Reminiscences of the old fire laddies and volunteer fire departments of New York and Brooklyn. . ities are solidly built of brick and stone, while the American citiesare of wood, or of brick and stone with wooden roofs and our unsubstantial edifices, too, we carry immense stocks of inflam-mable goods, so that when a fire occurs the building is often by farthe smaller part of the loss. I remember a report which was madeto the New York Board of Underwriters, some years ago, and in itwas stated that in our wholesale dry-goods district, which extendsfrom Chambers to Canal streets, on
Reminiscences of the old fire laddies and volunteer fire departments of New York and Brooklyn. . ities are solidly built of brick and stone, while the American citiesare of wood, or of brick and stone with wooden roofs and our unsubstantial edifices, too, we carry immense stocks of inflam-mable goods, so that when a fire occurs the building is often by farthe smaller part of the loss. I remember a report which was madeto the New York Board of Underwriters, some years ago, and in itwas stated that in our wholesale dry-goods district, which extendsfrom Chambers to Canal streets, on the west side of Broadway, therewere single blocks of stores which, if consumed with their contents,would entail almost as great a loss to their owners as was sufferedby Boston in her baptism of fire in November, 1872. It also alludedto a bonded warehouse in this city, which at one time had within itswalls $20,000,000 worth of goods. It can easily be seen from thisthat a fire in one edifice is possible in America which, in the magni-tude of the loss inflicted, would appall a European 230 Reminiscences of the Old Fire Laddies. There are three conditions to be obtained by an American citybefore it can be considered tolerably safe from the visit of a sweepingconflagration. It must be built of the least combustible material; itmust have an abundant and ever ready water supply, and it musthave an efficient fire department. The first I regard as the most im-portant consideration, since in the well-built cities of continentalEurope, in which fires are rarities, the means of extinguishment areoften contemptible. In Geneva, for instance, I have seen a firedepartment walking to the locality where the inhabitants imaginedthey smelled something burning. Of all large American cities, NewYork may be ranked highest for the efficiency of its means of pro-tection against fire. What is called in insurance circles the schedule-rating system (which has been in force here for many years) h
Size: 1985px × 1259px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidldpd63166850, bookyear1885
