Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-06
PROTECTION FROM FIRE
CHIEF BELT TELLS OF URGENT
NEEDS OF HIS DEPARTMENT.


NEEDS OF HIS DEPARTMENT.
ssrhere are several urgent ana specie
needs Of the fre department which ought
to receive attention ut the earliest mo-
menf-" said Chief Belt to . Star reparter
this morning IT fire headquarters.
y am cure that II win occastou surpefse
to all except members Of the nre depart
ment and the District oflcials whsn I
state that one of the four-quarter sections
OF the city-the southwest-is without
hook and ladder company within its
boundaries, and am satisfied IL Congress-
would consider the extent of this territory
and the valuable property interests therein
that we would receive an appropriation for
a fire truck in that section of the city.
This Is particularly true in view of the
fact that the government IL expending sew
eral millions in the improvement Of the
arsenal grounds In the erection of barracks.
officers quarters and the war college. Nor
should the many improvements in private
property In this quarter of town. and along
the water front, be omitted, as they are
more considerable than Is generally under
stood. In fact. a small-sized town OF new
and costly buildings Is being erected within
the arsenal grounds alone, and those of our
citizens or the members OF Congress VINO
have not visited these grounds recently viii
be surprised to see what a transformation
Of water part Of the city. What was
once broad lawns and Fairgrounds Ii now
covered with buildings, many OF them, es-
pecially the new barracks, storehouses and
the war college, of large size.
Location Of New Company.
1.-THE new truck house should be estab-
lished at and AZ streets southwest, and
the apparatus should be of the newest ana
largest make. The nearest truck houses
at present are over mile distant. IL
should not require any argument to con-
vince even the most economical of our city
fathers at the Capitol that mile run for
horses pulling heavy fire-trucks is entirely
too far at any, season of the year, and out
of all proportion in the winter months,
when the going Is bad, to render ef1cient
service at fires. These long runs are not
only hard upon the horses, dangerous to
the public, but are too far and require too
much time in reaching the scene of the fire
to render the service which city Of this
size and Importance demands.
THE nearest trucks to the vicinity In
question are truck A, located at North
Capitol and streets northeast, and truck
G, located at Sth and streets southeast.
With these locations in mind. run of the
fire apparatus to the water front In the
southwest, or to the arsenal grounds, can
well De pictured ana the strain on the
horses and the time which must necessarily
elapse the better understood. Then 1t must
be remembered that the war college build
ing Is at the extreme end of the neck OF
land upon which the arsenal grounds are
situated--a further distance of at least
three-quarters of a mile from the gates at
the terminus of AZ street. The fact, there
fore, remains that the government has
large and expensive buildings which are
practically out of reach for efficient serv-
ice by an important element of a fre-fight-
ing force-its trucks and their trained
crews.
New Steamer for Business Section.
1.-THE second urgent and specific need OF
our fire department is a new steamer in the
business section of the city to be located
in the vicinity of 18th and / streets, or
New York avenue northwest The estab-
lishment of a new engine company in this
vicinity should not be delayed, and the
steamer should be of the very largest and
most powerful made. Within the past few
years the improvements and the erection
of large office structures, and of business
houses, from 18th to 18th streets north
west have been too extensive and con-
spcuous to need detailed description.
Let us take 18th and New York avenue
as center Engine company No is sta
toned at 18th and D streets northwest.
full block below Pennsylvania avenue. The
next nearest company is on K street be-
tween 10th and 18th streets northwest,
good half mile distant Engine company
No IA is at Sth and D streets northwest,
at a still greater distance, while company
No 6 is yet farther away on Massachusetts
avenue 9Th street.
1T is only by bearing these locations In
mind that the public and members of Con-
gress can realize that the business section
to which l refer, now filled with some OF
the largest and most costly buildings In
the city is not adequately protected
against fire. And, furthermore, to reach
1t, the steamer at 14th and D streets and
the truck company and the water tower at
14th street and Ohio avenue are obliged to
climb pretty steep hill to get up to F
street, as, indeed, must the company from
9Th and D street. These matters while
they may seem of detail at first sight, are
OF the utmost importance when 1t comes to
reaching fire quickly.
Danger of Simultaneous Fires.
"A new and modern steamer placed in
the location I suggest would be enabled to
get a stream of water upon confiagration
in this locality in such short time that
It could be counted in the seconds, and it is
in seconds that effective fire-hghting of
today should be counted. Once fire gets
started in the crowded business sections of
a city ii Is usually stubborn, and 1t Is
the poorest sort of economy in municipal
affairs not TO have the business section
we'll covered by fire protection. If a fire
I have referred, and one to occur stimuli
taneously at or near Pennsylvania avenue
and 7th street. the department would be
confronted with a problem which Is not
pleasant to contemplate. engine
company would go a long way toward its
solution.
st, Is the danger of simultaneous fires
which the public does not seem to take
into consideration, but which is ever-pres-
ent in the minds of those who make fire.
fighting business. | am sure that If Con-
gress will give these two instances, which
are of such vital Importance to our citi-
gems, the careful consideration that they
deserve the needed apparatus will be
forthcoming. We need, of course, high
pressure in the bushes district
There is one point about fire-fghting In
Washington which Is worthy of note and of
congratulation. and that is that our water
supply is better than formerly This is due
to larger mains and more adequate water
service In general. This condition inn
proves gradually from year to year. The
Louisiana avenue fire was the most recent
public exhibition of this Improvement but
when we get the high pressure system half
of the difficulties which now confront us
will have disappeared"