Albuquerque morning journal., 1907-07-03

II Is well for Albuquerque to con-
slider thoughtfully the case of Bisbee
in connection with the recent fire
which swept that thriving town. leav-
ing hundreds of people homeless and
destroying uninsured property to the
value of many thousands of dollars.
Probably no amount of fire fighting
equipment would have prevented a
disastrous fire in Bisbee. for all con-
ditions were ripe for the calamity.
But additional equipment and well
organized department would have
checked the devastation. would have
Saved many homes and much suffer-
ing.
The Bisbee Review states the case
of Bisbee quite plainly in the follow
ing:
Now that we have had a demonstration
Of the danger Of fire in Bshee the lesson
should not be forgotten and the fact should
be kept in mind that, because of the loca,
| tion Of homes on the mountain sides. ordi-
nary fire equipment may not be depended
| upon here as in a level city. where buildings
are divided by regular streets The fire
equipment should be provided to meet every
disadvantage of the congested condition OF
! the city. The equipment Of the fire de-
partment was, made the best use of yester-
day and the firemen acquitted themselves
wells
! Whatever additional equipment may be
suggested by the fire department as a bet
ter safeguard against fire should be
promptly provided II it takes every tenth
pound Of copper mined in the Warren dis
4 = la nay for
| Albuquerque has never been visited
! by a devastating fire; this city is par
ticularly fortunate in having escaped
even heavy individual fire losses. In
the past ten years there have been
but half a dozen big fires by which
! large losses were entailed. And prob
ably for this reason this city has not
given the attention to its fire fighting
equipment and has not raised its fire
| department to the standard Of eff
cheney at which it should be if life
and property is to be properly safe
guarded. There is no disposition to
criticize the albuquerque fire depart
ment So far as 1t goes its equip
| ment Is good; it is well directed and
! It's small force is made up of fearless
and competent men, whose record
during the past year is sufficient to
prove the faithfulness and efficiency
! of the department But the depart
| ment is too small and its equipment
Is totally inadequate for the protec-
tion of the very large and rapidly
growing property values of this cilyi
1t is practically Impossible to obtain
prompt service from a single station
In a city the size of Albuquerque.
Horses may be fast, drivers fearless
and men may work like fends; but
the minutes lost in a run from one
part of the city to another may easily
and at any time let fire get so far
beyond control that it will do for AL
buquerque what the flames did last
week for Bisbee. At least one sub
station is imperatively needed here,
and no matter how difficult ii may
seem to supply It with the ctys pres
ent income. it should nevertheless, be
supplied and at once.
There is, moreover. an urgent need
for additional equipment for the pres
ent station. Albuquerque has no lad
der equipment. There are many
buildings, in the city which it would
be wholly impossible to reach from
the ground and the lack of few lad
ders may at any time be the direct
cause Of heavy property loss-and
what is infinitely more vital, may
mean the loss of many lives.
The present small department has
done well, remarkably well. 1t has
checked several fires which threaten
ed to prove dangerous. 1t has been
aided by luck. A high wind at the
time of any one of half a dozen small
fires within the past two years might
easily have destroyed the greater por-
ton of this city. 1t is not wise to
depend on luck when property and
human lives are at stake. 1t is well
to provide to the very limit Of our
ability for protection against fire and
means for fighting il. 1t may be diff
ficult for the city administration to
see a way to provide added fire fight
ing equipment from its present reve-
nue.. other cities have found a way
and albuquerque can and should do
so. Let this city have a single fire ap-
preaching in any way The conflagra-
tion which swept Bisbee last week.
and the added equipment will be pro-
vided quickly enough.
Blsbee is Just now mourning be-
cause 1t waited until the costly lesson
had been taught It does not seem to
be very wise to wait until, like Blsbee,
we learn from the experience Of enor-
nous losses. ruined homes and the
homeless for whom we may have to
care.
That the people understood the
Trelford investigation" and that no
one is fooled by the Prichard findings,
appears quite plainly from the fol-