The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-03-17
KACE DECLARES
CITY MUST BUY
fire AUTOMOBILE
State Expert Says Revsmp
Fire Dept. or Suffer Is Per
Cent In Insurance Rates.
CALLS CAPE'S HOSECART
TANKTOWN EQUIPMENT
City Needs Motor, Six Firemen
and Chief On Duty All
The Time.

Simultaneous with the statement
from Mayor Rage last night that he
will make a personal fight for motor
fire apparatus and modern fire fight
ing equipment for the Cape, f. W.
Watson, rate expert for the Missouri
State Insurance Commission, told The
Tribune that the city's fire fighting
ability will have to be brought up to
standard or the fire insurance rates
will have a blanket rise of ID per cent
At once.
The fire insurance rates in the Cape
now are so high they are considered
prohibitive, and Mr.. Watson declared
he will approve an advanced rate for
every company doing business here
unless the improvements in the fire
fighting equipment are made.
"The fire fighting equipment of the
Cape is far below the standard" Mr..
Watson said, after he had witnessed
the battle the fremen made against
the connagration that swept away
nearly a quarter million dollars worth
of property at Main street and Broad
way
Mr.. Watson was in the Cape for a
thorough inspection Of the fire hazards
in this city, with view of adjusting
rates, as we'll as an inspection of all
the fire fighting facilities at the city's
command.
"A city like the Cape ought not to
have to call upon the fire fighting
forces Of places like Jackson and
ChafFee to down big fire. The equip
ment you have here is a village fire
department The Cape has outgrown
that.
ITO standardize your fire depart
ment, l would outline roughly depart
ments such as they exist elsewhere.
You ought to have combination mo-
tor truck that carries two or three
times the hose q wagon does, 4 35-
gallon chemical tank, hook-ladders and
a force pump that will put the 1875
pound pressure on four lines of hose.
You ought to have six regular men
in your department and you ought to
have a chief on duty all the time.
Those men ought to practice and train
fire fighting every day. The chief
should show them how to do things
quickly.
Every man who was trying to fight
that fire today, did his best, but he
had nothing with which to work and
they were not all trained to get the
maximum of efficiency.
"The Cape must get these things if
you don't want fifteen per cent in
crease in the insurance rates at once
and on everything.
ITO decrease the rates, fire proven
ton must be taken up in more ways
than the revampment of your fire de-
partment. The schools ought to go in
to the business of fire prevention, fire
drills should be inaugurated and sani-
tation on all premises should be OBJ
served as an essential way of fighting
fires"
Mr.. Watson last night declared he
will have a conference with Mayor
Rage today, when the subject of fire
department equipment will be gone in
to thoroughly.
Mayor Rage last night declared he
will start an investigation at once to
learn the price of motor fire fifhting
trucks which will be equipped with
force pumps, hose and chemicals.
81 will lay the matter before the
Council and request it to act" Mayor
Kaye said. 1--WE must have modern
equipment and l intend to make it q
personal ISSUE"