Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-07-14
As to Fire Equipment
At Insane Hospital.

Extreme reticence and caution is
manifest on tae part of the Governors
Council, when one talks Of the recent
Campbell Miller controversy at the
Maine Insane hospital. aired before the
last regular meeting of the Governor
and Council held. in June. Question
ing of any councillor on the subject
Immediately causes a sudden shift of
the topic to the yagaries of the wealth
CT. or To the intense interest brought
about hy he Mulhall charges at Wash
inston.
However. il will be remembered that
one of the charges against Treasurer
Campbell was the inadequate fire pro-
lection at the insane hospital and in
answer to this. Mr.. Campbell has filed
q report with the Governors Council
which in part says:
I'm addition tc the standpipes with
hose attached which supply every ward
Of the institution, there are at pres
ent, u hydrants upon the grounds of
the hospital. Twelve are steamer ny
drants located on the hospital grounds
and four are steamer hydrants on the
arsenal grounds, together with five
small Pinch hydrants on the old
use. In addition there are several fire
plugs in the easements of the several
buildings to which hose could be at
taehed from the basement windows
Fire pals are distributed throughout
the stairways of the institution. easily
accessible to the attendants and web
filed with fresh supply of water.
Located at the barns there IS a 40
gallon fire extinguisher with hose at
tached. This is located in the summer
time at the Campbell barn and in the
winter time to prevent freezing, at the
COW barn. Freezing of the pipes aud
valves at the Campbell barn from time
to time required that the standpipes
be shut off and the hose was removed
for other purposes. find that the hand
fire extinguishers at the barns have
teen disturbed but the charges do not
appear to be exhausted. The hose is
old and should be replaced with new
hose.
THE laundry building is protected by
two outside hvdrants, one on either
side, attached to which are 80 feet of
heavy rubber lined steam fire hose
with additional hose in close proximity,
easily available at all times. day or
night, for protection. Two hydrants
would furnish the best source of pro-
lection for the laundry building as ex-
perience has shown. Standpipe hose in
the event of fire is very little used. An
effort is always made to get q pres
sure and an open ended standpipe
would tend to weaken pressure, yet
a Standpipe for emergency is of ma teri
al aid
Hose under the third female wing
are removed by porters from time to
time for washing and are replaced
when dried out / find the general
equipment in good condition. Linen
hose on standpipes vary in age from
three to 90 years. Linen hose unused
will last Indefinitely. Wetting and dry
ing tend to weaken the condition. In
the male transverse ! find the attend
ants remove the grass noz2lcs and keep
The same in their rooms. Dry powder
extinguishers are distributed in the
shops and in the female stone build
inps.
"Since the advent of the steam fire
pump and steamer hydrants with 1000
feet OF 2.s-inch fire hose on regular
fire hose jumpers, the prime source of
protection is the heavy steam hose
with high pressure. Linen hose will not
stand the high pressure and could not
he depended upon except in an emer-
gency with low pressure