The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-08-27
INVESTIGATION IN ORDER

People of Ocala. since the new
watzrworks were built. have been GO
ing to bed in the comfortable belief
that there was water pressure always
on sufficient to throw stream over
the highest point in town; also, that
there was automatic connection be-
tween the fire station and the water
works, so that when fire alarm was
sent into one it was instantly trans
mitted to the other.
The fifty thousand dollar fire yes
terday morning shows that they have
another think coming. There is no
such an efficient state of affairs,
although the people have paid for
them and have a right to them.
The top of the water tower is $50
feet from the ground; the bottom $50
feet. The bottom of the tank is at
least forty feet above the top of any
building in the city, and If there is a
normal amount of water IN the tank
there should be powerful stream at
any hydrant the moment the pressure
is turned on.
When the firemen turned on the
water at the Hall house yesterday
morning, the stream was hardly
strong enough to break in a window.
It barely rose to the second floor, and
had nothing like the force needed to
beat the fire down. which is more than
half the work putting out blaze.
Messrs H. M. Hampton and E. M.
Osborne phoned from the formers
residence to the water works. They
could get no answer. They took Mr..
Hampton's car and went to the plant.
There they found negro freman.He
hadn't heard the phone. They went to
Superintendent Caldwell's cottage and
woke him and he came over and
started the pumps. Some time after,
when the house was past saving, the
water came on in full force. That
there is plenty of water when every
thing is working has been shown by
repeated experiments since-th hose
pipes throwing water over the CHM
neys of the Hall residence, which yet
remain standing.
/ Policeman Pelot saw the fire and
sent in an alarm. instead of running
to the station. as we stated yester-
day. The fremen answered the alarm
as quickly as possible. They didn't
ring the bell, for they hadn't time. 1t
appears that the fire chiefs truck, IN
stead Of having automatic electric
lights has the old-style lamps that
must be lit by hand, which delayed
him several seconds. Ringing the bell
has always been left to volunteers,
but there were no volunteers. He
had to take his choice between hur-
rying to the fire and stopping to ring
the bell and he hurried to the fire.
The man on guard at the plant was
Tom Bellamy, colored man, who
has been with the city several years.
He is good workman. but not an en-
gineer The night engineer went off
duty at midnight He had been on
repair work in the daytime. and had
/ to rest. The superintendent in his
cottage was sound asleep, but every
body is expected to be asleep at that
time, especially when, like Mr.. Cald-
well, they have been hard at work
until late the night before.
The people can see that there has
been bad management somewhere,
and it is the duty Of the council to
find out where it was. One or two
more such fires will cost more than
the water plant that is supposed to
prevent them.
The people want to know:
Why was the water pressure so
low?
Why hasn't the alarm system be-
tween the fire station and the city
plant been put in?
Why hasn't the little fire truck
been equipped with up-to-date light
| ing apparatus?
Why is our city plant left in charge
of a couple of firemen at the very
time in the course Of the daily TWEEN
ty-four hours when fires are least
likely to be discovered when they
start?
Try Bouquet Dazira Extract" 1t
has no equal. and can be had only at
Gerig's Drug Store. 21-tf