Norwich bulletin., 1920-10-02

The hearing was given in the council | chamber. by the fire commissioners to | Thom the protest had been presented l earlier in the week. Mayor H. M Lerou 1 presided with Fire Chief Howard L.. Stanton having seat at the desk witt, him and the three commissioners. Alder 1 may c. " Pendleton, Jr. Councilmen l Edward Crooks and N. Eugene Smith l seated at the front of the council cham Der When the hearing closed at 9.45 o'clock tile commissioners reserved de- cision and will announce later what they will do on the petition and protest One of the important revelations brought out at the hearing was in the statement of Fire Chief Howard L. Stanton who told the citizens that Nor wich could congratulate itself that it's fire department was costing now the least it ever would for a bill is to be pre- sented in the coming legislature provid- i i'e for two-platoon system all over state in cities of 15,000 population and over. He gave the meeting to under stand that Norwich has had nothing to do with introducing or backing the meas- | ure but it is being pushed by other in terestes Former Mayor ! J. Desmond, who ap- peared for the petitioners, opened the subject. when Mayor Lerou asked for re- | marks after calling the meeting to order ! AlC SeA0 tidI ne DelcNSQ the commas sioners had given due thought to the subject but the petitioners felt they would not have adequate protection in view of the proposed closing of the Falls | hTe house. They hoped there might be ! some solution that would not involve the closing of the station that gave a sense or security at the present time. He felt sure that the commissioners would give full and fair consideration to the pro l test xx-l,io o5, ho Edward Kirby of 57 Lincoln avenue | followed MT. Desmond, stating that the company had a fine record. the location I was ideal and as the commissioners said | there would be no enonomy in closing the l station the residents felt that the situa- | ton was grave, He meI.oned the inn | portance and valuable property in the | district and said. he was not kicking about expense as he had always voted ! to raise the fremen's pay. He suggested l that an automobile chassis could be put | in the station with some hose and they | wouldn't need S10,00O pumper with the
 70 pound water pressure on the hydrants l He thought there was some hidden motive behind this to get another location and build another station
 | Assistant Postmaster Joseph F, Burns
 who lives at 99 Williams street. was the l netx- speaker stating that he had count | ed some 200 fine residences n the district not including the Falls tnill dwelling 1 houses and he thought we might got along for year with horses while some plan | was devised.
 + Miss Nancy Lucas of sS Sachem street spoke of a previous protest some years l ago which had resulted in withdrawal Of the proposals to close the station and mentioned the thickly populated charact- CT of the Falls neighborhood
 
 At this point in the hearing the siren of the automobile apparatus was heard re- spending to fire on Huntington place and Chief Stanton had to leave tempor- arily to go to the fire
 While he was gone Alderman Pendleton and Councilman Crooks reviewed the 1 reasons which have been previously giv- en for the plan to close the Falls station.
 These included the age and physical condition of the horses the poor condi-
 tion of the building. which was built in
 1SeS, and would cost from s2,500 to s.
 900 to put it in condition The apparatus
 is also in poor condition. There are three
 permanent men at the station but since
 they have one day off in 5, there are IS
 days in the month when there sse only
 two men on duty, and because of the din
 ner hours there are six hours every day
 when there is only one man on duty. Both speakers said they believed the
 proposed action was for the best interests of the city and to ake more efficient the service with the men and equipment that the fire department already has
 Councilman Crooks stated that it was poor policy to buy horses and that the , ideal location for station would be somewhere near Broad street so that ii could protect the Greeneville back road ] The whole city he said, except the center
 IS no Letter protected than this section ot l Greeneville, for we have really only one
 piece of real fire apparatus, the bumper The quicker the citizens realize the con. ; ditions as to apparatus. the better it will be. and while the Falls needs protection
 the commissioners will give it if you'r furnish the means to do it with. He suggested that the matter might be brought before a city meeting.
 MT. Desmond spoke again saving that he realized Norwich was in daneer of a
 conlagration at any time as it was city
 Of shingle roofs, but we ought not tc wait for a calamity to wake us up The day of horse-drawn apparatus is gone
 forever. We have the man-power in the department and he thought that if the cit.
 izens knew the situation they would pro. vide the apparatus.
 Mayor Lerou: remarked that cities smaller than Norwich have double the ap
 
 apparatus We will have the protection. MT. Kirby spoke again and said h, | couldn't believe the Falls station was a. bad as represented and Ae thought a cit, meeting would provide s12.000 for z bumper and the citizens wouldn't objec ! if the commissioners exceeded their ap 7 propriation in fixing up the station. r Chief Stanton spoke at length on thu l' subject, saying that the Norwich depart 1, nent protected 27 square miles, as mucl : as she New Haven department had H wanted to protect all sections and h . asked the meeting if they thought h . would do anything to rob himself 0 . protection since he lives in the Fall 2 neighborhood. The station should b
 somewhere in the center north of Broa' street and anywhere between Once :; street and Rockwell street
 Nothing could be expected from :, city meeting for every one could re a a.' member the one where the bleacher d manager asked for protection fo U GreeneTille but was coughed down. H. I need two more bumpers said Chic e Stanton. We have one and New Lon T don has four. We do take much mon E ey for our fire department but it zoe E to salaries which have to be met. T H. spend money on the Falls static ' would be waste and folly. There is n III pet scheme for new building. bu n- you can't depend on the Falls static nt to do something with one man on dut. Y The city needs 30 more fire alarl Ut boxes. There are not enough in tf CT business district, in Greeneville { at anywhere else. People have to go tc 3 great distances to a box to turn in a n- alarm, for the boz cali is the one SUI
 way to get quick and accurate T.
 sponse since telephone calls often r