USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1876 > Part 8
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PUBLIC GROUNDS.
consumed within a few years. But that depression was not restricted to this City : and for the real waste of our substance a sure reparation must be sought in the ready genius and elastic energy that have ever proved equal to the public good. Despondency will neither restore nor revive our fortunes. In the terse phrase of the Latin Satirist :-
" Æquam memento rebus in arduis Servare mentem; nous secus in bonis, ab insolenti Temperatam lætitia."
The little village which, within the memory of some who may peruse these lines, developed under the influence of Stage-Coach and District-School to its present sightly proportions ; will not sink into decrepitude, now that every Avenue is threaded by its Railway,-each hill-top crowned with its Academy. Cherishing a manly self-reliance, let us in our day and generation, foster the inheritance transmitted by our fathers ; and resolve, under Providence, to do all within our power to promote individual comfort and public growth. As there can be no life in stagna- tion, so can there be no thrift from inertia. While the just demands of the past should be respected, it must not be forgotten that the present will have and insist upon its own imperative claims. The Thirty Thousand (30,000) inhabitants, in 1865, with a valuation of Nineteen Millions ($19,000,000), were con- vinced of the vital necessity to them of ample Water, with adequate Sewers. Unfortunately, they were not as well per- suaded of the importance of paying as they went. Nevertheless the Water and Sewers were introduced ; and now the population of the City is computed at Fifty Thousand (50,000), and the valuation at Forty-Eight Millions ($48,000,000). Is that gain of Twenty Thousand (20,000) inhabitants an appreciable factor in our prosperity ? Does the increase of Thirty Millions ($30,000,- 000) in valuation, represent a gigantic delusion ? Or have we, in fact, profited by the foresight and energy which, if it antici- pated the wants of years, in greater ratio precipitated upon us wealth and population. One thing may be noted : that the apostles of inertia ; those who eternally croak forth the gospel of doing nothing because it may cost something ; do not har-
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monize their practice with their creed. A measure that will promote their own interests is ever seasonable. A street that will bisect, or wholly occupy, some of their ineligible land, cannot be built too soon, even though it require a mandamus for its construction. It is only when the project looks to the development of the entire city; when it is advocated, with no ulterior aims, by those who can comprehend a public benefit uninfluenced by private greed ; then it is that we are reminded by our vigilant guardians of the municipal-and their own- weal, that Worcester is dead,-felo-de-se,-and that administra- tion should issue at once to save the poor remnants of the estate. Yet people cling and flock to the City; its inhabitants maintain a stubborn contest for existence, although heavily handicapped by class legislation and frauds in bankruptcy ; its schools thrive and acquire a good name for themselves and the municipality ; and the advance, from year to year, if not so abrupt as in the past, bears every token of soundness and permanence.
Throughout all, the COMMISSION OF PUBLIC GROUNDS, put forth their plea for the useful and ornamental. They urge the com- pletion of PARK AVENUE to Stafford and Leicester Streets, as a measure of obvious public necessity. They call attention to the exclusion of the people from the Northern shores of Lake Quin- sigamond ; and remind the HONORABLE COUNCIL that the comple- tion of LAKE AVENUE toward the Poor Farm will pierce all recent obstructions and restore the enjoyment of old privileges. They measure the dimensions of the City Reservoir; and, finding that its utmost capacity falls far short of an adequate supply ; reaffirm their opinion that a Reservoir upon NEWTON HILL would supplement a probable deficiency and furnish a head of " emi- nent gravity." They believe that these measures would subserve the public welfare. They feel assured that their value to the community would immeasurably transcend their cost. And they know that, of such cost, they must bear their proportion as citizens and taxpayers.
And if the views of the true policy to be adopted, and unde- viatingly pursued, by this Municipality, need support; they will re-inforce them by the remarks of a distinguished fellow-citizen,*
*Hon. William W. Rice.
