The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-09-18
State Fire Marshal Makes In
spection OF Huge
Cantonment
VETERAN FIREMEN TO
BIZ FOUND AT WORK
Chief Was Head OF Cincin.
natl Department For
36 Years

CAMP SHERMAN, CHlLLlCOTHE,
Ohio, Sept. 14--When one stops to
consider that the government has
plant here that will cost somewhere
around $3,O0GO0O and that it is con-
structod almost wholly of highly in
ftammable material Snd that 10000
lives must be protected, more than or
dinary interest might be taken in
statement by State Fire Marshal II.
Alfred Fleming that the big army
post is unusually safe. The fire mar
shal completed an inspection of the
camp recently.
Here are some of the things he
found in the mushroom city that soon
will have male population of 1000:
fire chief, Pete j. Purcell, who for
3G years was captain of Cincinnatis
biggest cOmpany--the 36-man com
pany at Seventh and Sycamore streets
in the shce district-and who has been
pensioned.
Seven other veterans pensioned by
the Cincinnati fire department after
% years of service. who are acting
as righthand mon to the grizzled chief.
Equipment of three small pump en-
gines of sufficient power to throw big
streamsLquantity rather than force
because all buildings are two stories
or less-and three chemical fire en-.
gines.
/ One thousand barrels scattered
throughout the grounds filed with wa
ter, with 5000 galvanized iron buckets
distributed about the barracks for fire
use only.
Three hundred hand-pumps. 200
big jim" cxtnguishers. Two hun
dred 21a gallon chemical tanks, 500
double waterpugs connected with the
camp water mains and temporary wa
ter connections everywhere through
out the camp.
Add to this equipment the leader
services of every soldier on the
grounds, many of whom are getting
their turns" acting as firemen in the
squads of 200 that weekly are assign
ed to that work and it might we'll be
guessed that Chief Purcell boasts of a
fire protection that few cities in the
oonntrv oo, curnoeo or ayan annol
ED Smith, Fred Hilton, Ed j. Mey-
ers, Ed Newman, Thomas Buck and
Alfred Daughcrty are the first hand
veterans of Chief "Pete's" staff. All
are retired Cincinnati fire-fighters.
Besides the men, who are distrib-
uted among the four stations, are the
supervisors Of the cleanup gangs.
The fire department has the task of
cleaning up the grounds, at which
task 900 men are employed. Shaw
ings, lumber that cannot be used, pa
pers and all intlammables are carted
to big dump holes and burned. The
| foremen of the gangs are distributed
among the fire stations and sleep in
them at night, thus giving night emer-
gency protection.
There are SO hose reels, each with
! 500 feet of hose distributed through
out the camp. These are to be manned
by soldiers in case of fire, until the
fire companies can reach the scene
When all the soldiers get In quarters
in October, they will get taste OF
fire drills, along with their military
drills.
The regularly employed men of the
department get one day off in each
| ten.
"All 'cept the chief" said Chief
Purcell. 81 started on the Fourth OF
July and I've been away from the
camp only once. That was when
had to go downtown to get a haircut
Now we've got BARRIERS out here"
Six automobile chauffeurs are reg
ularly on the job to man the automo
bile equipment.
~