The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-12-07
CITY TO TAKE
PROMPT ACTION
Officials Want to Know of
Water Failure.
MAY CALL co. TO Time
Council Will be Given Facts
Monday.
Safety Director Knapp will Make
Complaint-PObable That Opera
House VIII be Rc-built---one wall
In Danger of Crumbling--a Re-
Prospective View.

That official action will be taken by
local authorities in regard to the wat
er company's failure to have a suffi-
cient amount of pressure 10 enable the
fire department to do effective work
at Tuesdays fire, was made certain
today when Safety Director James A.
Knapp, who has under his direction
the fire department, announced that
he would take the question up with
the city council at its next meeting.
Mr.. Knapp; who was for years
identified with the fire department.
states that the water company has not
lived up to its franchise in providing
proper water pressure at any of the
big fires that have occurred I'm recent
years and as a result much property
has been a prey to the fire king that
might otherwise have been saved.
With the amount Of water pressure
yesterday that the franchise of the
company demands, It would have been
possible to have saved both the east
and front parts of the opera house
ouilding. The pressure. as recorded
at the office of the company was never
above 81 and was as low as 81 pounds
where as II should not have been be-
low 60 pounds and should have rang
ed between that point and 80 pounds.
The franchise states that during a
fire the water company agrees to pro-
vide sufficient pressure to throw six
columns of water 100 feet high, pro-
vided one-inch nozZles are used. Yes
terday eight lines of hose were used
and most of bhe time the pressure was
so light that 1t would only reach the
second story and would not break u
pane OF glass at that distance. At one
time difficulty was experienced i'm
throwing water across the narrow al
ley at the north of the building.
City officials are aroused and many
citizens are demanding that the city
take action of some sort, either to
compel the water company to pro-
vide a supply that will protect the
city or that the city purchase fire APP
paratus, namely engines. to throw
water i'm order that effective work may
be done. A line or two of hose that
would throw water to the roof of the
building would have done wonderful
work in fighting Tuesdays fire. There
was no time when with three lines of
hose connected so as to throw through,
one nozzle would reach two-thirds OF
the way to the roof of the front part
of the building.
II was stated that the water pres
sure was insufficient at the Uhler and
Phillips fire and at the Marion Man
ufacturing company fire of some years
ago and at others.
The water company has made the
claim that too many lines of hose
were laid by the department. Chief
Mcfarland and Safety Director Knapp
take exception to this, saying that II
they had had more hose they would
have laid twice as many lines of hose
as they did on such an occasion and
had the water pressure been what L
should have been, the loss would have
been about $4,000 less than II was
Chief Mcfarland says that the city
is practically at the mercy of the
water company as there is no way
of knowing at any time what position
the company is in to supply plenty OF
water and proper pressure. He ad-
vocates the purchase of an automo-
bile fire engine. costing about $4,000