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PUBLIC GROUNDS.
whose faithfulness over the few things of the Mayoralty, not less than his fidelity in every other position of trust, has led to his promotion to the Halls of Congress. The lapse of sixteen (16) years has not deprived those remarks of a singular pertinence to this time and occasion :
" In calling your attention, therefore, to the various departments of affairs, which are about to pass under our control and management, I shall offer few, if any, new suggestions, premising that, while the still depressed condition of business justifies and demands a strict economy in all our appropriations, that is sometimes most truly found in generous expenditure."
All which is Respectfully Submitted by
EDWARD WINSLOW LINCOLN,
Worcester, January 29th, A. D., 1877.
Chairman.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
CHIEF ENGINEER ,
OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
CHIEF ENGINEER'S OFFICE, WORCESTER, JANUARY 1st, 1877.
To the Honorable the Mayor and City Council :
GENTLEMEN :- The Board of Engineers have the honor to sub- mit their fourth annual report of the condition of the Fire Depart- ment under their charge; together with such suggestions for your consideration as will, in our opinion, promote more fully the large and growing interests of the city. The report embraces a detailed statement of the condition of the Department at the close of the year, from personal knowledge and from reports obtained from the several Companies.
We shall endeavor in this report to present to your Honorable Body all the items of interest connected with the workings of the Department; also a list of the officers and members, with the salaries paid them for their services ; the number and location of fire alarm boxes; an inventory of property belonging to the city in charge of the Department, and such other information as may be of interest to your Honorable Body and the citizens of Wor- cester ; trusting it will enable you to properly understand the con-
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dition, and also to judge of its necessities, and of what its needs are to faithfully protect the property of our citizens from the ravages of fire.
MANUAL FORCE AND DISCIPLINE.
The manual force of the Department consists of a Chief Engi- neer and four (4) Assistants, forty-two (42) members of Steamer Companies, including drivers ; sixty-eight (68) hosemen of Hose Companies ; thirty-six (36) members of Hook and Ladder Compa- nies, including drivers ; five (5) members of Extinguisher Com- pany, including driver ; making a total of one hundred and fifty- one (151). In addition to the regular force of the Department, there is a Volunteer Hose Company located at Grant Square, also another at Coes Square, that respond to all alarms in their localities, and always to a general alarm; for which the citizens should be grateful, for it reduces the fire risks in those localities very materially.
The duty of the Department during the past year has not been very arduous, the firemen have not had a great amount of fire duty to perform, but this fact should not make us less vigil- ant, nor affect the interest of the city government, nor of the citizens in providing means to keep the Fire Department in the best working condition. There is no department in the city that it is more essential to have on hand when called, and to keep in full working order than the Fire Department; the discipline of the Department, we can truly say, was never better than it is at the present time; the promptness of our firemen in responding to alarms of fire cannot be sur- passed. We sometimes think their services are lightly esteemed and never fully appreciated; when we consider the risk of life and injury to health is concerned, this large body of useful men are sometimes judged harshly, and held by the public as a necessary evil; this fact is evident, and the reason is somewhat clear ; the great body-the mass of firemen-suffer from the wrong-doing and the vices of a few of their number. From a careful investigation it will be found that the firemen, as a body, will average in point of respectability and worth, as pro-
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ducers and artisans, in point of moral character as citizens, and indeed in all the relations of life, equal to any organization of men. In assuming this position, it is not intended to argue that firemen should not be subject to discipline ; but, on the contrary, we contend for what is self-evident to every person, that the strictest discipline in the discharge of their duty, and the utmost subordination to superiors should exist ; the Fire Department should be drilled to military discipline in the discharge of their duty, and should be holden strictly answerable, by penalty, for the slightest want of obedience to the orders of a superior officer.
