The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-07
City's Fire Facilities Are
 Investigated.
COUNCIL SITS PAST MIDNIGHT
Firemen Unanimous in Conforming
 Fire Plugs.
Boilers At Pumping Station Declared Equal to Present Demand by Supt. Cain-Findings on Investiga-
 tion To Be Reported Later.

"A tempest in teapot" is what : President Gaston Gunter. of the City Council. called the investigation into the city's facilities for fighting fire, which was held in the Council Cham Der from 6:20 o'clock Saturday night to 1:20 o'clock Sunday morning. AL derman Sullivan called the investiga- ton brain storm"
 The Chief of the Fire Department and the captains of the fire stations throughout the city, to man, declared that in their opinions. the three hundred and odd new fire plugs in the city were of a kind that caused trouble and delay. The superintendent plugs as of nature that 1t was to the city's best interest to replace them with a different kind every time one was found out of order.
 Several instances were cited by the fire officers where the plugs had given great trouble when 1t was imperative that a. stream of water should be They said that the new fire plugs. which are about three years old. were less efficient than the kind formerly in use.
 The superintendent of the water works said that the sample plug sent the city for inspection had broken when the agent tried to operate 1t, and that the agent had to send back to the factory for another plug. He also stated that he had protested against the adoption of the plug when 1t was first on exhibit He stated that the valve action was bad. and that 1t was impossible to feasfblv remedy 1t. that the plugs were built in one section and that 1t was. impossible to change their nAn nrkE su%N atu placed. when 1t became necessary to change the grade of the street. The superintendent of the water works also said that for more than a year he has been advocating the enlargement of the battery of boilers at the pumping station. and that he deemed this in- crease in the battery necessary.
 The fire captains stated that the act ual apparatus of their stations was all that, could be desired; that the Fire Department equipment of things in the stations was excellent. but they reiter- ated the statement that they were han dfcapped in their work by the defective plugs, which are practically and decid- edly part of the city's facilities for lighting fires.
 It was stated by some of the fire- fighters that part of the hose supply in the city was defective, and to a man they approved the adoption and use of the Eureka hose. Many sections of this hose are now in use, and have stood the test of years of use.
 Fire Captain Barnard of the Five Points station, said that he had found the plugs so hard to open that he had given instructions that two men be assigned to plug to open it when the station apparatus responded to a fire alarm.
 Captain Watkins. of the West End ta AAt RAnk ago, at the Exchange Hotel. the paving had been built up around the fire plug and the paving had to be broken away before a connection with the plug could be made.
 It came out during the investigat ton that the new plugs, made by the Heron Company of ChattanooSa. were of variety known as three way. so called because there are three ways of tapping the plug for water. This style of "three-way" plug was installed be- cause of the demand of insurance peo- pie that these plugs be used in the business district, where they consider ed the old "two-way' plugs inadequate to meet the demand
 It was said by the firemen that 1t was necessary to use a longer wrench to open the new plugs than the stand ard wrench. and that in most cases it took two men to open the plug and sometimes three: but there were fn- stances where one man had opened the plug. Several instances were cited In the last few years where the water pressure was found weak during 3 fire.
 Almost every fireman questioned had an instance to cite where the plug had broken in some way or another. and not one single man at tha meeting had a good word to say for it.
 Captain Barnard, of the Five Points station, said that 1t was not practica- = ble to oil the plugs because there was no way of reaching the parts affected. feasibly. and that the soft brass nut by which the plug is operated had been s known to have Its corners cut off smooth so the wrench could not get a grip on it.
 Captain Bryan. of the Madison Ave nue station, said he considered the 'fabric" hose, some sections of which are in use In the fire department. as unsatisfactory. and also stated that he had been in atIendance at a fire in this city where the water pressure was low, and that at this fire several houses burned.
 ~The total number of the plugs of the three way" variety demanded for the business section by the Southeastern Tarink Association was fifty. 1t was stated, but more than 300 were bought. 1t was also affirmed that the more the plugs were fooled with the worse they got.
 Chief Bro~der said there was room flor more fire stations in the city. but that the present station apparatus of the city was in splendid condition and was handling the work all right.
 The Superintendent of the water works said the three way" plugs were the first lot made by the company that supplied them. and that when they were brought here for their inspection that he and others had objected to their use. However. after the City Council adopted them he had had noth- ing more to say on the subject. He said the inside of the plugs was rough, and that the leather valve often stuck to the sides and that to be opened the wrench had to be turned In the oppo- site direction from which fire plugs were generally unscrewed, that the fact that the valve had to be forced down Into cushion of water made 1t more difficult to open them He recon