
it was treated by a man from the
city where the greatest theater dis
aster occurred.
THE paper on scaling ladders, their
use and efficiency read by Chief Henry
r. Yates of Schenectady, N. Y, was
freely discussed, those who have had
experience with scaling ladders in res
cuing persons from burning buildings,
agreeing with the speaker that all de-
partments should have them.
"A vigorous debate was precipitated
by the paper of Chief William r. Ches-
weel of Boston on -propelling ap-
paratus. He was heartily in favor of
its use, and many agreed with him.
Others took the opposite view, and the
discussion became animated.
Fire Drills Discussed.
1.-THE discussion of the fire drill topic
occupied the convention perhaps longer
than that of any other topic introduced
Every one seemed DESTROYS of being
heard from and the convention was a
unit for the adoption of resolutions
| recommending the practice of fire
drills, not only in schools but in all
factories, or other plants where chill
dren are regularly assembled on the
upper floors. Chief O'Connor of New
| Orleans delivered an extended talk on
| the subject and expressed surprise that
anyone should oppose the practice of
| these drills.
"A resolution was adopted unani-
mously recommending fire drills and
the secretary was instructed to mail
copies of these resolutions to every
member of the association. The. sense
| of the convention was that fire drills
| should be held at least once a week
at such time as the head of the fire
| department should determine. / found
that in most of the Eastern cities the
/ laws Of the several states require fire
| drills once a week and a heavy penalty
is imposed when the law is not obeyed.
| In number of cities | found that there
was no law requiring drills, but in not
one single case did / hear of the au-
| thorities opposing the chief fireman
when he proposed them.
The exhibits were not as good as
usual, but there were several which
were Of great interest The wire glass
exhibit was especially interesting
Tests of the glass show that a sheet
of wire glass will withstand a degree of
heat impinged against one surface, far
! in excess of that necessary to melt the
! glass alone and If water be applied TO
| the hot sheet II is first cracked into in
Vulnerable small fragments and the
fragments Immediately welded togeth-
er, completely changing the appearance
! Of the sheet. but not seriously affect
| ing its strength. This goes very far
! toward realizing an ideal fire stop for
protecting window openings i'm build
! ings against the attack of fire from
without.