This state of discipline however is not more easily brought about by keeping the men down ; but it is accomplished by ele- vating them in the public regard, by raising them to appreciate the necessity of such discipline, by developing a pride and emulation in the prompt discharge of every duty, in ener- getic and zealous efforts in time of danger, in subordina- tion, and in the cultivation of a capacity to keep cool in time of great excitement ; it should be made their pride to be able to think quick and act judiciously in all cases of emergency, and upon a proper impulse of thought and feeling. There are men who are able to give attention to two things at almost the same instant of time : this valuable faculty is acquired, doubtless, by severe discipline of the mind, and in no service are there so many occasions where this kind of ability is required as in that of a fireman ; the alarm, the darkness, the bustle, the shriek of terror-stricken women and children, the high wall, the flame-en- veloped staircase, the explosion of combustibles, the crazed action of the populace, and the gratuitous advice and opinions of those who, at such a time, are not worthy of attention ; all these cir- cumstances tend to distract the attention, to disturb the mind, and thus imperil life which might be safe, to jeopardize interests that were otherwise secure ; it is at such times that every mem- ber of the Fire Department should be able to act coolly and quickly, and also deliberately; the faculty of deliberate and efficient action is very essential ; confusion in the public mind, chaos in surrounding“ circumstances have often produced fatal results ; fire has been driven in, instead of out, life has been crushed by
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falling walls, which might have been secured had a thought been given to their safety, windows and doors are often broken in to feed the flames. Every person will admit these statements to be painfully true after seeing the many and various phases of events as they transpire at different classes of fires ; it is not presumed that each and every casualty that might be avoided, can in every instance be prevented, but the assertion is that, by elevated and decided discipline in the Department, the frequency of such casualties will be greatly lessened. The true policy, and that which we feel assured will commend itself to every one is, that only such men should be approved and admitted members of the Fire Department as are capable of making a proper selection of men for office, men who understand the duties of such office; such men should be well paid for their services ; they should take high ground in regard to membership, and see that none but proper persons are admitted to the Department ; selections should be made from those best qualified by physical, moral and intellectual abilities to command respect, and be efficient mem- bers under the paid system : the men feel the importance of the position, and are actuated by a desire to perform their duty, and to preserve their self-respect.
The "rowdy fireman," in this city, has long since become one of the things of the past, and the service has become such as to merit the good opinion of the people. The members of the force of to-day are composed principally of mechanics ; hale, rugged men, who in summer's heat or winter's cold, leave their workshops or their beds when the alarm summons them, and valiantly battle to subdue man's greatest foe. It is easy for men not familiar with the duty of a fireman, or of an engineer of the Department, to pleasantly theorize in a warm office as to how many men can properly run the engines, hose and hook and lad- der carriages, and as to how little pay they can be procured for to do the work ; but those who have fought and conquered the red flame that painted the sky, and by the sacrifice of time, labor and health, and the endangering of limb and life, have pre- vented the greedy fires from devouring the city; and those like yourselves, who have watched and governed such men, are
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FIRE DEPARTMENT.
the only persons who can really have even an idea of what firemen earn, or what a Fire Department needs.
Any and all changes in the Fire Department of this or any other city should be carefully studied and their results well con- sidered ; the general sense of security which is in people's minds to-day, and is manifested in various ways, is most desirable, and we think is well founded in fact ; so far as it is founded upon the condition of the Fire Department, there seems no reason to think that this confidence in the ability and efficiency of the officers and members of the Department is misplaced.
An inspection of the Fire Department was had September 26th, by the Board of Engineers, accompanied by the members of the City Government and a number of gentlemen engaged in the insurance business in this city, and the result was highly satisfactory, revealing a state of efficiency never before equalled in this city, and certainly not excelled by any fire organization in the State; it was demonstrated that it was possible for engines and hose carriages to be on the ground and at work within three minutes after an alarm had been given. After the inspection was over, his Honor the Mayor pulled in an alarm from station No. 32, when four companies reported in less than two minutes, and one hose company in one minute and seven seconds. It is almost impossible for fire where there is no inflammable material to make extensive headway. In order to lessen the rates of insurance it is necessary to prevent fires ; to do this we must have a thoroughly disciplined and effective Fire Department.
APPARATUS.
