USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1885 > Part 24
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Very respectfully,
Worcester, March 12, 1886.
J. EVARTS GREENE.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
CHIEF ENGINEER
OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
ENGINEER'S OFFICE, FIRE DEPT., WORCESTER, January 1, 1886.
To His Honor the Mayor, and the Honorable City Council.
GENTLEMEN :- According to the provisions of the ordinance relating to the Fire Department and the Superintendent of the Fire-Alarm Telegraph, I have the honor to present my Thir- teenth Annual Report of the condition and working of the Fire Department, together with recommendations which, in my opin- ion, will increase the efficiency of the organization.
MANUAL FORCE AND DISCIPLINE.
The manual force consists of a Chief Engineer and four (4) Assistant Engineers ; a Superintendent of Fire-Alarm Telegraph ; thirty-one (31) members of steamer companies, including drivers ; thirty (30) members of hook and ladder companies, including drivers ; sixty-three (63) members of hose companies, including drivers ; and four (4) members of the chemical-engine company, . including the driver ;- making a total of one hundred and thirty- three (133) members.
The regular department is supplemented by a hose company at Quinsigamond, the members of which, although paid for their services, are not called upon for the same duties as those in the
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 40.
centre of the city ; and by three (3) volunteer companies : one at Northville, one at Coes square, and one at Tatnuck.
The work of the Department during the year has been satis- factory ; the discipline of former years has been maintained ; the officers and members have taken great interest in their work ; and in all of the companies there is a steadily developing deter- mination not only to advance the Department standard of effi- ciency wherever possible, but also to elevate its moral tone, which was years ago raised to such a standard as to win and retain the confidence of the public and make the Department an organization which, I believe with confidence, ranks with the the very best of its kind in the country.
There are, however, one or two considerations, which, in my opinion, are of the utmost importance in connection with the maintenance of a spirit of ambition among the members, and to which I trust you will early give serious consideration. In my annual report of five years ago, the attention of the City Council was called to the permanent members of the organization, i. e., the men who are on duty at the engine houses. They are required to be in constant attendance twenty-four hours in the day and seven days in the week, with the exception of such time as they are allowed for meals ; and even at such times they are expected to instantly answer a fire alarm. At all other times, in case of absence, every man is required to provide a substitute. Such continuous service is not expected of any other of the city's employés. I do not overlook the fact that these men are not really actively engaged all the time when they are not in bed, but the care of the apparatus, houses and horses, with such other duties as they are called upon to perform, gives each and every one of these men what can reasonably be termed a fair day's work, during what are ordinarily regarded as regular working hours. This steady confinement has a tendency to make their positions irksome and to create a feeling of discontent. In short, it increases the difficulty of obtaining men whose services would be valuable, and makes more difficult the task of retaining those who have been tried and found satisfactory. When suddenly called away by sickness or family affections,- for the permanent
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members of the Fire Department as well as other men have family ties,- they are obliged to take such substitutes as they can find, and it is not their fault if the substitutes are not always efficient, nor the fault of the substitutes, for men with only a limited experience cannot be expected to do the work of tried and trained men. I would recommend that an additional per- manent man be employed, who shall be kept as a substitute. Already it is necessary to employ a substitute for four (4) months in a year, and his permanent employment will not add greatly to the expense. With such a substitute, each permanent man can be allowed a certain amount of time to himself every two weeks or oftener. In my opinion, it would greatly improve the effi- ciency of the Department, and my experience is such that I am fully satisfied that you will, upon investigation, approve the recommendation.
APPARATUS.
The apparatus consists of four (4) steam fire engines ; two (2) hook and ladder trucks ; five (5) hose wagons, two of which carry small ladders; eight hose reels ; and traverse-runners for all for use in snowy time in winter ; one (1) large chemical engine; and twelve (12) small chemical extinguishers, carried on hose reels and wagons.
