的Philadelphia Plan.
At the meeting of the Philadelphia Fire Commissioners last week. Chief Johnson submitted a report on the hose question, as requested by the Council. This report has to go before the Council before its publication will be permitted. The report called for a statement regarding the hose which burst at the recent great fire, the names of the manufacturers of the same, the prices paid for it, and the condition of the remaining hose in the Department. Chief Johnson’s report states that the operations of the Department were greatly interfered with by the bursting of worthless hose, and recommends the use of none except perfectly serviceable hose. It takes from eight to ten minutes to replace a section of bursted hose, and it often happens that this delay is productive of much damage to property. The report further states that it was officially reported to the Chief that fifty-seven sections of hose burst at the fire mentioned, all of which was worthless and should have been disposed of long ago. It has been the policy when new hose is furnished to give it to the most active companies, and hand over the old hose to the companies in the outer districts, and when second, third, or fourth alarms of fire are given this plan results in bringing this defective hose into service at important fires, where none but the best hose should be used. When the suburban companies were summoned to assist at the fire in question, they came in rapidly, but with their reels loaded down with at least 15,000 feet of worthless hose, that should have been condemned instead of being sent to the rural districts for service. Here was the Department in an emergency which required the very best fire-extinguishing apparatus known to prevent the spread of the flames, receiving, in response to their calls for help, a lot of rotten hose, which was worse than worthless, for it gave the promise of help which it could not afford. Several buildings that were burned are pointed out as having been lost because of this worthless hose. The pipemen had obtained positions from which they were confident of subduing the fire in their front, when suddenly the hose burst, they were deprived of their streams, the flames advanced upon them, and, in several instances, drove them from their positions before the break in the line could be remedied.
We pointed out last week that the Philadelphia Department had been demoralized by the corrupt ring of politicians that control city affairs there. Every report we receive from Philadelphia confirms this statement. The hose which has proven so disastrous was put in there by means of “ a job ” whereby the ring made “ a good thing ” pecuniarily, and the tax-payers stand the loss. This worthless hose was bought nominally for fifty-$even cents a foot, or a little more than one-half the cost of good fire hose. No manufacturer could be expected to put in hose worth a dollar a foot for that price, and they did not. There are various grades of hose, manufactured for various purposes; some is made to stand 100 pounds pressure, and some 400 pounds, the Fire Service requires the latter, but if a city will only pay the price of the cheaper quality, of course the cheaper quality is supplied. Nothing can be more suicidal than the “ cheap ” policy of equipping Fire Departments. Philadelphia has paid dearly to learn this fact, but we doubt whether she takes heed of the lesson. Already the same ring of political tricksters is at work trying to get control of the contract for furnishing new hose, and, although there is no money at present with which to purchase hose, they hope to get a special appropriation for that purpose. The insurance men of Philadelphia and the tax-payers should combine to protect the Department and the Treasury from being imposed upon in future. The best way to do this is to abolish the cumbersome machinery by which the Department is controlled, and appoint three honest men as Commissioners to manage it. There are now thirty-one politicians who have to be ** conciliated ” before the actual working force is reached. They want to be cleaned out completely, and the administration of the Department vested in three Commissioners, ! and the executive management devolved exclusively upon the Chief and his Assistants, thus bringing the competent practical men to the front and giving them a voice in the equipment and management of the Department. Until this is done, the Philadelphia Fire Service will continue to be mismanaged and demoralized.