The apparatus of the Department consists of five (5) steam fire engines, one (1) Babcock extinguisher, twelve (12) hose carriages-one in reserve, three (3) hook and ladder carriages- two in service and one in reserve. It is an important duty on the part of the city to keep the Department equipped to the highest degree of efficiency. The repairs of apparatus when required, become a necessity and are made at once; due economy however is observed by having the men in the Department make all such as can be conveniently done in the engine houses ; the repairs to
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engines during the year have been merely incidental, with the exception of the relief engine, which has been provided with a new boiler. The apparatus of the Department is now in good condition, and it is the intention and duty of the Board to keep it so ; repairs to hose carriages and hook and ladder trucks dur- ing the year have also been incidental, to repair damage caused by accident, contingencies which are constantly occurring, and require constant watchfulness to provide against and remedy. The wheels and axles of the apparatus are parts most frequently needing repairs, the carrying of such heavy loads at high speed over the rough pavements and railroad tracks, is destructive in the extreme to running gear. All new wheels and axles that have been purchased of late have been made stronger and heavier ; the important thing is to have the apparatus reach the fire in a ser- viceable condition, for it has become a settled fact that, to pre- vent serious loss by fire the attack must be made at the outset ; and in order to do this effectually the apparatus must be on the spot well manned in season, which cannot be the case when the employés are engaged in other occupations. In our opinion Fire Department apparatus requires as much skill to handle suc- cessfully, as does the tools of any machine, and, possibly more so, for the misuse of fire apparatus must result in great loss of property.
Our limited number of full-paid men are faithful and ener- getic, but they can only do the work allotted to them, which is to get the apparatus to the fire, and prepare for the service of the call-men, and in their absence await their arrival, and in the event of their absence being prolonged-which we have no right to otherwise expect, owing to the nature of their various occupa- tions-the fire must gain headway, if not get beyond control, and much damage by water must ensue; therefore in our opinion, a sav- ing of property from destruction by fire would result, if permanent men were attached to our companies in business centres; this of course would increase the expenses of the Department, but considering the benefits derived we think it would be a very economical measure.
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FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THE WORCESTER PROTECTIVE DEPARTMENT.
This Department is admirably supported by the Insurance Patrol; the public and the companies take an interest in the ser- vice that is a source of pride to one and profit to the other; it is managed and paid for by the Insurance Companies, and it is a very important auxiliary in the case of property exposed to damage by water, fire, or smoke. The object of the Fire Patrol is to extinguish incipient fires, to protect property in or near burning buildings, to superintend the removal and take charge of the property so removed, to keep out spectators-many of them for the purpose of plunder. Their first efforts are to locate the fire and if possible extinguish it with a chemical fire extinguisher, and if necessary remove goods or cover them to protect them from damage by water before the Fire Department begin their work ; they act in perfect harmony with the Fire Department, and when the firemen have quenched the flames and retired, the Patrol remains in possession to clear out the rubbish, put the premises in order, and replace the goods as near as possible; if much water has been thrown, it is afterwards necessary to cut a passage for its escape. Every means is used to lessen the cost of fires. Another important feature of the Fire Patrol is, that it facilitates investigation into the causes of fires, and aids in many ways in determining the justice of claims and the aggregate loss. Not only does the Patrol save property from destruction, but it prevents thefts, so common at fires. The value of the Patrol is in immediate action, such as cannot be secured in a Volunteer department. Fire Departments oftentimes deliver large quantities of water, which is ruinous to goods and merchandise generally ; this we believe to be a wrong principle, as small doses in the right time in the shape of a chemical extinguisher should in all cases possible be applied ; on the other hand, if the Fire Depart- ment get to work delivering water through three or four 12 inch nozzles, the result is great damage and loss.
There is no doubt but that the Fire Patrol has saved, the past year, more than double their running expenses. As we have said before, the value of the Patrol is in immediate action. Such cannot be secured in a volunteer fire department. The Board of
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Engineers, while it cannot but acknowledge the great benefits that have ensued from the establishment of the Fire Patrol in this city, and of the saving of property therefrom, are all impressed with the fact that the city should bear a proportional part of the expenses, as it protects the property of every one, rich or poor. We have many fires-in fact, the majority of fires that occur in dwellings, are among the poorer classes, who cannot afford to lose their little all; and the most of this class of our citizens cannot afford to get their goods insured. It is also the opinion of many members of the City Government that the Fire Patrol should not be sustained entirely by the insurance companies, but that it should be a part of the Fire Department of the city ; and there are many good and sound arguments in favor of the Patrol being so incorporated.