The steamers are in good condition. The hook and ladder trucks I do not consider as equal to the demands of the Depart- ment. The truck at headquarters is in good condition, and answers well the wants of the Department,-probably as well as any one truck can. The truck.on Prescott street I do not con- sider as longer answering the demands of the service. It was thrown out of service several years ago, but was afterward re- paired, and has done fairly good work for three years. At pres- ent, I consider it not only insufficient in carrying capacity, but unsafe for the work required of a truck at the north end of the city. The time has come when reasonable prudence calls for the purchase of a Hays truck, or one of carrying capacity sufficient for the accommodation of ladders by the use of which the high buildings can be covered. Then, too, the rapid increase in the
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CITY DOCUMENT .-- No. 40.
number of telegraph wires, in the thickly settled part of the city, makes it almost impossible to longer use the old ladders with efficiency.
The use of hose wagons in place of hose-reels has been contin- ued so long that there is now no reasonable doubt of their superi- ority. But four (4) horse hose-reels are left in use in the De- partment. Economy calls for their continued use as they are in too good condition to be condemned, or to be sold at a sacrifice. But there should be no work done upon them that is not abso- lutely necessary to their safety and they should be used constantly until worn out. They should then be replaced by hose wagons, which cost about one-third less, are much lighter, carry double the amount of hose, cost less for repairs, and are more easily cared for. Hose used with them lasts longer and is always in better condition, with less care, than that used upon reels; and is handled at fires with less effort. The wagons also possess the added merit of being made to answer to a certain extent the purposes of hook and ladder trucks. The hose reel formerly used at New Worcester, with six hundred feet of hose weighs 3300 pounds. The wagon which replaced it, with fifteen hun- dred feet of hose and forty feet of ladders weighs but 2450 pounds ; and the wagon is less liable to breakage than the old reel.
A wagon and truck combined has been built for Hose Co. No. 6, which carries ninety-six feet of ladders and twelve hun- dred feet of hose. I would recommend that during the year two · combination wagons be constructed, one to carry ninety-six feet of ladders, the other to carry one hundred and sixty feet, in addi- tion to twelve hundred feet of hose.
Any hose wagon can be so constructed as to carry ladders enough to set two companies at work on a three-story building, and the ladders will sustain a greater weight than any of similar length in the department. They will hold all the men who can get on them.
I would recommend that one of these wagons be located on or near Woodland street and the other at South Worcester. A few years ago I recommended the construction of a new house at or
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near the corner of Cambridge and Millbury streets. Since that time the hose company at Quinsigamond has been added to the list of paid companies, and to a certain extent, covers that prop- erty, the unprotected state of which caused the recommendation at the time. I believe a lot on Cambridge street, midway be- tween Southbridge and Millbury streets, the most desirable loca- tion at the present time. In it should be placed a hose wagon with 1200 or 1500 feet of hose and 160 feet of ladders. With such a wagon I believe South Worcester and Quinsigamond would be as well protected as any section of the city and that it would then be advisable to discontinue the company at Quinsiga- mond. All the buildings at Quinsigamond owned by the Wash- burn & Moen Manufacturing Co., are already provided with per- manent ladders.
The building of a house on Woodland street, or near that loca- tion, I think is withont question demanded this year, and if we cannot afford to build two houses, Woodland street should be given the preference. The locality is more exposed, the water pressure is less, and the apparatus from the centre cannot reach the locality so soon as it can get to South Worcester. It should also be remembered that in choosing locations for houses it is necessary to locate near some manufacturing establishment, for from it the men who are to handle the apparatus must be drawn. Apparatus without men is of less value than men without appara- tus. For a Woodland-street house, men can be taken from the Chandler-street shops and the May-street organ factory ; and there are manufacturing establishments on the line of Cambridge street from which men can be drawn with equal facility.
Both houses are needed I am satisfied. The greater need is, however, from the Woodland-street district. With two additional companies there will be nineteen less men in the Department than in 1877, and it is hardly necessary for me to remind your Honorable Board that the amount of property to be protected has steadily increased.
