Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-19
NEW YORK CITY

In New York city proper. including the
boroughs OF Manhattan and the Bronx
there are deputy chiefs, SO battalion
chiefs. 112 foremen or captains, 169 assist
ant foremen or lieutenants, 223 engineers on
steamers. $40 firemen of the first grade, 241
hremen OF the second grade. 294 of the
third and 267 of the fourth. In Brooklyn
and Queens boroughs. Including Brooklyn,
Long Island City and the vast territory
leading down to and including Coney Island,
Brighton Beach and other seashore resorts.
other deputies. 20 battalion chiefs 90 cap
tains, 124 leutenants. 181 engineers, 667 pri-
Yates of the first grade, 100 of the second,
III of the third and only SO of the fourth.
These figures indicate that as soon as 1t
is possible to do so the men In the ranks
are promoted to the first grade where their
pay is 81 400 a year. If the recruit shows
any aptitude at all his journey through the
three lower grades Is quick one. But he
must begin at $S11a year. which Is $50
lower than the lowest grade In the District
fire department under the new arrangement.
New York Firemen.
All uniformed members Of the New York
fire department are entitled to retire at the
expiration of twenty years of continuous
service on pensions equal to one-half the
pay being received at the time of applica-
ton. The fire commissioner, or executive
head OF the department, has authority to
retire any member who is found unable to
perform active duties. In this case the
commissioner fixes the amount Of nension
If the disability has been incurred In the
line of duty however. the pension must be
at least one-half of the active pay of the
fireman retired.
The annual appropriations for the New
York fire department aggregate six and
one-half millions of dollars.
Nowhere In the world Is the efficiency of
fire department more severely tested than
here And due, either to this efficiency or
to what some may term luck" New York
has suffered less than any Of the large
cities from disastrous confagrations. Half
million dollar losses by fire are not uncom-
mon here, but when the losses are COM
pared to the value of the property in peril
the percentage Is very small indeed I'm
doubtedly the success of the New York de-
ganization itself. The department Is huge
one and is well trained. Knowing he has
almost unlimited apparatus at his com
mand. the battalion or deputy chief who re-
spends to an alarm and finds a fire which
is the least bit threatening does not hest
tate to send In second or third call for
more engines. This is especially true down
in the congested factory and tenement dis
tricts Of the lower east and west sides of
the city. 1t is not an unusual thing for two
or three alarms to be turned In for a fire
which In the end may not have. caused
more than $1,000 or 5000 damage.
Chief Croker believes that prompt pre-
vention. at the cost of few pounds of
coal consumed in the extra alarm steamers,
far outweighs the expense of one serious
confederation. In smaller cities the battal-
ion chiefs do not feel justified In SO quickly
summoning extra engines for small blaze,
for with limited department the call for
additional apparatus always means the
leaving of large area Of the city unpro-
tected. The extent to which the deputy
chiefs make use of extra apparatus here
seems almost absurd at times. The other
night for instance, there was a fire In
frame stable and a number of nearby shan
ties in Harlem. A village volunteer depart
ment with one engine at It's command
would not have been unduly excited over
such a blaze. But there were two alarms
turned In and seven engines, two trucks,
battalion chief and a deputy chief, the lat
ter In an automobile. responded. A high
wind was blowing, however. and there were
two big apartment houses In the same
block with the shanties. The extra appa-
ratus was wanted on the scene In the event
of possible spread.
Taught a Lesson.
New York seems to have been taught
valuable lesson by the other cities, and no
matter how small fire may appear at
the beginning the authorities Of the me-
tropolis will take no chances.
If there Is one feature in which the New
York department excels 1t Is In iife-savtng
This Is due, perhaps. not to any excess of
local bravery over the intrepid men who
compose the organizations OF other cities,
but TO the fact that the New York firemen
have had wider experience and more con-
slant practice. One-half OF New York lives
In tenements. the other half In hotels and
apartment houses. The private residence
has come to be a luxury that only the MIL
Honaire can AFFORD. Fifth avenue is being
gradually turned into shopping mart for
the fashionables, while beautiful Riverside
drive Is all but lined with towering apart
ment palaces where a kings ransom Sc
cures only one window opening on, the
river
In the downtown districts there il hardly
n building which does not hold tena4ts Of
some sort. Dilapfdated old structures In
ancient Greenwich village ON the lower
west side, hold their SCORES o. mon. Moznen