Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-01-07
COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
LAST OF oLD-FIRsr OF NEW.


concluded, shortage of S11.50 was an
nounced in the street account and sos 90
in the poor fund Both these shortages
were supplied from the sidewalk fund.
Clerk Estell then read the annual report
sf Fire Chief Shivers. The document will
be published in pamphlet form after
while, but we publish it in full because it
is not only readable paper, but full of
facts that the people are interested in.
ANNUAL REPORT OF FIRE CHIEF sHIvERs.
Woodbury.. N. j., Dec 31st, 1903
70 the President and members Of City Council
GENTLEMEN: have the honor to sub
NIT the following as my report of the opera
tions of the Fire Department of our City
for the past year.
During the past year the department has
responded to 16 alarms of fire, three of
which were false alarms, two were calls for
assistance outside the city limits; one of
these was in Woodbury. Park and the other
at Mantua, N. J. The other eleven were
alarms to extingnish fires in the City
The department. responded promptly to-
all Of these alarms except one, that being
the alarm sent in from the Woodbury.
Bottle Works on April 16. On this occa-
sion No. l Company ran to North Wood
bury on account of the alarm coming in in
correctly, but finally reached the FIRE
which was extinguished by the Depart
ment with but very little loss. This fire
occurred from the breaking of tank and
the melted glass setting fire to the building.
The department was kept in service
nearly all day, keeping the glass cool so
that it could be removed; which allowed
work to be resumed in the house the next
nserning.
Too nuebessdjt cannoe be giveH TO the
members Of the department who are will
ing to work there with pick, crow bar and
shovel, to remove this mass of cooled glass
Upon this occasion found that for some
reason we had an insufficient supply OF
water from the plug at German street and
Green avenue Since then, however, the
evil has heen remedied by putting in a
larger main from Giassboro avenue to this
point
The total amount Of damage done to
property, real and personal, is about $500,
fully covered by insurance. The greatest
damage occurred at the residence of G. G 4
Green to personal property which amounted
to about $1,000, the damage to the dwell
ing being about $500. The value Of prop
erty endangered by the several conflagra-
tions is S3so,O0O
IMPROVEMENTS.
During the past year the Electric Fire
Alarm System has been reconstructed by the
Delaware & Atlantic Telephone and Tele-
graph Company, and is now in splendid
working order. Your honorable body has
ordered tour bell strikers and usual indica-
tors placed in both houses which work will
be commenced shortly after the first of the
year.
The department. at present is seriously in
need of two more horses one for each COM
pany, aud l have no doubt that this need
viii be supplied very promptly after the
FIST Of the year.
Several hundred feet of our hose is gett-
ing old and in bad condition, this should
be replaced by at least seven hundred feet
of new. Some Of this hose, however, is in
use now, nut it is likely to burst at any
minute, and should such an accident occur
when we had a bad fire, it is a hard prob
lem to estimate the damage which might be
done by not having sufficient serviceable
hose.
Our battery room at present costs about
5000 yearly to maintain il; this expense
can be reduced to 500 yearly by putting in
a storage battery, which would cost about
$500
desire TO thank the members of Council
and particularly the fire committee with
whom have necessarily been in close touch
for their hearty corporation in the
execution of those things that have i'm
proved the department
Respectfully submitted,
e. w. SHIYERS,
Chief W. F. D.
Mr.. Dayis. Of the Water Committee sub
mitted The bond Of Water Superintendent
Wilmer in the sum Of 50. 500, regularly ex
ecuted, which was approved and ordered
fled with other city bonds.
REPORT OF THE WATER SUPERINTENDENT
The annual report Of Water Superintsn-
dent wi mer was next presented and read.
Our water system is one in which Woodbnr-
ians have an especial PRIDE, hence will read
this interesting documents with real pleas
ure: