The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-15
GREAT FIRE RECORD
SHOWN BY CHIEF VAIL
Comparison of Bywater's Last
Year With Chief Wallis
First Year.
A DECIDED IMPROVEMENT
AT A MUCH LESS COST
Instances of Great Efficiency in
Chief Wallis SkillfuI
Methods.

sons with former administrations 1T lS
doubtful If any can show greater i'm
provement than the fire department. AL
though Chief Vail has been in command
only little more than a year he has
wrought great changes for the better
meot Of the service in nearly all its
branches, so that now Salt Lake has
as efficient a FIRE department, consid-
ering its size, as can be found any
where
Were it not for numerous recent ex
hibitions of extraordinary efficiency II
would suffice to mention the individual
ability and the discipline of the men
as displayed during the Templeton fire
as proof, but similar examples were
numerous during the year 1906 and
will be touched upon later.
Great Efficiency.
Meanwhile a few statistics will bring
30 the attention certain facts which
have entered into the history of the
municipality as blunt evidences of
progress IN fire fighting. The records
of the department show that during
1908, the last year of Chief Bywater 8
administration, 243 runs were made,
while in 1906, the first year Of Chief
Vail s administration, the department
responded to 237 alarms. The total
losses by fire in 1905 We're SS4i2505,
while in 1906 the losses amounted to
only S60,293 60-a difference of $23,-
S31.45. An examination of the records
shows also that there was more proper
~ endangered last year than during the
year preceding,
Economic Showing.
The tables of expenditures also pay
au eloquent tribute to Chief Walls eX-
ecutive ability. The net total for 1905
was S69, ,39S.04, while that for 1906 was
$60,721 IS. Considering the fact that
the department has been thoroughly
overhauled since Chief Vail assumed
charge this difference in expenditures
is strongly emphasized AS far as sub
stantal improvements are concerned.
matters remained practically in statu
quo during the last year of the By
water administration, while on the 9th
or hand numerous important improve
ments, particularly in regard to per
fcctlng the fire alarm system have been
made since the beginning of 1906
Fire Alarm System.
Thanks to the improvements along
this line Salt Lake City now has a
strictly metropolitan fire alarm system
"a system unequaled by any city west
of New York In fact, Chief Vail s
activity in this matter has been revo-
lutlonery rather than evolutionary as
was the case in some other lines For
merly the alarm was, con nunicated TO
all stations, causing no httle confusion
ana unnecessarily disturbing the men
at stations remote from the scene of
the fire, What is more. the alarm was
taken, not by any one III particular,
put ny the fireman who happened to
bc near The apparatus at the time One
of Chief Wallis first moves was to
place the apparatus in the second story !
or the Central station and to appoint
men whose special duty it is To receive
the alarms. These are sent to the
central station only, and when aeces-
sary the operator communicates the /
alarm, to the sub-station in whose terri.
tory the fire happens TO be.
Improved Method.
The new GameweD alarm boxes were
1pstailed last year. In this way all Of |
the theaters have been afforded protec. |
ilon wblcG have beer accorded them
Tor the sake Of the public. If not other |
Wise, many years ago. Gon2s have also |
been placed at the corners of Main |
and First South and Main and Second |
South streets, which warn the street
car operators and the public of the an. !
proach of the department. In addition |
to these improvements most Of the par. !
sphernaha has been thoroughly over. |
hauled. new teams have been ACQUIRED |
and three more men are employed by !
the department than formeriy.all OF |!
which has increased the efficiency OF !
the department, yet the expenditures |
dld not approximate those Of the pre-
ceding year.
New Station.
Station No. 5, which has been built |
during the present administration, will |
be ready for service within the next |
two or three weeks. All Of the equip. |
mcnt has been ordered, but is being de- |
Iayed IN transit because Of the freight |
congestion. The horses have been pur. |
chased and have been drilled sufficient !
~ TO begin work as soon as the eouip- |
ment is installed. This station will |
afford better protection TO the south |
and southeast portions of the city.
A Harmonious Unit.
The foregoing serves to show some
OF the more material improvements
made during the past year, but there is |
stall another. and if possible a more
important, thing that has been accom-
plished by Chief Vail. He has erndi.
caced ali former dssentions among the /
firen,cn and now every member Of The
department manifests 4 personal in.
terest IN che work so that il nav he /
said that the success which, has !
crowned the work during tho past year |
was NOT due so much TO the efforts of |
any one man, bur to those of the entire
force
Effective Work,
in Tecounting some Of the instances
IL which Chief Vail and mis- FIRE fight
evs did extraordinarily effective work.
that iu 1he case OF tne FIRE in the old |
Triouas building deserves. perhaps. |
first mention. This occurred at 4:2O a
m; and when the frerlen arrived the
building sesmod to be ore solid mass
ativeiy iight.
Had 1t nor been for TIE prouipt and |
effective work Of tie department much |
damage would have been done by the !
recent fire in the Temple5ou block. as
the fire extended through the airshaft
from the second story TO the roof, yet