The Excellent Work Of The Fire Department

Chief Sipley has just made an elabórate report to the board of fire commissioners of the losses, causes of fire, expenses, etc., of the fire department for the year ending April i, 1891. The report is a most gratifying one. The number of alarms was 41; fires destroying property, 19; chimney fires, 14; burning rubbish, 3; out of city, r; bonfires, 2. Value of property destroyed, $1,844.74; insurance paid on property destroyed, $1,655.74; loss in excess of insurance paid, $189. Total amount of insurance on property in which the above losses occurred, $22,500. The losses are about one-fifth the amount of the preceding year, while the number of alarms is the same. The causes of fires were: defective chimneys, 3; spontaneous combustión, 1; cigar stub, 1; spark f rom locomotive, 1; sparks from stoves, 2; gasoline stove, 1; depositing ashes in wood shed, 1; Christmas tree, 1; incendiary, 2; wood in oven, 1; children playing with matches, 1; rays of sun through magnifying glass in show window, 1; slack lime, 1; unknown, 2. Miles traveled responding to alarms, 27J; feet hose laid, 8,400; chemicals, 22. Twentythree of the alarms were by telephone, theothers were run in by men and boys. The value of department property including real estáte, horses, apparatus, etc, #23,974. The expenses were 55,283.61, and the receipts from. sale of unused apparatns and building permits, $559. The chief reports on hand 2,800 feet of rubber-lined cotton hose in good condition, and 1,000 feet rubber hose in bad condition. He says: "Allow me to recommend the placing in our city a telegraph fire alarm system, which would put our department in as good condition as that of any city in the state. The expense of a first-class system to cover the entire city would be about $2,500, which I think would be repaid to the taxpayers in reduced rates of insurance which would follow such improvements as have been made in our department in the last few years."Y