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In another case, six Chinese lives were lost. The fire broke out in a room on the first floor and communicated itself to the stair-case before the inmates above were made alive to their danger. The.)f the fire. Experience has shown that it is impossible to safely work pressure to a higher point than In starting the engines in connection with the harbour, consideration has to be given to the locality were no means of escape either by the roof or by windows and all six lost their lives.
The last incident that occurred was at an extensive fire in Bonham Strand, where, without a minute's warning, five houses fell outwards across the street resulting in the most serious injuries to Mr. Ross the foreman of the Volunteer Fire Brigade. A member of the Government Fire Brigade was also slightly injured, but to those who witnessed what took place, it was a mercy that no more harm was done than was actually occasioned, as there were at least six firemen whose position at the time seriously jeopardized their lives.
It may not be out of place at the commencement of another year to take stock of the existing con- dition of the Fire Brigade and of its adequacy to meet the requirements of the Colony.
At the present moment the Fire Brigade consists of thirty three Europeans of whom seventeen are firemen, six engine drivers, and the rest, superintendents, foremen, and assistant foremen, and of ninety-one Chinese firemen besides stokers and interpreters. The pay of the European firemen is four dollars and fifty cents a month and that of a Chinese fireman from one dollar and fifty cents to one dollar. The foremen, stokers, and interpreters are of course paid at a higher rate. The Brigade is further strengthened by the services of the Hongkong Fire Insurance Volunteers, the Pawnbrokers, and other bodies all of whom have been present on every occasion of a fire and have rendered most valuable services.
The head quarters of the Fire Brigade are at No. 5 Police Station in Queen's Road.
Watchmen are stationed at the Clock Tower and at the Tower of the Fire Brigade Station, and upon an alarm of fire the bells are rung at the Central Police Station, at the Fire Brigade Station and at the Clock Tower. Three separate strokes indicate a fire west of the Harbour Office, two separate strokes a fire between the Harbour Office and the Murray Barracks, and one stroke a fire east of the Murray Barracks.
The Engines are located at the Fire Brigade Station. They are four in number, not including the floating engine which is known as the No. 1 Engine. The latter is located in the harbour near Yau- mati. It is an invaluable engine and can throw four jets of some sixty feet high. It has recently been modified with a view to increasing its speed and-it is now capable of steaming at a rate of about eight knots an hour.
In addition to the steam engines I have mentioned, there are also a certain number of manual engines stationed in different parts of the island. So far as the City of Victoria is concerned, there is one at Government House, one at the Central Police Station, one in Hollywood Road, one at the Harbour Office and one at Saiyingpún. There are also boxes with fire appliances in various parts of the Town.
Practically speaking however the main strength of the Brigade is at the Fire Brigade Station. At an alarm of fire in the City of Victoria, a telephonic signal is immediately sent to what is known as the No. 2 Tank. This tank is situated in Caine Road, and supplies the City of Victoria with water from the Pokfulam Reservoir. The water is distributed by two main pipes from which branch out smaller pipes throughout the Town. Its limits are broadly speaking Queen's Road at the foot of Gough Street to the west, Queen's Road to the north and the City Hall to the east. At frequent intervals are what are known as street fire plugs. They are distinguishable by iron plates level with the street, and on removing this iron plate, hose can be attached. Many of these plates have a raised knob on the top of them. The knob is to distinguish them from the other plates that are without them, and indicates that they are stop plugs, that is to say that they are merely for the purpose of shutting off water. Before this distinguishing mark was put, the greatest confusion often resulted, and much time was lost in waiting for water at one of these stop plugs, when there was none to come.
The No. 2 Tank is in its turn supplied from another tank at the western end of Robinson Road. This tank also supplics Caine Road and some other streets. These are the two chief distributions of water from the Pokfulam Reservoir. There are other subsidiary supplies which are strictly local. One is in Glenealy Ravine and supplies the Gaol' and Police Barracks. Another is above the Government Civil Hospital and another near the Albany. Wanchai, as far as the City Hall, is supplied from the tank that is to be seen in the Wong-nei-chung Gap.
