TEN YEARS AGO IN RICHMOND.

TEN YEARS AGO IN RICHMOND.

十年前，在弗吉尼亚州里士满市收到了110起大火警报，损失了63,077.98美元。在过去的一年中，有276张警报，损失不超过60,000美元。在这些火灾中，许多人在开始时很危险，但是迅速而有效的手段很快被屈服了。十年前，有五十九个信号站。这些现在是160。过去十年中的火灾设备从六个发动机增加到九个发动机，带软管货车，两辆到三辆卡车和两家软管公司。还添加了化学发动机，现在只有二十七匹马，现在有41匹。然而，尽管增加的费用应该增加三十三和三分之一，但1888年的拨款增加了1,000美元。1他的消防委员会现在正在为Monty大喊大叫，这可以购买很多，以便为5号发动机公司建造一个新的火灾区。目前的七名男子必须在17到十七英尺的房间里睡觉 -董事会认为“真正的野蛮”的安排。董事会还敦促增加消防员工资的增加，以便在任何情况下都与其他城市雇员的平等息息相关。报告说，这些消防员在1894年收到了10％的削减，当时没有其他公务员受到影响，到目前为止，他们的日常薪水为每月80美元至50美元。 Deprived of every home comfort, imprisoned in a sense, contending with every extreme, knowing no night undisturbed, required to be in full uniform day by day, to be suddenly driven into . some cellar to fight fire and poisoned gases, and, if delivered alive, to find himself disfigured and his clothing ruined. The majority have families depending on them, and barely manage to keep the wolf from the door, and cannot provide fer their loved ones, because no regular life insurance company, we understand. will touch them, and it is only due to a generous community, that has no parallel, that they have a substantial relief fund to take care of them when they are distressed. We recommend that vou appropriate a sufficient amount to enable us to increase the pay of the permanent hosemen, eighteen in number, from their present pay of $50 per month to $60.

Theboaid asks for increased w. ter mains and additional hydrants in the centre of the principal commercial blocks. It protests vehemently against violations of the ordinance which orders the placing of the electric wires of telephone and other companies in subways, on account of which scores of times it has been found impossible to raise ladders, while ‘even the contact with streams of water and live wires shock and injury the firemen”—to say nothing of horses being killed by live wires falling upon them. Such a fate, the report points out, might befall any citizen at any time. It also advises that the fire department be kept advised of the erection of new, and additions to,or alterations in old buildings. A modern switch board has been added to the (Gamewell) fire alarm system, by which at least $2,000 has been saved to the city. The storage battery has proved to be a success, and has paid for itself. Of the 150 miles of wire, however, much is rotten. The fire loss was $18,536.45 less than in 1896. The fire-fighting force consists of chief engineer, assistant engineer, sixty-nine permanent, and sixty-five call men, with twenty-two unpaid call substitutes. uring the past year a second-size La France piston engine was purchased, as was also, chemical wagon. Chief Fuller urges an inctease in the permanent force and states that of the twelve companies seven have only a part permanent force, and the other five a call force. He points out that