HOSE OF THE DEPARTMENT.
There is now 4,700 feet of rubber hose, 4,000 feet of which is in good condition, 700 feet is poor and unreliable for service ; 8,000 feet of leather, a part of which is in good condition. 1,400 feet of leather hose have been purchased the past year, which, we think, will prove very desirable, as it is of excellent quality. 800 feet of cotton hose have been purchased the past year, and it gives the best satisfaction, as it is very easily handled ; there is also 1,000 feet of unlined linen hose in good condition.
It has always been the aim of the Board to purchase the first quality of hose, knowing full well that the best was the cheapest. As has been stated in former reports, the length of time it has been in use is perhaps as good a means as any (except actual test), of determining its strength, for it is a fact well established that all hose, but especially rubber hose, deteriorates steadily whether in actual use or not.
The wants of the Department in this particular have continued to exercise the most careful consideration of this Board, fully realizing at all times the importance of trustworthy hose as well as all other fire apparatus. The quantity of hose now in the Depart- ment is not sufficient, as the quality of a portion of it is not of
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the first order, owing to the length of time it has been in use. In order to cope with fires successfully it is requisite to have a trustworthy article of hose and plenty of it, for, with the press- ure of water from the steam engine it is put to a severe test, and is liable to give out at the most critical moment, unless the standard is maintained.
The frequent repairing of hose when once it begins to show weakness, admonishes the experienced that any outlay of money' for such a purpose is misapplied. We would not, therefore, recommend too frequent repairs upon hose which cannot resist a fair water pressure without bursting, but that all such quality of hose be immediately replaced by a serviceable article. Poor hose neutralizes the value of all efforts of the firemen and their appara- tus, however costly and well appointed. What the firemen must have is hose that is reliable and durable. We think, for hydrant pressure, say from 75 to 100 pounds to the square inch, leather hose would be the most durable and economical. It is of vital importance that our Fire Department be furnished with the best hose that can be obtained. A considerable outlay will require to be made the coming year for new hose, which it is just as essen- tial to have as the steam fire engine, for neither would be of avail without the other. We would, therefore, recommend that at least 3,000 feet of hose be purchased at as early a moment as possible, for general distribution throughout the Department.
FIRES AND INSURANCE.
The record of the past year in the number of fires and the amount of loss by fire will compare favorably with that of former years. During the past year there have been 41 alarms, an increase of 3 over the previous year. Perhaps no subject is more constantly before the people than that of the origin of fires and the means to be used for their prevention. With all the modern appliances for the prevention of fires, the fact still remains that there is a steady increase in their number, and from causes too often within the control of the owners or occupants of the houses or other buildings in which the fires occur. Accident is
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 31.
accepted primarily as the principal cause of fire ; but experi- ence shows that what is called accident is often carelessness.
A large part of the destruction of property, must be attributed to carelessness, but much of it must be set down to incendiarism. This crime is one of the most difficult of detection in the whole range of offences. The incendiary works in the dark. He is careful to select the hours when honest men are in their beds ; and a moderate amount of ingenuity is sufficient to contrive to have a fire break out when the rascal who started it is miles away. How many buildings are purposely burned to defraud insurance companies and cover up fraudulent bankruptcies no one can tell, nor how many cases are chargeable to private malice. In either case, the incendiary is a public enemy, and should be hunted out wherever he has left the slightest trace, and brought to punishment. What can be more cowardly than to sneak up to the house, factory or barn of your enemy in the night, and fire it to cause loss and inconvenience to him ? The enormity of the crime is increased by the fact that when the match is once applied no one can tell what damage may be done, or how many lives may be sacrificed !
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