The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-04-10
.LEAKY MIGRANTS
HAMPER FIREMEN
Collier Barn Destroyed by Fire Yes
terday Afternoon While Hyd-
rants Leaked on the
Ground
NO QUESTION ABOUT IT
Plenty of Witnesses and City Marshal
Saw that the Hydrants Were
Turned on Full
Force.
NO QUESTION ABOUT 1T

Yesterday afternoon, at $3.50 o'clock
Collier residence at First and High
ssreets, where the frame barn at the
rear was blazing. When the bells
4 tapped for the alarm, thick column
of smoke was rising in the hot. after
noon sky and this attracted the at
tention of the people, resulting in
quite crowd of spectators going to
the fire
! The barn was tWo-story frame and
was used only for the storage of
screens and such things and was
total loss.
The department was handicapped by
leaking MIGRANTS Tor when the water
was turned on, it was impossible at
first to reach the roof of the barn with
the streams and had the blaze been
in the Collier home it would have been
consumed
With the location of the fire on the
bluff overlook the water works pump
ing station and the smoke from the
blaze mingling with the smoke from
the pumping plant chimney, there was
not enough water to do any good and
the result was that the barn we. al
most entirely consumed, there being
nothing left but few charred tim
bers
The chemical engine was put into
service at the start and then line
t of hose was laid from Second and
r Concert, followed by second line
: from Second and Morgan
S The fremen found that the pressure
= would not permit of water being
d thrown into the loft window. 1t wa:
r not until one line had been cut OF
e that the stream would reach the roof
whereas the city ordinance require
e that six streams, through 500 feet o
u hose, shall throw water 100 fee
l. high
Fire Chic Anderson, to guar
II against any mistakes being made i
censoring the water works company
asked Marshal Kesselring to go an
look at the hydrant and see if it wa
turned fully on. The marshal reporte
that the hydrant was turned on flu
force but that more water was comm
OFT onto the ground than was goin
into the hose.
Some time ago the city counc
asked the water works company t
fix up the leaking hydrants and tn
company claimed that all of them wer
in good shape
The council has held back the pa
for the MIGRANTS, but that has don
no good, and it was stated at las
weeks meeting that most of the h,
drants We're cut of fix At that nee
ing it was suggested by one of til
,ldermen that the proper way to hay
the hydrants fixed was not to hol
back the pay, but to go to law.
Quite number of people who a
tended the fire Yesterday Afternoon
noticed the weak pressure and con
mented on it. Fire Chief Anderso
has their names and statements an
will likely present the case to til
- council for action.
y Across the alley from the burpin
it. barn. adjoining barns and sheds wei
at in danger and they ignited sever;
times, but were eXtinguished Anon
them was the shed of Superintendent
II School of the water company Til
ei strings of wires in the alley were mel
~ ed by the heat and some of them fe
as to the ground.
The cause of the fire is unknown
= but it is supposed that hot ashes wei
placed in the alley and smoulderin
Goals ignited the barn
The fire department was hand
capped by the failure to secure prope
water pressure and the fire blazed III
: checked
Had the location of the blaze been i
the business district, probably the fir
would still be burning if the hydrant
in that part of the city are in the sam
shape as those in the vicinity of ye
terday's blaze.