New-York tribune., 1908-01-30
CITY PLAYS WITH FIRE
rONFLAGR4TION FEARED.
afore Talk Of Lantrys Reagndf'oh
Insurance Mans Tie5cS.

r-,slovx:,s- the continued activity OF the ReaFd
of Fire Underwriters with assertions thaI Ne"
York CITY is in danger of a conhaeratlon WHICH
,iu make the disasters in other American cities
seem frifiing by comparison. there We're re-
uezred assertions yesterday that Commissioner
,.,-- ,,-o,,Id soon resign or be removed. Conn
missioner fantrv refused 10 discuss his posi-
,5or IN auv way smiling when a question as 10
his resignation put TO him
me report of the Commissioners OF Accounts
on The result Of the first stage OF the m'eetis@-
tion into the department will be prepared as
soon as possible II will go eNhausuNey ih''
The question of hose, touching on the slor'ase
IN supply and the poor quality OF MUCH u
the hose that actually is in the department
\ man who has been connected with nre IN
sursnce in New York for thirty years told a
Tr5hlna repoTter Yesterday that no remarks as
20 the danger Of the city from great IRE couid
he ex3eeerated. This man. whose name Is WITH
held has been an official OF a fire insurance com
many has bought hose for the FIRE DePdftiheii'
of = corporation which maintains all over the
country plants and fire fighting forces as large
collectively, as the New York Fire Department
.n6 j. thoroughly conversant with the situa-
tion.
You can't exaggerate the danger he said
Yesterday The Fire Department is rotten.
and MANY persons know it as well as / dc 1t
.s honevcnI1Fe bed with politics. Now they are uH
ing to put il all up TO Lantry. That IS rlolcu-
tors Lantry Is q Tammany politlclah Win d
fir record Bur what can he know Of the de-
r,artrlento What qualification had Johh n
o-Rrien for the comnissionership? Nhat quar-
,eca.5o, had HAYES, or Sturgis, though both
zt7a,A csnatle and honest men, A man cannot
20 into highly technical department like thaO
60 1..-r ali about il in a year. or IN two
years.
.--osnneu ss4,,rgis. Hayes OBrien, Lantry are
.te last five commissioners. Not one OF them
knew ANYTHING Of the department when ne Went
q. HOY could he? These men have had 10
-a7- entirely OF their subordinates IN the ofhces
and he uniformed force. There is no better IN
element 10 graft in the world than lhe aP-
-,aintr1ert Of such commissioners iney can
make 5ricit money themselves # they want to-
g. IS almost impossible for them 70 stop o'herS
io the DEPARTMENT from doing SO.
-rotter7 hose has been bought / don't say
.hst anv one in the department has prof1ted by
-l,a Is,rrl7ases made but why is II that some
arr,e have had 10 replace bursting hose and
o,bsrs have NOT Why is il that il is almost
fronos~fbIe 20 tell from the department records
whether hose has burst through faulty con-
s-r,ctfon or through bad usage necessary or
unnecessary. at fres'
-.Sunpose 2 serious FIRE should start IN The
,-holesale district between Broadway ana the
North River some one Of these intensely coio
nights when there IS a high wind suppose 'fe
artiouated and worthless fire alarm system
s,orld fail even for q few minutes, as it IS
doing every day and almost every hour Such
: delay. coupled with the fact that the hose
.annof be relied upon. would probably mean 2
great conflagratton-
The frenlen are afraid OF the hose In the
old da<s Z company would calmly go above a
fire 70 fight il. They We're sure Of Their nose
and knew thev could take chances. They won [
10 i now. They're Just as brave as the Old
fellows used TO be. but il isn't right to expect
man u trust 70 hose that is almost sure 10
burst He would be throwing away his hfe
needlessIv
The whole system needs 70 be cleaned out
The way TO feorganize the department IS 70 put
IN a practicaf fireman with a good record Such
= man. wiki good deputy conarnissioners-"e
have one n1yv. by the way, il former Chief Bon
rer-co-Ild DC wonders as things are now. luck
saves New Tork a. each big IRE