The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1915-07-02
DETAILED REPLY Of
MAYOR ]. NJ. DEDMAN
ON FIRE QUESTION
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF CITY SUB
Units A FULL STATEMENT
TO PEOPLE.
ERRORS MADE BY ENGINEER
Several Of the Statements Made Are
Found to Have Been ERRONEOUS;
Also Hands Few Hot Ones to
inspector Williams.

Mayor Joseph NJ Dedman has
made the following detailed reply to
criticisms of the local fire depart
ment made by the Tennessee Fire
Prevention Association:
To the Editor of The Herald
l feel that the criticisms of the
Fire Department by Mr.. Long Of the
Tennessee Inspection Bureau at the
meeting of the Fire Prevention Asso.
citation on Tuesday were unjust and
that injustice to the men and the
equipment they should be answered.
AS I stated at the meeting, when it
was suggested that the fire depart
ment be called out, that ! asked Mr.,
Long if it was desired that a record
run should be made and If that was
wanted, would not inform the chief
of the intention to call the company
out. He replied that he did not care
for that and suggested that l notify
the chief, which / did. In the light
Of his statements, the criticism that
it was 16 minutes from the time the
alarm was turned in until the pumps
in the engine we're gotten to work,
was in my opinion palpahle unfair.
AS matter of fact in less than two
minutes from the time the alarm was
sounded, the hose had been connect
ed to the plug at the Bethel House
corner and gravity water was being
thrown up West Seventh street. Mr..
Long then requested that an engine
connection be made with the plug on
the By-Path corner, and the Chief
states that this was done without any
thought that anything was wanted
other than to see the engine operated.
1t will be remembered that Mr..
Long criticised the pressure at the
hose nozzle, btu he did not state that
he ordered the connection made on a
four inch lateral and not on the eight
inch main and that 1t is a matter of
impossibility for the engine Ito show
to best advantage on a four inch lat
'eral. Mr.. Long, being the Engineer
OF the Tennessee Inspection Bureau
who made an inspection of the water
plant several years ago with view
to ascertaining its efficiency so far as
fire protection is concerned, knew or
should have known that he was or
dering the engine connected on to a
plug which was upplied from a four
inch lateral and he should have stat.
ed this fact in the meeting. He might
have mentioned also that four times
the volume of water can be taken
from an eight inch main as can be
taken from four inch main and
dm uupTopdTeu u say NOW muCl
greater the proportion when the pipe
is lateral.
The citizens of the town had an op-
portunity of witnessing the operations
Of the engine on the night of the fire
last fall which burned the Martin
wholesale stock Of drugs in the
Brown store house on South Main
street. Three streams we're furnish.
ed and the pressure was so great that
it required four men to the nozzle.
l recall here that it was upon the sug-
gestion and upon the insistence of the
Tennessee Inspection Bureau, which
makes the rate, that the board of
mayor and aldermen purchased the
motor driven pumping engine with
the assurance on the part of the Blu.
reau that the purchase of the engine
would lessen the rates. Following the