In deciding upon this question it may be well to consider the expedieucy of constructing a combination wagon of size sufficient to carry 160 feet of ladders and 1500 feet of hose, to be drawn
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 40.
by two horses and manned by twelve men, and to be stationed either on Woodland street or at South Worcester.
The changes made in the apparatus this year have been the substitution of a wagon with 96 feet of ladders for the use of Hose Co. No. 6 ; the substitution of a wagon with 40 feet of ladders and 1500 feet of hose for the reel of Hose Co. No. 8; and this reel, repaired, has been placed in the house of Hose Co. No. 4, being better adapted for short runs.
HOUSES.
During the year only such repairs have been made on the va- rious houses as economy in maintenance has seemed to demand, and they have been made principally by the permanent men of the Department. At the John-street house, the location of the stall has been changed so that the horse now faces the engine- room,-a decided improvement. The question of new houses · has been considered so fully in connection with what has already been said about new apparatus, that further discussion thereof is unnecessary.
HOSE.
During the year, forty-four hundred (4400) feet of hose has been purchased, as follows : Twelve hundred (1200) feet of American Jacket, six hundred (600) feet of the Climax, six hundred (600) feet of Cable, and two thousand (2000) feet of unlined linen to be used on the outskirts of the city. And it is recommended that three thousand (3000) feet additional be purchased during the ensuing year. The policy adopted several years ago of re- newing a certain amount of the hose each year, has proved so beneficial that its continuance is called for, in order that the effi- ciency of the Department may not be impaired because of any of the companies being compelled to use hose which will not withstand the water pressure whenever it may be attached to the hydrants.
FIRE-ALARM TELEGRAPH.
Within a few weeks, the condition of the Fire-Alarm Telegraph has been carefully examined and changes have been made which
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were considered advisable for its future efficiency. The new fire- department ordinance will allow of the establishment of such provisions for the maintenance of this branch of the service as may be deemed advisable, and it is the belief of the Board of Engineers that its effect will be beneficial.
I recommend that during the coming year new boxes be placed at Coes square, at the corner of Piedmont and Davis streets, and Main street between box 21 and box 31. There are other localities of almost equal importance in this respect, and so long as the growth of the city continues, I believe it to be a wise poli- cy to annually increase the number of Fire-alarm boxes. The out- skirts are now very well provided for and the most pressing de- mand comes from the thickly settled portion of the city.
THE WATER SERVICE.
The prompt action taken upon my recommendation of a year ago, in relation to notification of breaks in the water pipes being given the Board of Engineers, has enabled the Board to take equally prompt action in providing additional apparatus for the localities until the breaks have been repaired. Steamers have been assigned to duty for such districts as have been temporarily deprived of the usual water protection and pressure,-a precau- tionary measure which has proved satisfactory without causing additional expense, and an arrangement which will be continued in the future.
The plan of making a generous provision for hydrants, wherever water pipes are laid, has proved economical in that it has saved the hose from a great deal of hard usage; for hose wears out rapidly when long lines have to be dragged over the ground because the hydrants are widely scattered. The water pressure is better than ever before in that it is always uniform and reliable, and the Water Commissioner has shown a readiness at all times to assist the Fire Department in its work.
CHEMICAL EXTINGUISHERS.
Every year's experience more clearly establishes the value of chemical extinguishers. They are always ready for service, can
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 40.
be taken into buildings where the fire is located, and their use prevents heavy losses by water where the fire is not serious. They have come to be as necessary to the Department as any other part of the apparatus, and more fires have been extinguished by their use during the past year than by the use of water.
THE FIRE PATROL.
This organization continues an efficient and valuable auxiliary to the Fire Department. In fact, it has come to be indispensa- ble, and the citizens are fortunate in having its working opera- tion so well determined. It has never been in confict with the regular companies of the Department ; in fact, the utmost har- mony prevails, and co-operation has never been wanting.
THE NEW FIRE ORDINANCE.
