The Monmouth inquirer., 1922-09-28
USE OF DYNAMITE m FIRES.
New York Does Not Train sappets
and Miners as in Former Days.

New York Does Not Train sappeEs
and Miners as in Former Days.
Years ago. back In the days Of the
first volunteer fire departments. gum
powder was one OF the great adj
tuncts in lighting fires Water sup-
ply systems were not then what
they are now 1t was to gunpowder
that people looked when anything
like a coRfagration threatened Be-
cause Of this there came to be IN
pretty nearly every volunteer depart
ment of any size a corps of men who
had this special matter III their
charge. They we're called sappers
and .ininers.
Curiousiy enough, the corps OF
sappers and miners still lives. not
only In the laws establishing the
present department. but also in the
department book OF rules.
This corps OF sappers and miners
seems to have come down as a legacy
from the old days Of the yamps.
Perhaps respect for its traditions
has been the reason.
It was provided for In the laws
establishing the peid department. In
1885 and exists to-day in the amend.
ed Greater New York Charter, which
says that the Fire Commissioner is
hereby empowered and directed to
maintain In the department corps
to be known as the corps of sappers
and nliners.' =
Under this section Of the Charter
It is provided that the corps shah be
composed OF not more than three
members Of each company and be In
charge of an officer appointed by the
, Commissioner, "who shall be skilled
IN the use OF explosives. and whose
duty 1t shall be to instruct and drill
said corps in the use of explosives
and give the corps such other in-
struction as may be required to quail
ify them effectually to discharge
their duties. p
AS q matter of fact, according to
the experts OF the Fire Department,
New York hasn't. had any cause to
use explosives of any kind to stop a
fire since 1885. That was. the year Of
the New York fire." II any fire in
this city can be referred to that
way, says the New York Sun. 1t
started at Wall and Water streets
and gave the vamps Of those days
the greatest fight they had ever had.
1t burned up $20.00o.ooo Of prop
erty.
0unpowder a lot OF it-was used
dt this fire. 1t wasn't the sappers
and miners of the Fire Department
that undertook the work of blowing
up buildings. but the marines from
the Navy yard. They brought over
the powder and 1t was they who
took sole charge of the worh AL
though number OF. buildingk were
blown up 1t has never been certain
that this did much to stop the fre.
when fire gets going SO that It
assumes the size Of q conhagration
there is created a column OF hot air.
This column follows the way of the
wind and extends hundreds of feet
beyond the flames themselves. In
some fires this hot air column has
been several blocks in length. When
this column Strikes a. building 1t will
cause it TO burst into flames. Now.
dynamite won't stop that hot air coli
umn, but In my opinion, says the
New York Fire Chief, such col
umn could be broken up with sufl-
cient water.
Pour as many streams as you
can into that hot air current at diff
ferent points and I believe you will
have destroyed Its effectiveness.
That is the way should try to fight
any fire that ever assumed such a
size here; but l don't believe that
will ever happen."