The Washington herald., 1921-09-25
WASHINGTON GETS
CLEAN RECORD IN
NATIONAL REPORT
Board of Underwriters
Engineer Outlines Fire
Prevention Equipment.

Ahls CITY was Vlsiteu Dy ENGINEER
J. H. Rowland, August "a to 2s.
1871, for the purpose of noting the
more important improvements made
Subsequent TO our report of July.
1915. and of discussing with. the
District authorities the recommen-
dattons deemed most urgent for
early adoption.
water sspply.
The supply works and filtration
plant remain essentially as last
reported. Plans are under way for
an additional supply. which will
provide nearly double the present
yield. an ADDITIONAL conduit, new
filter plant and increased pressures.
In addition to the covering OF
Reno, reservoir, the installation in
the District pumping station Of a
5000. .000- gallon turbine centrifugal
pump and two 20o-horsepower boil
ers and the twenty-inch force main
to Reno reservoir and station men,
TONED In the bulletin Of May, 1917,
the following important improve
ments have since been made: At the
District pumpingsstation, the 5,0oo,-
oo0-galion Nordberg pump and two
old boilers have been replaced with
$4,000. .oo0- gallon turbine centrifu-
gal pump and two new boilers: a
twelve-Inch main has been laid
through the congested value dis
trict on F street. and twenty-four
and twelve-inch reinforcement west
he Ia
and twelye-inch east of the Smith
sonian grounds, twenty and twelve
inch east and north of BrightwoOd
reservoir and twelve-inch main In
Sixteenth street northwest.
The consumption during the past
three years has averaged close to
63.00o.o0o gallons a day, with ap-
proximately IS per cent of the ser
Vices metered. The maximum days
pumpage of 73,177.000 gallons was
recorded on June "a, 1921. The to-
tai pressures are about the same as
in 1916. The total length of pipes
in the distribution system has been
increased about thirty-seven miles,
very largely in eight, twelve, six
teen, twenty and twenty-four incn
pipe.
The department is urging a TWEEN
ty-four to ssixteen-inch supply main
from the District pumping station
east through the second high serv-
ice and a twenty-inch cross-con-
Meeting feeder around the northern
limits of the third high service dis
tricts.
Fire Department.
The department Is under the gen.
eral supervision of District Com
missioner James F. Oyster, with
Chief George S. Watson. formerly
chief clerk and FIRE marshal, in
charge of the department..
The two-platoon system, with ten
and fourteen hour shifts alternat-
ing every sixth day, went into ef-
feet in February, 1913. Including
eleven chief officers, the fire force
Is e22; this provides an average Of
six men on each shift in each of
the forty-two companies in service,
with many Of the high value lad
der and engine companies having a
minimum of seven men. About
fifty additional men on the night
force are necessary to provide the
full required manning.
= There are at present twenty
eight engines, one fire boat. one wa
ter tower and twelve ladder COM
panies In a total of thirty-five sta
tfons; Engine and Ladder 1 have
been combined in a new station on
New. Jersey avenue between D and
e streets northwest, former Chemi-
cal has been converted into En-
gine 1s and old Hose 2 and ChemI-
ratus Is largely motorized; Engines
IS, II, IS, IS and 27 still have horse
drawn steamers and combination
WAGONS, a horse drawn combination
wagon Is with Engine 25, and the
water tower and four ladder trucks
are horse-drawn; eight engine COM
panies have tractorized steamers
and fifteen have motor pumps. all
with motor combination hose wag-
ons. OF eight ladder trucks OF the
quick raising type, five are tractor
drawn and three automobile. The
additional ladder company recon-
niended in the vicinity of Twelfth
and Fl streets northeast, though
advocated by the chief, has not been
provided for.
Provisions for moving into va
Gated houses have been covered In
new running cards. Company drills
due principally to the lack of
fully equipped drill tower, are in
adequate and very infrequent. In
spections of quasi-public buildings
by rotating company members In
their respective districts. are thor
ough and frequent: more effective
results would be obtained through
regular and systematic house to
house Inspections in and around the
high value districts by company
members.
In line with the policy of ulti-
mately providing for complete mo-
torIzation. contracts have recently
been awarded for furnishing the
department with the following
automobile apparatus: $50 gallon
bumpers and combination hose
wagons for Engines. Is, II and 2s.
a 75-foot auick-raising ladder and
q city service truck for Ladder
Companies 5 and IL respectively
and q new 75-foot water tower.
Fire Alarm system.
The well maintained and reliable
hre alarm system has been improv-
ed by adding ten-cIrcuit box re-
lay board to the headquarters
equipment. thereby p1oyiding for
total Of forty box circuits, and there
has been an Increase In the total
some increase In the number Of req
lights at boxes.
Building Department.