The recently adopted Fire Department Ordinance has been so short a time in operation that its practical working has not been tested. The provisions, however, are such that I am confident it will be a benefit to the Department. In this connection, I would recommend that the fire-limit ordinance receive your early attention, and that such amendments be made to it as the experience of the past four years has taught are necessary. The lines establishing the limits should be rearranged, and provisions should be made which will allow of the construction of a certain class of buildings, principally dwelling-houses not over two and one-half stories high, within the limits by permission ; and which will prohibit the erection of shops, houses, and stables, of a dan- gerous character, within the city limits.
HORSES.
During the past year the spare horse used in the repair wagon, and the horses belonging to Hose 1, Hose 2, Hose 4, the Fire Alarm Department, and one belonging to Steamer 1, have been exchanged. During the current year it will be necessary to make one or two more changes, and if the new houses are built and equipped, new horses will of course be necessary.
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FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THE RELIEF ASSOCIATION.
The benefits of the Firemen's Relief Association are fully appreciated by the members of the Department. It is, in fact, a system of cheap accident insurance for the men ; and its work- ings have been such that its value has been more than once recognized by contributions from citizens. Its continuation is assured.
FIRES AND INSURANCE.
The losses by fire during the year aggregate $94,570.81 ; the amount of insurance on property damaged was $374,535.00. The number of alarms was 213; of which 76 were bell, 16 tele- phone, and 121 still.
The plan of keeping a key in a small box on the side of each Fire-alarm box, is working satisfactorily, and has, in several instances been of great value. It avoids all delay and is not ex- pensive. The fire loss is small in comparison with the losses of cities of the same size; and many of the fires during the year were outside the city limits where the department could render no service,-probably the best possible evidence of the practical working of the Department. The value of promptness in call- ing out the Department should never be forgotten. Although there has been no striking illustration of the increase in loss caused by delay, it should be kept before the public that the Fire Department is maintained for fire duty and should be called promptly whenever its services are required.
EXPENDITURES.
The expenses of the Department, including new apparatus, changes in horses, and repairs to houses, for the year, were $48,753.71. The appropriation was $48,000.00, to which $885.57 was added in revenue, making a total of $48,885.57, and leaving an unexpended balance of $131.86, which was transferred to the Sinking Fund. Only such expenditures have been permitted as have seemed to be demanded for the good of the Department.
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 40.
But it has always been the policy of the Board of Engineers to call attention to such work as they believe to be necessary.
CONCLUSION.
The members of the Fire Department again have occasion to thank your Honorable Body for your interest in them and in their work; for your prompt consideration of their requirements, and the disposition to assist in making the Department effective. The police service at fires has been prompt and reliable, and to members of that department we are indebted for their co-opera- tion. That the record of the Department may be as creditable in the future, as the commendations of your Honorable Body have shown it to be in the past, will, I am fully satisfied, be the constant endeavor of its members.
Having for many years taken a lively interest in all matters connected with your Fire Department, it may not appear egotis- tical for me to assert that I have its interests at heart ; and hold- ing the position of chief officer, I naturally feel anxions that the Fire Department shall not be one in name only, but that its effi- ciency may at all times be maintained. This must be my excuse for submitting such a lengthy report as the present one. I have plainly informed you of the deficiencies of the Department, and while fully aware that to carry out all my recommendations will involve considerable outlay, I am convinced that the efficiency of the Department cannot long be upheld without their adoption.
Assuring your Honorable Body that while I have the honor of holding my present office my aim shall be to make the De- partment, as it ever has been, a credit to our city ; and trusting that the recommendations contained in these pages will receive that consideration which their importance may demand, I have the honor to be,
Your obedient servant,
S. E. COMBS,
Chief of Department.
REPORT
OF THE
CITY SOLICITOR.
WORCESTER, January, 1886. To the Honorable the City Council.
