Show MURE SEEDED the frequent fires thea days suggest a number of reforms that could with propriety la inaugural at ed by the city and right now at the commencement men cement of a new year is the time to begin the first is with regard the origin of our fires in this city there can be no doubt but tramps are the cause of them in the majority of instances the class of buildings burned are such as tramps usually make use of for stopping places during the night in all cases they have been haystacks and barns so located 7 as to admirably suit their convenience for sleeping places while the fires usually break out at night strong evidence tend to show that the last two fires were started out of revenge or pure cussedness on the part of tramps to remedy this tramps must be vigorously dealt with and provo should be made so hot for them that they will gladly pass the city by in their meanderings secondly when a fire does occur there is no real system to our fire department delays are frequent that might be remedied by a small outlay on the part of the city scenes at tuesday nights fire will serve to illustrate this the horses were kept a block away from the engine and the barn door was locked the key to the bam was in the marshals office which latter place was also locked then the doors of the barn had to be broken in the horses driven to ahe engine and in the excitement iutok some further time to get the un trained horses hitched to the engine the engineer who should by rights be constantly on hand was off on his beat as some three blocks away the linal result of all this delay was that the building had entirely been destroyed before the engine arrived and what little was done toward saving property had been by means of a bucket brigade organized by willing citizens more could have been done by them but they were waiting for the firemen wo do not want it understood that we mention this to censure the boys of the fire department they are laboring under disadvantages and we do noi believe the best firemen in now york could do better under the same circumstance but we do think the city is to blame A building should be er and one or two men be constantly on hand to train the horses keep the engine in trim and otherwise be prepare dm case of alarm if the volunteer firemen to labor without pay they certainly ought to be rendered the assistance we have suggested that everything may b in readiness when they are called out thirdly firetrap fire trap structures should not be per bitted at the side of valuable buildings on account of a board barn had there been a slight wind last night both the hotel roberts and mr sutherlands Sut herlands palatial residence would have been destroyed in the same manner tho theatre and principal business houses of the city were in danger when the tithing haystacks burned last fall all firetraps fire traps must bo moved in the near future and no more should be permitted by the city |