The central record., 1912-03-01

fallen into the habit of when the mid.
night stiffness is broken by the harsh
changing of the fire bell of going to !
their telephone and asking Central"
the whereabouts of the blaze and
when they have satisfied themselves
that they are not pecuniarily interested
in the property which is jeopardized,
they go back to be6s and leave their
neighbors property to the tender mercy
of the flames. Did this ever happen
to you? If it did, the next time your
slumbers are disturbed by the fire bell,
just think of the Golden Rule, and
think what would happen were your
property to catch fire and every other
person in town had fallen into the
custom which you have been cultivat-
ing, then put on your clothes and go
out and hunt for the fire and lend what
assistance is in your power toward
avoiding loss to your neighbor.
Lancaster people have grown into
the habit of depending entirely too
much on our splendid system of water
works for the extinguishing of any
blaze that may break out; it is true we
have splendid system of water works
and it is admirably adapted to fighting
fire, but the water works will not ex-
tinguish blaze unless the people get
out and man the equipment provided
for fighting fires; and the equipment
with which we are-provided requires a
good number of people to handle it;
the wagon which is used to transport
the hose would suit admirably in some
city where they have a big strong
team of horses to pull it, but it is lily
suited to this place where at the out
break of fire there is usually half
dozen or less people to take the hose
wagon TO the scene of the confagra-
ton; in the case of the fire last Friday
morning there was only three people
to handle this massive wagon, and
they were completely exhausted be-
fore they had scarcely left the public
square.
All this should be speedily remedied.
The taxes paid by the people, which
includes taxes for the redemption of
water works bonds, should vouch safe to
them some safe guard against fire.
Better spend little of the money paid
in for taxes to provide some adequate
safeguard against fire.
The city has horse, maybe two,
we are not informed as to that, and if
they are going to keep the massive
hose wagon which they now provide,
the horse should be stabbed, ready
harnessed, at place adjacent to the
engine room where they could be used
to pull the wagon; or better still, sell
the wagon they now have, and secure
a reel cart, which is vastly better ad-
apted to the requirement of town of
this size, and which two or three men
could easily handle. We are of the
opinion that the wagon now in use
could be disposed of for more than
enough to purchase a cart of the
proper kind, and which would not
only permit of the rapid transport of
the hose, but which would enable the
spreading of the hose in one half the
time now required in performing this
work: next, re-organize the fire de-
partment on the Same basis upon
which it was operated several years
ago, and we will have fire depart
ment which will be equal to all emer-
gencies, and last but not least, let
every able bodied male citizen respond
to the call of the bell, get on the
ground and render what assistance is
in your power. There are a good
many men in Lancaster who respond
readily and cheerfully to every fire
call, who always have done so, and
who render splendid service at every
blaze, you will always find them there,
go out and help them, don't depend on
these people to perform all this SER
vice all the time.
Unless these suggestions are needed,
or some other means equally as eff
cient are adopted to guard against
fire loss, it is going to be only a mat
ter of time when Lancaster will have
a confiagration that will result in a
monetary loss as great as any we
ever had before we installed water
works.