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Show vSYSTHi VEKY.fAULTY; : ; CONDITION IS .'SEEEflMS NEW' YORK, Dec. U. The 'Journal of Commerce today "says: The city ot New York from a Are protection pro-tection standpoint Is In a very serious condition, as is shown by the Juet completed com-pleted report of the committee of twenty twen-ty of the National Board of Fire Underwriters. Un-derwriters. There are several -ital dc-fectg dc-fectg In the various, branches of the fire department and water supply, which at any time might in combination form a very grave menace to the greater part of the city. , With. Its vast congestion of values and narrow and obstructed streets In the business section, taken In connection connec-tion with a dangerously unreliable fire Uarm systftn, insufficient water sup-' .-riy.and poor distribution, causing ex-remely ex-remely low pressure in some localities, absence of a sufficient number of fire nglnes and Inefficiency of some of hose In use, there is decided oppor-inlty oppor-inlty for a sweeping conflagration in ';is city. ,' . ; . n Bad Condition. . . v The committee's engineers have com-leted com-leted a very , careful examination of , le entire city, and the result of their . tidings is confirmed by CapC John S. ewell of the corps of engineers, United tates army, who was detailed by resident Roosevelt' to assist in the ork of the committee, Capt. Sewell ays in part: "The type and occupancy of. build-ngs build-ngs prevailing in the worst sections, heir . mutual exposures, the. narrow-ess narrow-ess of streets, inadequacy - of water apply and distribution, together with he enormous values involved, combine o make of the situation in Manhattan y far the most serious fire and conflagration confla-gration hazard I have ever seen. The oncluslon is inevitable that the mag-iflcent mag-iflcent personnel of the fire depart-nent depart-nent has been the only thing that has revented . sweeping conflagrations in he past. Improvements Needed. ' t "In view of the enormous Interests nvolved and the almost international haracter of the catastrophe which vould be represented - by a sweeping onflagratlon in Manhattan., no time -hould be lost in putting into effect all ihe proposed improvements and all the ecommendations In this report or their full equivalent." The report is Issued under the auspices au-spices of the committee of twenty of the board of underwriters, which was appointed shortly after the Baltimore conflagration,' with a view to investigating investi-gating the Are protection of the various cities of the country. |