Generally speaking the fresh water supply is very unsatisfactory. It is uncertain inasmuch as it is not always running, it is inadequate and its pressure is not uniform. Much of its possible pressure is also diminished by leakage throughout the houses in which it is distributed along its route to the fire and by other causes such as the friction of the pipes, and sudden changes in their diameter. In reducing therefore, the working of the Brigade to a system, it is impossible to regard the fresh water supply as other than a very poor adjunct, and in almost every instance recourse is had to the harbour.
is able to afford a sufficient jet for houses placed between Queen's Road and the harbour. The rule therefore is to work direct from the harbour with all houses comprised within those bounds, but in the case of fires at a higher level than Queen's Road, the engines are distributed at intervals up the hill as far as may be required; they are connected the one with the other with hose and each engine pumps into the other until the level of the fire is reached. All this occasions great wear and tear of engines and hose and fire materials, and leaves only a very limited supply of water when the fire is reached, but it is inevitable so long as the fresh water supply is arranged as at present. Nor do I see that the inased supply of water from Tytam will much improve matters unless with it there is an increase of pressure, a uniformity of distribution and a certainty of water at all times.
It is impossible to insist too much upon the element of certainty. It is not as if fires could be met by arrangements devised for them at the moment. They must be treated in accordance with general arrangements applicable to all cases, and of these the first desideratum is water, and until one can base one's arrangements upon the certainty of a sufficient fresh water supply at any given point, the harbour must be regarded as the single basis of one's calculations.
The billy nature of the site of the City of Victoria would seem to point to a system of high level tanks as being that best adopted for the requirements of the Town. In the case of a fire spreading up the hill it would be of immense advantage to be able to meet it from above and the constant growth of the Town up the hill points still further in this direction. Nor am I at all sure that with such a system, if properly devised and carried out, the necessity for land steam engines will not almost entirely cease to exist. The cost would of course be considerable and it may not be thought to be worth while to incur it. The proposed Praya reclamation scheme, however, if carried out, will necessarily bring this matter to the front, and in the meantime I would merely ask His Excellency's attention to the question and also to the consideration as to the extent to which the working of the reclamation scheme will interfere with the water supply from the harbour.
The following is the arrangement at present in force with regard to the steam engines. Three of the engines proceed to the Praya. Two of them run out hose to the fire. The other stands by with fires lighted, but does not run out hose until the order is given. The fourth engine remains in the station in reserve. Each engine has its own hose reel, and the branch pipes have special marks to indicate to which engine they belong. In order that in the confusion the branch pipes may not be attached to the wrong hose, a slight delay takes place between the removal of each engine from the station, and the driver is under orders to see that his engine never starts without the proper hose reel accompanying it. With a view further to obviate any miscarriage from hurry or ignorance or neglect, duplicate branch pipes are supplied, two being attached to each engine and two to each hose reel. The branch pipe is frequently termed the nozzle, but strictly speaking the term "nozzle" is applicable only to the end of the branch pipes from which the water issues.
Generally speaking the efforts of the Brigade have been directed rather to the simplification of duties and to the instruction of the men in a few broad elementary rules with regard to the running out of hose, the protection of the adjoining property, and such like matters, together with the provision before hand of all such arrangements as are likely to be of service on the occasion of a fire.
Owing to the constitution of the Fire Brigade, which consists of Policemen who have in the first place to consider their Police duties, it is not possible to assign particular duties to individual firemen and it has been sought rather to familiarize each one with the elementary rudiments of Fire Brigade drill, and by a careful prearrangement and simplification of appliances and by general rules as to dealing with fires, to minimize the drawbacks occasioned by the impossibility of assigning special duties to selected individuals.
Among some of the principal changes that have been made in this direction, I may mention the substitution of a broad thread screw for the narrow thread that it was customary to use in the hose couplings. A great saving of time and labour has been effected by this change, and it has been found to be of the greatest possible advantage to the Brigade. Another change that has been found very valuable has been the institution of a light service in the form of what is termed a "Supply Cart." This Cart can be drawn by two men, and contains all the necessary appliances for dealing with a fire at the outset. Inasmuch also as it has been found that very frequently a fire without actually spread- ing to an adjoinning house, will ignite it inside to the extent of making it necessary to play water upon the incipient flames, the Supply Cart carries with it two hand pumps and two extincteurs, which have been constantly found sufficient to extinguish the flames, when without these appliances resort must have been had to a hose, with the consequent delay of stopping the engine, attaching a new length, and a great destruction of property by a deluge of salt water, even supposing the flames to have not made uncontrollable way in the interval.
Other changes of a similar kind have been made, of which I have already mentioned the duplicate branch pipes, and in which I may include the institution of reserve hose reels to be taken to the fire
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