The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-11-26
Henderson's Water Supply.
Report of the Chief Of the Fire
Department Made to the
Board Of Commissioners.
Henderson, n C., Nov %. 1908.
The Honorable Board Town Commits
siCners

Henderson, n. c., Nov. %. 1908.
The Honorable Board Town Commits
sicners,
Henderson, NC.
Gentemen:-I think the condition sur
rounding the late Carolina Bagging Com
pany s fire calls for special report from
this department, and feel that | can do
no better in the first place than to quote
from my recommendation to you under
date of April ~, this year wherein |
said:
Il ALSO REPORT THAT IN NEARLY
EVERY INSTANCE OF \ FIRE DUR
ING THE PAST YEAR THE WATER
PRESSURE WAS. IN MY MIND, mad
EQUATE TO MEET THE REQUIRE
MENTS, AND | AN FEARFUL OF \
SERIOUS CONFLAGRATION SUCH AS
WE HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED,
OWING TO THIS LACK OF WATER
PRESSURE ALONE
grant that with a line of y. inch hose
to hydrant with 10 lbs. pressure and d
%-inch- tip-nozzle that it is probable q
thirty -five foot stream could be thrown,
vet YOU will see that there is NO
VOLUME of water thrown with a K
inch nOzzle-merely ONE-SINTEENTH OF
the hose capacity. Ii we change this tip
so as to throw four times as much
water. thereby taking but one-quarter
the capacity of the hose. it has been
shown conclusively that it is not posi-
| BILE to direct a stream in a second story
| windOw-a cOnditi III very much to be
! deplored.
| doubt if there is fire department
in the State, either paid or volunteer,
| that could have done better work in
saving the neighboring property from
| loss than was done here In order to
get water on property that was almost
hot enough to catch fire, the men had to
stand in this very heat in order to place
| the stream OF water on the endangered
property. Had the water pressure been
greater of course the men could have
| stood outside this zone of heat and
| could have been more sure OF their sue
cessful work However, it is not alone
for the convenience and safety of the
men that | am pleading-for firemen
expect to suffer some-but it is to save a
recurrence of a catastrophe such as we
| have ust been through. We have abso-
| lutely no tireproof construction in our
| town, and every fire has demonstrated
that unless the fire is met promptly. a
complete loss is the result 1t must also
| be conceded that you cannot expect men
| to place themselves where they know
absolutely that they have not only not
enough water to combat the flames, but
| not enough even to keep their own lives
| in safety.
would also be glad to have you look
at this condition from an economic
standpoint, taking this Carolina Bagging
| Company fire as an illustration. They
how . I
&c. valued at 81. 900. They intended
to have by June first manufactured pro
duet to the amount of $50 900 more. \
total of 100000. Surprising tax val
uatiOn of half-or $50, 900, and at the
present rate they would pay into the
town treasury a sum of more than $500
This amount alone would doubtless go
a far way to paying for increased fire
protection. THIS TAN HAS BEEN
WIPED OFF THE BOOKS FOR ALL
TIME, and aside from the loss to tn
town, this individual corporation has
lost in the neighbOrhoOd of So, 900
never to be replaced. | doubt not that
with a PROPERLY EQUIPPED fire de
partment, and a prompt fire alarm, this
amount could have been saved to the
Carolina Bagging Co., and to the Town
| of Henderson.
1t is fearful to contemplate what fire
in Samuel Watkins store would cost thu
town, equipped as we now are. if the fire
alarm was few minutes late in sound
ing With no other facilities than We
now have, | think it is the opinion o
every able thinking body that Hender-
son would be scOrched off the map anC
its former citizens bankrupt.
am appending a recommendation a,
attached
Respectfully submitted.
MAURICE !. O'NEIL.
Chief Henderson Fire Department.