The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-22

all precautions unless, indeed, they
 charge sufficiently high rates to Justify
 the risk If building Is so large as to
 make parts of it difficult to reach with
 streams of water from the outside, they
 should demand the provision either of au-
 tomatic sprinlxlers or at least of stand-
 pipe with hose ready connected on every
 floor.
 I am informed that the pressure of wa
 ter at the time of the recent Moore x
 Handley fire was 95 pounds, but what is
 the good of this pressure If 1t is only
 available one or two blocks away from
 fire? The water company states that
 the friction of the hose reduces the pres-
 sure 15 pounds per 100 feet. It is manifest
 therefore, that in some of our recent fires the available engines must have
 occupied all the nearby hydrants and
 that the pressure from the more dis
 tant hydrants would be neutralized by
 distance If this argument be correct, the
 provision of additional fire engines would
 be practically useless for the purpose
 of any one fire, but would be useful as
 a reserve power for a second one.
 What is apparently needed then, more
 than additional engines Is the provision
 of additional hydrants. 1 am informed
 that these hydrants are provided by the
 water company and that the city pays
 flat rate per annum for each hydrant
 regardless of It's use or non-use. In view
 of the interesting articles recently pub
 lished in the Sunday Age-Herald by the
 water company as to the extreme propri-
 ety and fairness of paying for water by
 measurement instead of a flat rate, 1t can not be doubted that the water company for the sake of fair consistency would consent to modify It's contract with the city in this respect. Let the water com pany then provide one hundred or two hundred additional hydrants: let the con tract be so changed as that the city shall first pay the water company say
 4h per cent interest upon the cost of
 all the hydrants in the city, and then instead of paying rentals. pay for the water used at each. If 1t is impossible to put meters upon the hydrants without obstructlng the flow of water, an esti- , mate of the consumption can very read fly be made, multiplying the time that each engine is attached by the hydraulic | flow per minute. In that way the city would pay only for the water it con sumed. The water company would have interest upon It's investment and would receive payment for the water 1t pro vded.
 It is we'll known that the heat arising from a fire throws back to some extent and scatters into spray and steam Jet of water directed against 1t. Where the jet can be thrown at the base of the | fire 1t Is much more efficient and If It can be directed upon a burning floor or ceiling Just in front of the flames 1t may prevent and will retard their progress The difficulty of such application Is fre- quenty caused by the presence of smoke. I have seen fire within the past two years which could have been held within ne-fourth of it's area If the firemen had been able to enter smoke. The jets of water would not carry from the outside of the building to the point of combus- ton. I suggest, therefore, for the con- slderation of the authorities the propriety of providing the department with the ap- | paratus (somewhat akin to the divers | equipmenD which would permit crew without danger from the smoke to enter | with a line of hose and go right up to | the point of the fire. Yours truly
 JAMES BOWRON.