Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-03-22
HAS GOOD PROTECTION
DALLAS COUNCIL BUYS MORE
FTRE-FIGHTING EQUIPMENT.
Excellent Water Supply and Liberal
Amount of Hose Brings Heavy
Reduction in Insurance Rates.

Eight hundred and fifty feet of new
fire hose, purchased recently by the
City Council for the use of the de-
partment, has arrived from the East.
The hose was unpacked yesterday af-
ternoon and was given thorough test
by the members of the department.
The seventeen lengths of SO feet each
were coupled up and subjected to var
ious pressures and to the use of diff
ferent sized nozzles. The test was high
ly satisfactory to the department and
to the members of the Fire and Wa
ter committee of the council who were
interested spectators.
Councilman F. j. Coad is authority
for the statement that there is now
| 5000 feet of first-class fire hose in Dali
las. Something like 1000 feet of this
equipment is owned by the city, and
the remainder by the planning mill,
foundry and Willamette Valley saw
mill. With the hose owned by the city
all in use, it would be possible for the
| fremen to throw as many as from
four to six streams of water on any
burning building in the business dis
tricts, as double hydrants are located
at each street intersection.
The residence district of Dallas also
has better fire protection than is en-
! joyed by the householders of any
other town of similar size in Oregon.
Dallas has, all told, sc fire hydrants-
about double the number usually
oF o;n
be remarked, in passing, that the city
is getting this protection at probably
the lowest cost of any city in the
state. The total cost of the Sc hydrants
is only $40 a month"; little less than
81 cents for each hydrant. When it is
hydrant per month ranges from So
to IS, the benefit derived by Dallas
through it's arrangement with Mr..
Gates is plainly apparent This $40
month represents per cent interest
on the bonds still outstanding. Dallas
invested SIS, 900 in the plant and the
interest charge at first was 5000
year, but as the bonds are being re-
tired, the interest charge is rapidly
growing less, while the city is per-
mitted to increase the number of hy-
drants at will. Under the existing ar
rangement, it will not be long until
the cost Of water for fire protection
and flushing sewers will be next to
nothing.
The recent heavy reduction in insur-
ance rates in Dallas will save the
property owners enough money each
year to pay the entire water tax of the
city for many years, to say nothing of
the value of the protection itself. The
Observer printing office is one of the
average sized manufacturing institu-
tions of the city, and yet the amount
of reduction in insurance in this Of
flee alone since the waterworks were
installed is sufficient to pay one-fourth
of the total water tax of the city. The
figures are astonishing, but they are
correct.
One condition of the latest reduction
in insurance rates was that the city
would buy the $50 feet of hose re-
duction was Immediately given, and
now the council has carried out its
part of the agreement Money invested
in fire-fighting apparatus is money
well spent, and the city officers de-
serve the thanks of every property
owner in Dallas for their prompt and
enterprising action.