Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-05

lTkl TIE annuaf ufe loss OF the united
| States amounts to the enormous
total of $200,0o9,000 In years like
those in which occurred the Baltimore
ana San Francisco conflagrations, de-
stroying entire business sections, the
loss is vastly more, The property
saved, however, by the fire depart
ments is much greater in value than
| that consumed. In addition to the
property destroyed and the lives lost
as result of fires In the United States,
the cost of fire insurance aud of main
tanning fire departments is reckoned at
considerably moro than $100, 100000 per
annum. Yet despite all the wonderful
improvements that have been made in
our methods of fire fighting during the
past generation or two the damage due
to fires In this country has been in
creasing at an alarming rate.
The United States has, in proportion
to its population, four times the fire
lighting force of France or Germany,
and three times that of Great Britain.
There are paid fire departments in
nearly 800 cities and towns of the
United States. party paid fire depart
ments in more than 500 additional
towns and cities and volunteer fire de-
partments in nearly 5000 additional
communities. The immense system of
protection against fire represents an in
vestment of many million dollars and
employs a large army of firemen. The
annual expenditures for municipal fire
departments range from 80 cents per
capita at Washington, d. c., up to $2.26
per capita at Providence, r. |.
Perhaps no field of activity offers so
many opportunities to the inventor as
does the problem of fire lighting. Ever
since the days of the Stowmarket en-
gine of 1874, with it's equipment of a
siX-foot barrel for water, hand pumps
and leather buckets, and the George
Washington fire engine at Alexandria,
Va, which is reverently hauled through
the streets by the citizens on Washing
TONS birthday, the constant aim has
been to improve fire lighting methods.
Today in several large cities we have
stationary pumping stations connected
through underground pipes with street
hydrants. through which fresh or salt
water is forced at tremendous pressure.
Sometimes that modern wonder, the
fire boat, aids in the work. The largest
vessels of this type can throw $4,000
gallons of water per minute upon a
harbor front confiagration, and their
offensive force is increasing as rapidly
as that of a battleship.
Other inventions have become part
of the permanent or experimental
equipment of the fire departments OF
large cities. There are great engines of
many tons weight which are propelled
and operated by steam, by electricity
or by gasoline. There are great teles-
coping aerial ladders and water towers
nearly 100 feet high operated by COM
pressed air and electricity. There are
portable searchlights to penetrate the
dark corners of endangered buildings.
masks and hoods to protect the firemen
from the smoke peril. and scaling lad
ders with whose aid the firemen can go
straight up the face of a building.
There are guns which will shoot a life
line to the top of O high building and
nets into which persons can jump from
upper stories. In fine, science and IN
vention are ever busy with new and
ingenious devices to protect and save
life and property.
When an alarm box is pulled, its
number is indicated at fire headquar-
ters by dots and dashes. according to
the Morse telegraph code. A corre-
spending metal tag is Immediately APP
piled to an electric sending instrument,
a button is pressed, and the alarm IS
rung in every engine house within
given zone. The sliding pole for use
in an engine house was the invention,
member of the Chicago fire depart
ment. The first pole was wood, but
that gave way to nickeled iron, and
later to brass.
Modern inventions have helped much
in controlling fires, but the limit mas
not yet been reached. Something must
be done to prevent and control possible
fire in the subways which are burrow-
ing beneath great cities, the beds OF
rivers, and arms of the sea. The sky
scraper is another great problems ana
it has been proposed that each build
ing of this character have it's own in
dividual water tower. More fire alarm
boxes are advocated, one at each inter-
section of streets One enthusiastic
dreamer has suggested that in time 1t
will be possible to put out nre py
simply pushing a button at headquar-
ters, which would release torrent OF
water or chemical preparation from a
30O-foot stationary water tower, such
towers to be constructed at frequent
intervals throughout city.
The Judgment of experts is that the
best way to combat the fire evil is TO
prevent It, This can only be done
a long campaign of education.
In this connection 1t is proposed to
prohibit the erection of any but abso-
freproof walls at intervals across
city, and to adopt other extraordinary
The modern system of fire fighting
has developed during comparatively re-