New-York tribune., 1908-02-19
HIGH PRESSURE NO USE
HOSE COULDN'T STAND III.
System Almost Ready and Fre
Department TnWcpared.


Unless the authorities responsible for the Pur-
chase of equipment for the Fire Department.
make a better showing than they have been do
ing for some years the anxiously awaited hi6h
r,ressure system which is certain to he ready
for delivery to the Fire Department by April l.
viii he useless II the system. which is prac-
;icalIv complete and ready fer testing, were
turned over 10 the department to-day for ener-
gencv use at a confiagration such as those IA
riliar with conditions viii dread until the COM
ing OF spring removes the worst danger for
few months it could not he used
The department has no hose that could stand
three hundred pounds Of pressure except perhaps
= few hundred feet of old rubber hose SO good
that il has stood the test OF from ten 10 hfteen
wears of service If it had the hose it has no
hose wagons capable of carrying it and no way
Of looking after it. Ii has no men trained in the
z,s4 Of a high pressure system. II is entirely
unprepsred TO make use Of the most efficient
auxiliary to fight a serious fire that II has ever
been provided with
There is a vast difference between the rleIhoa
OF fighting fire with the low pressure streams
now available and the method necessary When
tremendously high pressure is driving the
water through the lines AT pressure OF TWO
or three hundred pounds no fireman unaloeo
can handle one of these streams Il would get
away from him soon as the water was turned
on. Special and entirely separate equipment Is
needed and this the department has not as yet
made any arrangements to buy
The first extensive test of the high pressure
system is to be made on March ]. In Brooklyn
the system is complete. but the department can
not make use Of if. because the equipment is
lacking If the equipment were ready the sys-
ten could undoubtedly be used IN certain parts
Of the city where the danger is very great one
of these places is in the section just west OF
Rrns dvay between Worth and Leonard streets
on the south and north and Broadway and west
Broadway on the east and west \ hydraht
With connections for four lines of hose. making
the use Of five possible by siamesing, is sltuateu
in Worth street dozen feet from Broadway
On February 4 a fire broke out in No IL
Worth street. between Church street and west
Broadway The fire gained great headway be-
fore il was controlled. although the force
brought OFT 10 fight 1t was ample The first
alarm brought five engines and Deputy Chief
s,uerin. who at once called five more engines
with q second alarm. A water tower was also
called on the second alarm. and five more en-
rines RESPONDED TO the third alarm. with Cher
Croker.
The average pressures indicated in this sec
ton of the city by the figures collected by the
committee on fire prevention Of the National
Board of Fire Underwriters in 1900, since Wheh
conditions have changed little. if at all, were
from twenty 10 twenty-four pounds AT THESE 10"
treasures there was plenty of water There is a
twelve inch main in Worth street and q twenty
,-,:> main IN Church street. in West Broadway
there IS another large main. These mains were
Tho ones used. and Chief Croker said after the
fire that there was plenty Of water.
Fs11t the pressure certainly never eXceeoeo
tzenty-four pounds and must have been less
f}ar that in some cases. for the water tower
WIS ineffective for twenty minutes after it be-
ca,7 work and was useful only in fits and starts
r-,,:5l the fire was out when colapsinS walls car
rfeG TWO frenen down to their deaths. HAD
-l.are been available high pressure mains, which
le within easy reach. the fire would never have
reached such a height as to make the collapse
possible
The hydrart scheme in Worth street is in
siructivo. 4 dozen feet from Broadway, as
stated is one Of the new high pressure hydrants-
= fery feet from il is OF the regular hydrants
o. the Water Department. with two connections
Both are on the north side Of the street Just
east Of Church street. on the south side IS one
Of the old D. p ". hydrants, with only one con-
nection, which was frozen when the hremen
reached the scene. On the next block between
Church street and West Broadway, are two
,,ore Of these anttquated and almost useless
II p w hydrants. Both Of these were frozen
when the flreInen reached the scene Of the fire
Thus the hydrant connections were 50 made
c,,1ate in Worth street that the twelve inch main
in that street was practically out of commission.
The 1865 report of the committee on fire pre-
veation d1veIIs at length the hydrant ques-
ton Scathng criticism Is made Of the single
o-,tla- tvpe Of ilydrant-thI-ee Of the four hy-
drants in Worth street between Broadway and
West Broadway are Of this type-and in general
II is shown that only 81 per cent of these
hvdrants in Manhattan are capable OF giving
satisfactory service. The condition indicated IN
Worth street prevails all over the city, for bS
per cent of all the hydrants in use in 1903 were
OF this highly unsatisfactory type in this re-
spect also there has been practically no change
since the preparation of the report.
Aside from the inadeGuacy OF water pressures
and O. hydraut distribution, there are many
minor but vitally important defects in the equip
rnent OF the department. Deputy Chief Kruger 3
life was sacrificed last Friday result of one
Of these defects. He went into a smoke and
gas filed cellar. from which dozens of frenen
had been driven. almost asphyxiated, and be-
ing overcome fell into a subcellar and was
drowned in two OF three feet of water. Had he
worn q smoke helmet, such used in coal
mines and refrgeratinS plants. where men have
10 face the fumes Of ammonia gas, he would
have had no trouble.