Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-12
FromFire Protection Stand
pointi Serious Condition.
Narrow Streets, Poor Water Sup
ply and Inefficient Fire Alarm
Prove Grave Menace to Life and Prop
ery Say the Commissioners.


| Commerce, today, says:
The city of New York from a 1lfe
protection standpoint is in a very ser
| ious condition, as is shown by the just
completed report of the Committee of
| Twenty of the National Board of Fire
| Underwriters. There are several vital
deficits in the various branches oil the
| fire department and water supply,
which at any time might in conbina-
| ton form a very grave menace to the
| greater part of the city. With its vast
| congestion of values and narrow ana
obstructed streets in the business sec
tiOn. taken in consideration with Il
dangerously unreliable fire alarm syS-
tenn insufficient water supply and poor
distribution, causing extremely low
pressure in some localities, antlquatcd
and defective hydrants, absence of suf-
fcient number of fire engines and in
efficiency Of some of those in use,
| there is decided opportunity for
sweeping connagration in this city"
The committees engineers have
completed a very careful examination
of the entire city and the result of
their findings is confirmed by Capt.
John Stephen SeWell of the corps of
engineers, United States Army, who
was detailed by President Roosevelt
to assist III the work of the commit
tee, Capt. SeWcll says in part:
The type and occupancy of build
ings prevailing in the worst sections,
their mutual exposure, the narrow
ness of streets. inadequacy Of water
supply and distribution, together with
no inrnINa1
bine to make of the situation in Man
haitian by fire. the most serious fire
and connagration hazard | have ever
seen. The conclusion is inevitable
that the magnificent personnel Of the
fire department has been the only thing
that has prevented sweeping confla-
grations in the past. The existing
physical conditions, not to mention
inefficient engines and deteriorated
alarm system, constitute Il handicap
under which any more human agency,
however perfect. must ultima tely fall.
"In view of the enormous interest
involved and the almost international
character of the catastrophe which
would be represented by a sweeping
confagration in Manhattan. no time
should be lost in putting into effect all
ths,TsDAosed improvements. a nd all ba
in this report or
their full equivalent. In my Judgment,
the description of existing dangers i'll
this report is. if anything, too conser-
Vative, the hazard is at least as real,
and serious. and imminent, as herein
stated The adoption of the recon-
mendations in full would reduce it to
u practical minimum, and no lesser
measures will suffice
The report is issued under the aus
pices of the Committee of Twenty of
the National Board of Wire Under
writer's. This committee was appoint
cd by the National Board shortly at
ter the Baltimore conflagration with
a view to investigating the fire pro-
lection of the large cities of the coun-
try and includes in its members: Hen
ry Evans, president of the Continental
insurance Co, chairman; Fred W.
Arnold, president of the Equitable
Fire & Marine Insurance Co, of Pro-
violence; Col. Robert +. Rcath, preSI-
dent of the United FiremcnS lnSur-
ance Co, of Philadelphia; r. NJ. BIS
sell, vice president of tho Hartford
Fire Insurance Co, of Hartford; Wit
liam B. Clark, president of the Aetna
Insurance Co, of Hartford; James
Nichols, president of the National Fire
Insurance Co, of Hartford; Edward
Milligan, secretary of the Phoenix ln-
surance Co. of Hartford; Il. &. irwin
president of the Fire Association of
Philadelphia; +. L. Ellison, vice preSl-
dent of the Insurance Company OF
North America of Philadelphia; "A. w.
Damon, president of the Springheld
Fire &, Marine Insurance Co, of
SprinCfield Mass.