The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-24
INSURANCE MATTER BEING CONSIDERED Business Men of Birmingham Expect Answer Soon FIRE APPARATUS NEEDED Experts Says Some Parts of the City Are So Far from Station as to
 be Practically Without
 Protection.
FIRE APPARATUS NEEDED

It is expected that some day this week the board of trade and Mayor Drennen will hear from the Southeastern Tariff as- soeiation regarding the report and reeom- mendations of M. D. Pierce, the special inspector who has just completed the work of inspecting the city.
 The executive committee met Saturday night and will probably continue in ses- sion today, and 1t is probable that at this session the demands of the tariff association will be made out and sent to the city.
 The board of trade and the city council are attempting to have the city restored to first-class insurance rating. and the executive committee of the tariff associa- ton has agreed to do so provided the city will make certain Improvements In the fire department, the building laws, the sizes of the water mains, the number of fire plugs and the number of alarm boxes. Exactly what these demands will be Is not known, and the next communication from the tariff association is expected to name them.
 MT. Pierce made the inspection and re- port as agent for the tariff association, and his report was forwarded to Atlanta last week. The contents will not be known until the executive committee makes il public In Its demands.
 More Apparatus Needed. The fire Saturday night which de- stroyed the beautiful new residence of w J. Rushton, and the one yesterday after
 
 insurance men say, show beyond a doubt that more apparatus Is needed. In the Saturday night fire a run of over a mile was required before the fire was reached and then there was only one fire plug which could be used Chief Mullln had one piece of apparatus at the fire which was absolutely useless, as there was no place from which water could be procured Practically the same thing occurred yes. terday on South Fifteenth street, where seven houses were destroyed.
 There are four sections of the city which are said to be practically without fire protection. They are each nearly g mile from the nearest fire station Tn, many residences on Highland avenue ant adjoining streets in the neighborhood O. Lakeview are more than a mile from tn, nearest station.
 Mile from Station.
 The people living in and around Rich mond Place arc in little better condition and those living about Tenth and Elev enth streets and Twelfth and Thirteentl avenues, south, are even in worse condi ton. They are still further from fir protection.
 About Twenty-eighth street am Twelfth avenue, north, and in the neigh borhood of Fountain Heights, the neares station is nearly a mile away. and tn next nearest is much more than that and both stations have awful runs {, make to reach either end of the Nortl Highlands.
 So if everything needed Is given the de pertinent, experts figure that II will re quire at least four new stations. Othei apparatus Is needed for other places principally a light service truck whicl can be carried to all fires, and a wate tower for flooding fires in the residence nOrffOn of fha oftv