Evening star., 1909-05-21
CAUSE FIRE HORSES TO FALL
OILY STREETS A CONSTANT
MENACE, SAYS CHIEF.
May Be Necessary to Replace Ami
mails With Auto Power-Two Ac-
cidents Last Night.

Horses drawing No. engine and No.
! 2 truck fell while responding to an
alarm of fire that was turned in from
box 1874 about midnight last night. the
alarm having been sounded because Of a
blaze In the grocery store Of ]. ]. Schaf-
feer. 935 E street northwest Both acct
dents occurred near 14th street and Penn
sylvania avenue.
The accident caused slight delay
| on the part Of the two companies reach
ing the fire, but fortunately there were
| other companies on hand to combat the
blaze. Had similar accidents occurred
to the horses Of other companies. Chief
Wagner says, q serious confiagration
blaze would probably have reached the
upper floors of the building and spread
to the furniture establishment OF Will
liam Walters. Firemen got the blaze
under control in a short while and not
more than $500 damage was caused
There was nothing found by the fire.
men to indicate the origin OF the blaze
Chief Wagner says that oil dropped
from automobiles has caused the as
phalt pavements to become exceedingly
dangerous, and unless there Is an i'm
provement in the conditions, he says.
the time will come when horses in the
fire department will be of little service.
One animal that has been in No. IA COM
pany has fallen several times and has
become so timid that Chief Wagner
found 1t necessary today to order 1t
taken out of service.
Timid Horse Retired.
1.-The horse is practically of no further
use to the department." said the chief to
a Star reporter. LAS soon as 1t gets upon
asphalt pavements 1t seems to realize the
danger and becomes SO nervous that 1t
retards the progress of the other animals.
"Pennsylvania avenue" added the chief,
''is in terrible condition, and even where
there seems to be no oil on the asphalt
a little rain makes 1t too slippery for the
horses. Unless there Is some relief, the
time will come when all the fire appara-
tus will have to be equipped with automo-
bile gearings and machinery"
Chief Wagner called attention to the
through the Capitol grounds, saying they
are danger spots. 1t has become neces-
sary, he stated, to warn drivers in the
department about the conditions there
and instruct them to go slow while driv-
ing through the grounds. At a point near
Pennsylvania avenue and 9th street, the
chief said, the horses of the department
invariably refuse to move fast and drivers
find it necessary to so slow while pass
ing there.
I'm very much afraid" said the chief,
| that the slippery condition Of the pave
ments will be the means of delaying truck
companies when people are hanging from
windows of burning houses and cause the
loss Of life 1t Is impossible for drivers
to keep the, animals on their feet on
some of the pavements and seldom Is
there a call for fire that one or more
horses do not fall.
There Is absolutely no remedy for the
conditions, so far as the horses are con-
cerned. that 1 know Of" the chief added.
Il have tried different methods of shoe
ing them, but none of the shoes seems to
act as protection against the slippery
payements.' i
Law Against Dripping Oil.
There is regulation against the drip
ping of oil from automobiles, and the
police have been making an effort to en-
force it during the past few weeks. Sew
eral arrests have been made, collateral
effort has been made by the police to have
the owners Of machines from which Oil
drips to have pans used when the vehicles
are stopped, and many OF them are using
pans, although IL is stated the oil drips
from the machines when they are in mo-
tion, and there may be difficulty in pre-
venting 1t.
Complaint is made that so much oil has
ness houses that sand has had to be
used in order to make 1t possible for
horses to start off with vehicles. 1t is
more than probable that Chief Wagner
will call the attention of the Commits
sioners to the condition of the streets in
the near future: but at this time he is at
a loss to suggest a remedy. So far as
for the fire department seems to be to do
uoy with horses.