Successful Private Fire Protection.

Successful Private Fire Protection.

The Sears Roebuck company of Chicago has installed a very effective private fire brigade, whose efficiency was well shown the other evening, when a fire broke out on the eighth floor of section G in the furnishing goods department. The blaze started near the wall and opened three sprinkler-heads, the alarm being turned in by a member of the night fire brigade. Two minutes later the sprinklers were turned off by the fire department, which decided that it could fight the fire with two leads of hose, fearing damage to the stock, if too many sprinklers should open. The sprinklers had held the fire, and it was extinguished in five minutes with a damage of about $3,200, largely by water. Insurance of about $12,000,000 is carried on the plant. A night fire brigade of thirty-two men is maintained in charge of Norman Holmes, formerly chief of the Evanston fire department, and this handled the fire with good judgment. As a result of the loss, the Sears Roebuck company will probably provide a stock of tarpaulins to cover goods, although in this case the floors, being scuppered, carried off the water without dripping through on to the floors below.

The Sears Roebuck company of Chicago has installed a very effective private fire brigade, whose efficiency was well shown the other evening, when a fire broke out on the eighth floor of section G in the furnishing goods department. The blaze started near the wall and opened three sprinkler-heads, the alarm being turned in by a member of the night fire brigade. Two minutes later the sprinklers were turned off by the fire department, which decided that it could fight the fire with two leads of hose, fearing damage to the stock, if too many sprinklers should open. The sprinklers had held the fire, and it was extinguished in five minutes with a damage of about $3,200, largely by water. Insurance of about $12,000,000 is carried on the plant. A night fire brigade of thirty-two men is maintained in charge of Norman Holmes, formerly chief of the Evanston fire department, and this handled the fire with good judgment. As a result of the loss, the Sears Roebuck company will probably provide a stock of tarpaulins to cover goods, although in this case the floors, being scuppered, carried off the water without dripping through on to the floors below.