The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-12-18

An exhaustive report of the wateI
supply, the fire department and tn,
physical hazard, of the city of Ma
rion, male by the Ohio inspection
bureau under the direction of T. B
Sellers, has been placed on file in tht
Office of City Clerk Charles NJ. Tobin
The report is complete in every way
praises are sung where praises arr
due and criticism Is freely offered
The report was compiled by II. 0ran
Smith.
BY way of introduction the inspec
tor SPEAKS of the steady growth o.
Marion N the past ten years and th'
brilliant prospect for the immediate
building construction throughout tn,
congested area OF the city grades
very low;no attempt has been made
TO regulate or force regulation build
ing operations. The exposures arc
severe, there being very few fir,
stops with conflagrat!on condition,
existing IN every block The hazard
Gus features are not covered by city
ordinances and are as a rule install.
ed without proper precaution. The
estimated population is 10000.
Then follows in the report a state.
ment of the industries, the area, the
prevailing winds, climatic conditions
the streets and fuel.
rIyI,o. G,.o ,.aaOrIc eybouy 4hat tn.
tai loss by fire in the past five years
has been S2OS052.76, the naaual
losses in the period varying from
s7.329.96 10 $157 7,39l.09. The records
show the loss per individual fire to
run under $4,000 with two exceptions
the Uhler and Phillips fire Nov. IS
1908 S142.O0G loss and the Croft Inn
plement loss $15,975.S0.
The Waterworks System.
Under TIE caption fire fighting IA
cilhies the report says that the
waterworks system is owned by a To-
cal company organized in 1888; that
the same machinery is still in use
except that an air compressor has
been added. The water comes from
ten driven wells, from 100 TO 200 feet
deep. 1t is claimed that the dry
weather OF the summer has no ap
pleciable effect upon the water sup
ply in the wells. The water system
the pumps. and pump house are dealt
with at length, the examiner finding
that the pumps in use show signs Of
unmistaltable depreciation.
There are 800 hydrants installed
on the system, or one hydrant fol
every 433 feet of water pipe which
is considered a very good average
The use of the hydrants TO all bu'
the fire department and water com
pany employees is prohibited.
In summarizing on the water com
pany's possibilities the inspector
says:
Pressure Is Inadequate.
From information obtained d
would appear that the system at
best fails 10 give adequate pressure
for fire OF any size, an instance
quoted 10 the inspector on goot
authority being the fire of Nov. Il
1908 resulting in a los sof $4,000
it lis claimed that the best efforts o
the system failed to supply the de
sired number of streams, that TN
stand pi le supply was called upon a
a reinforcement 10 direct pressur
and eight streams at hardly fai
pressure was the best that could b.
obtained. The result OF our hest
would indicate just such condition
as given above and a repitition o
that failure can be expected at an,
time. The conditions in Marion ar
conductive TO large fires that will re
quire at least from 20 TO II mrs
class streams, and the present pump
ing capacity is totally inadequate t
meet the demand"
The report continues:
IL Needs Fixing.
In Judging the physical value O
Marion's waterworks two obviou
facts are 20 be considered; first tina
the direct pressure system wfthou
the aid of streamers is unsatisfactor
except in small towns and secon
that with streamer installed, rher
is not Sufficient pumping capacity !
the present equipment to supply
and care for the domestic consImp
tion. The city is being supplied by
plant that 1t has long outgrowr
Not only has the city long outgrowe
the pumps as originally installed bu
the pumps in that time have steadil
deprecated IN efficiency and are un
able TO meet the demands for nr
service. To care for the maximum
daily consumption and provide sun
cient water to supply ten goo
streams, would require pump OF nv
million gallons capacity which shoul
be installed In duplicate to guar
against emergency. There should b
also duplicate feeder entendin
from the pump house to the er
trance of the city; serious brea
In the present. feeder would mean a
fobeol,tte cut of Of the city's suppl