Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-30
BELT SHOWS PERIL
Points Out Need of High Pres.
sure Water Supply.
ITS MANY ADVANTAGES
Assurance of Safety, Reduction of
Rates, Saving in Taxes.
WANTS FIFTY MORE MEN
Report of Operations of the Fire De-
partment-Inspection of Motion
Picture Theaters and Schools.
WANTS FIFTY MORE MEN

| William T. Belt. chief OF the local fire
| department. in his annual report to the
! Commissioners today for the fiscal year
ended June 80, urges them to renew their
efforts to obtain the gravity high pres
sure water system. He contends that
| this high pressure system Is the most
needed thing in Washington today and
that under present conditions the city is
without adequate protection.
! Should two or more large fires occur
at the same time the entire equipment of
the fire department would be called out
to fight the same,' he said, land If an
additional fire occurred in another Sec
ton of the city great damage and pos
sible loss of life would result before aid
could be rendered by the department.
With the, installation Of the high pres
sure system the fire department would
be able to cope with any fire that might
occur within the business section 1t
would mean the assurance of safety. a
reduction of insurance rates In the city,
the saving Of taxes to the taxpayers in
general by reducing the cost of the maln-
| tenance of the department.
The installation of the gravity h1gh
pressure system in this city would cost
approxima tely $4,000. Chief Belt asked
| for this amount in his estimates for the
next fiscal year and the Commissioners
included it in their estimates.
Fifty More Men Wanted.
He urges that the Commissioners again
urge on Congress an appropriation for
| fifty additional men for the fire depart
ment.
"These men," he says, ARE desired in
order that the officers and members may
be allowed more time off duty than at
present. AS it is now the fire departing mt
force is on duty day and night, and each
member is only allowed one day OF in
every five days, and in event Of sickness
or injury to the members Of any COM
pany even this day off cannot be allowed.
This matter has been frequently
brought to the attention OF the Commits
sioners and the chief engineer during
the past year, and 1t has been found alb
solutely impracticable. with the present
| force. to allow the men more time off.
Should fifty new men be allowed the Off
| GERS and members of the department
| could be allowed one day off in every
| four days.
The appeal of these men is believed to
| be a just one and decidedly worthy of
consideration by every one, especially
when the domestic sacrifices which must
necessarily be made by them are clearly
| set forth.
increase In FIRE LOSS.
In the past fiscal year 962 alarms of fire
were received at headquarters, and the
actual fires numbered S75. There were
eighty-seven false alarms, an increase OF
thirty-nine over the preceding year. The
total loss by fire in the District aggre-
gated $4,000, which is an increase OF
$32 O53 over the total fire loss for the
preceding year
Chief Belt says this big increase is due
to the fact that ten fires alone, for which
extra alarms were sounded, caused a loss
of $3.50 525.
| He hopes that the severest punishment
| will be inflicted upon every person found
guilty of turning in false alarms.
| The losses that resulted during. the year
| from fire were covered by total fire in
| surance of 50, 400. 900.
Chief Belt says that 27.145 inspections
| were made in the year. He says this work
| was made more laborious last year on ac-
| count of the number of motion picture
| theaters that came into existence. AT the
| beginning of the last fiscal year there was
but one motion picture theater. and at the
| time Chief Belt wrote his report thirty
seven were operating.
| The rapid increase in the number OF
! these theaterS and the entire lack of pro-
| lection from fire provided by the pro-
| prietors" he said, lied me to recommend
/
ing the installation Of the necessary fire
protection and otherwise governing the
same. These regulations were approved
and are now in operation. and being strict
| ly enforced. and danger from fire in these
moving picture theaters has been reduced
to minimum
Found Schools Not Well Protected.
The thorough inspection made by him
of the public school buildings, with the
view of reporting what he considered
necessary for the proper protection of
the children in event of fire, is described
| in full. He began these inspections
March and finished June 1. He recon-
mended that twelve buildings be discon-
tinued for school purposes.
Chief Belt thinks Congress should APP
propriate suff1cien. funds to provide the
necessary fire protection for the public
schools.
| The conduct OF the members of the fire
department has been maintained at its
usual high standard during the year. &C
cording to the chief. Violations of the
rules and regulations resulted in the dis
missal of eight members, follows: One
for absence without leave, four for intoXi-
| alton and three for unbecOming conduct.
| For various trivial offenseS members have
been deprived of their days off or fined.
The urgent necessity for a repair and
storage shop for the fire department is
emphasized by Chief Belt. He says that
such building would enable the depart
ment to do the greater part of its own
repair work at much less cost and with
better satisfaction than it is now done by
priVate parties,