The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1917-01-19
OLIVER TELLS
MAYOR HOW new
ENGINE WORKED.
Saws Machine Saved Four
Homes on Normal Hill
From Destruction.
HE'S SORRY KNOCKERS
DIDN'T SET ENGINE
Complains of Lack of Water
Promised Long Ago By
Utilities Company.

Mayor Rage and Fire Chief Kraft
Yesterday morning received special de-
livery letters from z. B. Oliver Jr.
comp!imenting them on the Efficient
work of the new engine and the good
work Of the iiremen in combating the
f1e which destroyed the homo of Prof.
]. VI. Site on North Pacific street
early Monday morning.
In both letters, Mr.. Oliver empha-
sized the fact that it was due to the
c:.ceIfent work OF the fire engine that
his home, which adjoined the house
that burned, was saved from the
flames. Taking into consideration the
fact that the nearest water plug was
about 1000 feet from the Site home,
and the fact that a strong wind was
blowing from the north, Mr.. Oliver
says. the result of the fight of the
fire department against this confia-
grafton US So much more TO be ap-
preciated.
Il want to congratulate YOU" the
letter to Chief Kraft says, "in having
such equipment and apparatus, and
the CITY is TO be congratulated for
having such :. force in charge Of its
fire fighting apparatus"
m lis letter to the Mayor, Mr..
Oliver says that no doubt the entire
row Of five houses, adjoining the one
which was destroyed, would have been
consumed by the flames had it not
been9or the fire engine. Every citizen,
he says, ought to appreciate the pro-
tection now afforded by the fire de
partment with It's new equipment, TAX
inc into consideration the fact that 1t
is utterly impossible to fight any fire
on the elevated points of the city.
The letter to the Mayor says:
Whatever may have been the i'm
preston of some of the citizens Of this
towr1aas to the efficiency of the new
fire-fghting equipment recently pur-
chased by the city, am satisfied that
if they had seen the work done by the
fire Department Monday on North
Pacific street, they would hereafter
havesaothing but praise for the equip
menrs and praise for the very effective
way sin which the department con-
trollsd the fire which threatened the
buildings owned by my neighbors and
myself. The engine had real test
under very adverse conditions and
showed the wisdom of having fire
eouip5Inent of ample capacity and
strength.
In.vicw of the fact that the Mis-
sourf-Public Utilities Company fur
niskes absolutely no fire protection t
residents of this city whose propert!
is located on the hills of equal o.
greater elevation than the north ent
of North Pacific street, it only tends
to emphasize the efficiency of the fir
DEPARTMENT and its equipment in con
trolll~r a fire situation where the hos
had 10 be connected at the intersection
of Pacific street and Normal boule
vard.-
The ordinance extending the fran
chisa-of the Missouri Public Utllltie
Company to use the streets of the cit
of Crpe Girardeau for the purpose o
LAYING water mains, provides for wha
is known as the 'high pressure sys
tem.g This system should have bee
completed in the fall of 1915, but tn
Public Utilities Company has done III
tie or nothing toward complying Wit
that prdipance, and as result all {
the property owners owning propert
on the hills around the Normal are M
furnished water by that company b'
we must depend on cistens and otht
sources of supply.
merely mention this fact to en-
nhasize the very capable manner
which the members of the fire depar
ment controlled the fire which destro,
ed one home and threatened fo'
homes located on North Pacific sire
last night. Not one of these homes
supplied with one drop of even h
drant water, much less adequate ii
protection by the Public Utilities Con
pany, and had it not been for the e
ccllent service rendered by the fire q
partmcnt it is likely that five hous
would have been destroyed instead
one.%
feel that you and the fire depa
menf.ought to know how well we thi
they--handIed the situation.
Very respectfully,