The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-03-18
WATER PRESSURE IS VERY Low
Inspectors Find Terrible Condition of
Buildings in Down Town Districts
from Standpoint Of Electric Wiring.
TO Suggest New Ordinances.

Kenosha was not given a clean bill
by the inspectors of the Wisconsin
State Fire Prevention at the end of the
whirlwind inspection Of Tuesday and
in fact at the informal meeting held
at the city hall following the inspec-
tion criticisms flew thick and fast and
Kenosha to meet the demands of the
association will be forced to amend her
ordinances in order to get laws that
will properly protect buildings in the
fire districts. The reports were not of
formal nature, but when they come
it is certain that many recommends
tions will be made to the members of
the council. A formal report of the
inspection and the recommendations
of the association will probably reach
the. fire chief and the city council
within the next ten days and it is
pretty certain that these recommends
tions will go long ways toward hav-
ing the council pass new and adequate
ordinances to govern building in the
city.
The inspectors worked their way
through more than two hundred build
ings in the city during the day. They
went from basement to roof and they
found things - lots of them - they
found fire traps in the very heart of
the business district and they found
the electric wiring woefully defective
everywhere In fact the report of the
committee on electric wiring showed
that out of the two hundred buildings
inspected one hundred and forty show
ed defects in electric equipment. The
general report on the buildings was
not rendered at the informal meeting
on Tuesday afternoon and this will not
be given out until the cards made for
each building have been carefully
classified and tabulated. 1t is certain
that many suggestions will be made to
make the business district of the city
safer
Chairman Frazer of the water works
committee had not formulated his re-
port on the conditions surrounding fire
pressure in the city. He stated. how.
ever, that tests had been made. One
was made in the heart of the business
district when four fire hydrants were
thrown open at one time. But one
pump was running at the time When
the hydrants were opened there was q
pressure OF one hundred pounds at the
pump house and just FIVE minutes later
the pressure had dropepd to thirty
pounds. 1t is declared that on the out
skirts of the city the pressure was
found even worse The official:
emphasized the fact that the tests were
made with but one pump running and
the conditions could have been ma
terially bettered if both of the pumps
had been in operation.
There was criticism on account of the
fact that the pump house was not fire
proof and that it was in danger Of be
ing caught in big fire which might
break out in the plant Of the Simmon:
Manufacturing Company. 1t is certain
that the recommendations oil the asso
citation will strongly recommend tht
removal of the pumping station t.
some more isolated place.
The members of the association sng
gested to the aldermen that new or
dinance be passed at once to limi
building in the fire district of the city
and that this ordinance should provid,
that no building could be erected O
repaired without the consent of til,
council. Drafts of ordinances such al
will be recommended by the association
will probably be sent to the council
later President Herbert Thomey pre-
sided at the meeting and Alderman
Sullivan, Rowe, Shearer, Swift, Ander
SON, Mueller, Kisten, Rauen, Joachim
Willems, Barth, Gundlach, Thomey AM
Bounsall all took part in the dicussiol
of conditions. The meeting proved al
eye opener to the members of the com
mon council and it is certain that tn,
coming of the inspectors will result il
the city officially recognizing the de
mand for better building laws and bet
ter pro yisions for the protection of tn
city against fires.