DETROIT FIRE NOTES.
[Special correspondence of FIRE AND WATER.]
DETROIT, MICH., May 18, 1897.
The five day bill is now a law, the governor having signed it last week; now comes the most important part of all—viz. what action the commission will take with regard to it.— Engine company No. 4 will soon move to the quarters— Twentieth and Fort streets, which they will occupy while their present house is being razed, and a new one built in its place; the new house will be similar in appearance to that of engine company No. 22.—Lamed street will soon be paved, and then some fast time on the part of the companies stationed at headquarters may be looked for; at present the street is in a very poor condition.—Truck No. 1, which was built by the Fire Extinguisher Manufacturing Company, has been sent to Seneca Falls to receive a general overhauling. The repairs will include a ninctv-fivc foot Gleason & Bailey ladder with ball bearings and ball-bearings for the wheels; as this truck is a very heavy one, weighing nearly six tons. The latter experiment will be watched with interest, and, if it proves a success, will be adopted throughout the department.—Instead of being compelled to take their furloughs during the summer season, the members of the department can now take them when they choose, or can take two vacations of five days each—of course, but one man from each company will be allowed away at any time.–House cleaning has been the order of the day up to Saturday last, but is now finished, and all the houses look like a model New England kitchen.—Engine companies 17 and 20, have very fine ball grounds, and the men are not slow to take advantage of them —A three-alarm fire kept several companies busy for over four hours on Sunday afternoon last. At 3.50 p. m., an alarm was sounded from box 351 followed soon after by second and third alarms, Kickel’s malt house was the scene of the blaze, which was a hot one while it lasted. Several narrow escapes were noted, and, as it was, Pipemen Heubner and Boehm, of engines Nos. 9 and 11. were injured, the former quite badly. Tillermen Cullen and Itoeberiiz. of trucks Nos. 2 and 3, were also slightly injured.
