FIRE AND WATER
CHIEF SWENIE, of Chicago, has recently been complained of because of his refusing to recognize the rights of sprinklers, standpipes, etc.,to put out incipient fires in their own way. Instead of waiting outside to see if these useful (sometimes useless) adjuncts to a fire department are doing the work that is expected of them, it appears that the chief has sometimes ignored their possibilities, and, as in the case of a recent fire, sailed in with an axe and hatchet, regardless of the fact that the appliances were reported to be in perfect order and thorougly competent to subdue any blaze. Chief Swenie, however, prefers the evidence of his own eyesin such a matter, and, knowing that the damage done by his men with axe and hatchet (supp >sing the sprinkling appliances to be in full working order) will be infinitesimally small compared with what must be the result, if, as not seldom happens, the sprinkling system refuses to work, he prefers to be on the safe side. Not that he despises these automatic equipments or objects to the standpipes ; on the contrary, he uses them, wherever possible, and whenever they are in good order— as, by the way, they were not on the occasion referred to. In that particular case the sprinklers did not act, and a novel reason is given for their inaction—namely, that the fire department did not wait to see what the sprinklers would do, but just turned the hose upon the fire before the automatic appliances had time to advertise their maker by their performances ! As a rule, fire chiefs do not take such chances; when they see a fire, they simply go ahead and put it out, without waiting to investigate whether the sprinklers are likely to reach the blaze or not. At such times it is the seconds which count.
CHIEF SWENIE, of Chicago, has recently been complained of because of his refusing to recognize the rights of sprinklers, standpipes, etc.,to put out incipient fires in their own way. Instead of waiting outside to see if these useful (sometimes useless) adjuncts to a fire department are doing the work that is expected of them, it appears that the chief has sometimes ignored their possibilities, and, as in the case of a recent fire, sailed in with an axe and hatchet, regardless of the fact that the appliances were reported to be in perfect order and thorougly competent to subdue any blaze. Chief Swenie, however, prefers the evidence of his own eyesin such a matter, and, knowing that the damage done by his men with axe and hatchet (supp >sing the sprinkling appliances to be in full working order) will be infinitesimally small compared with what must be the result, if, as not seldom happens, the sprinkling system refuses to work, he prefers to be on the safe side. Not that he despises these automatic equipments or objects to the standpipes ; on the contrary, he uses them, wherever possible, and whenever they are in good order— as, by the way, they were not on the occasion referred to. In that particular case the sprinklers did not act, and a novel reason is given for their inaction—namely, that the fire department did not wait to see what the sprinklers would do, but just turned the hose upon the fire before the automatic appliances had time to advertise their maker by their performances ! As a rule, fire chiefs do not take such chances; when they see a fire, they simply go ahead and put it out, without waiting to investigate whether the sprinklers are likely to reach the blaze or not. At such times it is the seconds which count.
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