Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-02-16
EVENING CHAT

~ L-hVIIvO NNh
While the fires at the Ford Garage.
the Black stone cutting establishment
and kreidler's grocery have made It
seem as though February had an un-
usual number of fires, as a matter of
tact 1t had not nearly as many as Jan
uary. Last month there were no less
than eighteen box alarms and quite n
rev telephone calls, a higher number
than usual in the first month of the
year January also had the Kaufman
store fire which was one of the worst
the city has suffered for a long time.
fhus far in February there have been
four box alarms and some telephone
calls including one in which damage
to the amount of several hundred dol
lars was done. The winters fires have
been rather numerous and the wear
upon the hose great, but the depart
ment has demonstrated that with mo-
tor apparatus and paved streets il has
greater mobility and can do more in
less time.
Speaking of fires, Louis e. Houseal.
assistant foreman of the Citizen COM
pany, No. 3, has issued his annual fire
data for the city. He has been do
ing this for several years and his in
formation is now used for general in
formation by many people. This year
he states that the department he's
twenty-four pieces of apparatus and
that there is over 1000 feet of hose
The department has twenty-siX paid
men, fourteen being drivers in the
engine companies. There are forty
four horses. Last year there were 90
box alarms, although the number
sounded was SO, this difference being
due to the fact that in four cases boxes
were pulled" twice. On five occa-
sions the fire department was called
upon to render service out of the city,
once to Millersburg, once to Pembroke,
White Hill, Lemoyne and Camp Hill,
the Lemoyne fire being the largest.
All OF these out-of-town calls came
within four months, the first being N
August and the last on November 9.
The record shows the State Printery
hre in April to have been the most
troublesome and the Masonic Temple
ares to have been dangerous. The de-
partment is shown to have respond
ed to calls all over the city and the
alarms were sent in for everything
from hot ashes against a fence to a
leaking ammonia tank and con-
Migration in city dump.
Mr.. Houseal has worked out a table
showing that last year January had
ntteen fires and March fourteen.
There was an alarm in every month
April having four. According to his
summary, Sunday was the day on
which there were the most fires. His
statistics show twenty-three alarms on
the first day of the week with Mon
day and Saturday next with eighteen
each. Friday was the least with five
The aggregate of the loss he gives as
Sl1I,S1S.17, of which $91, ,454.47 was on
contents. The April loss was. largest
due to the State Printery blaze, when
the contents loss was over $4,000.
There were fires in seventy-one frame
dwellings, and siXty-three brick dwell
inSs rather closer number than most
people would think. Twenty brick
stores were burned or singed at least
Among other fires he gives automo-
biles and motorcycles, eight: store
awnings, four; telephone poles, one
and street cars, one. Defective fues
are blamed for twenty-six fires and
carelessness with cigar or cigaret butts
with nine. Mice and lightning are
blamed for one fire each. There were
twenty false alarms and once a square
meal LEFT on stove made such a
smoke that neighbors thought a house
III.
OF the funniest causes was paper tear
ing loose from a ceiling and falling
on hot stove. The telephone calls
numbered 1871. Tuesday was the fa-
vorite day for such alarms and Decem-
Der had the most calls.
Roumanian residents of the city arc
showing not ony progress in getting
together and forming organizations
but in cnlisting the attention of the
outside world The Roumanians have "a
couple of organizations, one of which
is Tor the promotion of study and read
ing and they have secured some books
from their native land. The Harris
burg Public Library is also co-operat-
ing with the Roumanians in getting
books.
In all probability an annual banquet
Will be one of the features of the win
ters at the Engineers Society here |
after. The society is growing veryl
rapidly and numbers among its mem |
bers number of men prominent in
state, big business and social life. Its
clubhouse has been the meeting place
OF distinguished visitors and the pro-
position to have an annual dinner is |
being seriously considered.
Judge c. b. Wilmer, of the United
States Court, who was taken i'll a !
short time ago and was unable to hold |
court here, is improving.
Among visitors to the city Yesterday
was Andrew S. Hourigan, OF Wilkes |
Barre, former assistant United States !
district attorney. Mr.. Hourisan is |
well known to many Harrisburgers
and is taking an active part in the life |
OF the I4uZerne county capital
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE
ann. rnn,.i.. L. .-----