The undersigned would submit the following Annual Report :
There is pending in the Supreme Judicial Court the following case, in which the City is a party :--
1. Charles D. Morse v. City of Worcester.
This is a bill in equity to restrain the City from polluting Blackstone river by means of its sewage. This case was argued upon a demurrer in October, 1884, and on June 29, 1885, a decision was rendered overruling the demurrer. This leaves the case for hearing on the facts.
The opinion of the full court upon the demurrer strongly indi- cates that the law upon the question, which it was the object of the defendant to raise by the demurrer, is in accordance with the view the City has always held. That question was whether the city of Worcester, under the statutes now in force, is under any legal obligation to enter upon any scheme of sewage purifi- cation, involving the appropriation of large tracts of land to that purpose, and the outlay of large sums of money in the construc- tion of necessary works.
The complainant's bill alleges negligence in constructing the sewers, and in failing to use reasonable precautions to purify the sewage. Of course, the City would be liable for any damage
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 40.
resulting from negligence in constructing the sewers. But it is not supposed that any negligence in the construction of the sewers can be proved, which materially affects the purity of the plaintiff's mill-pond in Millbury. And, in regard to the alleged negligence in failing to use proper and reasonable precautions to purify the sewage, the only specifications of negligence ever sug- gested in public, before the court or otherwise, so far as my knowledge extends, consists in a failure to adopt some one of the plans of sewage purification which have been proposed as feasi- ble, and which involve a treatment of the sewage by methods wholly disconnected from the sewers themselves. It was the object of the City to raise, by the demurrer, the question whether the City was obliged by law to make provision for any such treatment of the sewage. The intimation of the court is clear that no such obligation exists. The following is the language of the opinion upon this subject :-
" The bill alleges negligence in constructing the sewer, and in failing to use reasonable precautions to purify the sewage. *
* * If the plaintiff shows that in constructing the sewer, or in adapting the brook to its use as a sewer, the defendant did the work in an improper manner, this bill can be main- tained. So, if he prove that the defendant in constructing the sewer could have adopted, at an expense which is reasonable, a system of cess-pools or some other methods of purification, at the mouth of the brook, it may be that his bill may be maintained. * * *
* *
But, to prevent misunderstanding, we add that if the only mode of pre- venting pollution of the river is found to be by the adoption of an extensive system of purification, independent of the construction of the sewer, requir- ing the taking of large tracts of land, we must not be understood as implying that it is within the duty or the power of the defendant to do this. The power to convert the brook into a sewer carries by implication the power to expend money for any plan of work which is an incident or part of the main work authorized by the statute; but it would seem that the statute does not give the defendant power to take lands or expend money for an independent system of sewage purification. If such system is rendered necessary by the construction of the sewer, the remedy must be sought from the Legislature, which can best adjust and settle the conflicting rights and interests of the public, and of the riparian owners upon the river."
Whether or not an attempt will be made to show a negligent omission to provide for cess-pools, or other methods, at the mouth
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REPORT OF CITY SOLICITOR.
of the brook, which would be fairly incidental to the construc- tion of the sewer itself, is of course unknown, and may depend upon the result of the effort now being made in the Legislature to compel the adoption of a scheme of independent sewage puri- fication.
The following cases against the City are pending in the Supe- rior Court :-
1. Deborah C. James v. City of Worcester.
This is for injury to land by the disaster of 1876. A verdict has been rendered for the City, and exceptions of the plaintiff argued in the Supreme Judicial Court ; but no rescript has come down.
2. Benjamin James, Assignee, v. City of Worcester.
This is a case for injury to personal property by the same dis- aster. It is continued to await the decision of the preceding case.
3. John J. Avery v. City of Worcester.
An action for damages by falling on the sidewalk on South- bridge street. It is expected it will be tried at the present sitting of the Court.
4. Wm. H. Harrington v. City of Worcester.
Petition for damages for taking Tatnuck Brook.
5. Loring Coes v. City of Worcester.
Same as last.
6. Loring Coes et al. v. City of Worcester. Same as last.
7. John H. Coes et al. v. City of Worcester. Same as last.
8. The Burling Mills v. City of Worcester. Same as last.
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