The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-06-28
NEW FIRE ENGINE
Is RECOMMENDED
BY kIWANIS CLUB
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garage and never put drop Of
water on my building until it was
a mass of flames from one end to
the other"
Sees No Handicap
That the fire department was
! not handicapped apprcciably in
any way was the opinion of Mr..
J Knight. He said in another part
! of the letter:
THE fireman on one of the
trucks skidded at the corner of
East Park and Morgantown av-
enues and ran into the bridge wall
tearing the running board off the
rear One fireman was hurt and
taken to the hospital by others.
This slight happening could not
have handicapped the firemen to
any extent for the reason that it
fire and right opposite the fire
plug on the corner of East Park
and Morgantown avenues.
Mr.. Knight declared in his let
/ ter that he had been miStreated
by the firemen. The passage from
his letter, referring to this episode
was as follows:
LAS soon as I arrived, the fire
had just begun to creep upon the
top of my roof in the rear. Seeing
the firemen were wasting water on
what was already a total loss, ]
ran up to them and told them that
there was nothing to save in there
and to go around above the shop
in the rear and save my building,
to which l received the reply, Go
to H! We are doing this
There were plenty of fire-plugs
but they were not all working,
according to Mr.. Knights letter,
in which he explained the situa-
ton as follows:
Tells of Fire-PIuss.
There are three fire-plugs sur
rounding my shop, one under the
railroad bridge opposite my shop,
one at the corner OF East Park ana
Morgantown avenues, one in the
rear on Morsantown avenue. This
last one, so / have been told, was
out of commission at the time /.
Funt's place was destroyed by fire
and [ understand that it has never
been put in working condition since.
The one at the corner of East Park
avenue was out of condition and
more water came up around the
plug than came through the hose.
This left the one opposite my shop
under the bridge as the only one
used and it is on the end of the
line down that way
MIR. knight told also of his loss
in the fire, portions OF the letter
reading:
my loss was s57 900. not count
ing the loss of business, with $22,-
900 insurance. 1t will take me
three years of my own personal
work to get back many of the
drawings and patterns lost
Therefore. I will be out abouE
$4,000 before 1 get going again
and the best lawyers tell me I can
not recover from the city. But the
hands very much to take my ever
increasing taxes, and if l don't pay
them, they will sell me out"
MI Knight recommended "addi-
tional equipment, more men and,
last but not least, a reorganization
of our fire department. including
new chief who can and will direct
the firemen what to do at all times.
one who will do more than dab
some red paint on the plugs"
Explains Diagrams
At the opening OF the discussion
OF the fire needs of the city, Mr..
Knight was given about ten min
utes in which to explain drawings
of the location of the buildings thar
were lost in the fire, the location
of the water plugs, and the pro
gress of the fire. His discussion and
explanation followed largely the
letter he had presented to the club.
Capt. U. S. Knapp addressed the
club on tAmericanism," filling ten
minutes with a strong plea for
closer adherence to the traditions
Of this country, to greater efforts
to actually make Americans of
those who come to this country.
He stated that the result of the
continued stream of foreign ele-
ment into this country meant eth
er united people which had as
simulated the foreign tendencies,
or that it meant breaking up into
small groups OF different national
tiles and urged that we accept the
problem without prejudice and take
the foreigner and make an Amer,-
can citizen out OF him. His remarks
were we'll received.
The entertainment today was of
a high order, Miss Jean Billingslea
who has entertained the club a
number of times singing three
pleasing numbers, to the ACCOM-
paniment by Mrs. J. Minor Dun
ham.
The club will hear the report of
the delegates to the Toronto con-
,-o,+ior