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Show CEDAR'S UNPRKIAREI)NE:-S. OEDAR CITY has spent many thousands of dollars in the instnlhtion of a water system, H one of the great advantages of whrh is supposed H to be the protection that it aflords in case of fire. H Within the past year or two we have expended a H thousand or two more dollars on fire hydrants, H fire hose, hose carts and other equipment, and the H citizens have fancied themselves in a position to H combat a fire in at least fairly good shape. H The blaze early Monday morning which licked H up the Corry Hotel barns and adjoining property, H comes as a rude awakening from this fancied se- H curity. For the want of a little efficient planning, H the people found themselves in the worst position H for fighting fire they have ever been in since the H towjn was settled. Hundreds of strong, able-bod- H ied men stood around watching the flames, (to say H nothing of the women folks, of whom there were Br about an equal number in evidence) powerless to H do anything to combat the fire fiend. We were H totally unprepared and completely bewildered in H the face of such an emergency. H ! To begin with, early arrivals at the scene, H while realizing that the city had fire hose,, were in 1 ignorance of where it was kept or how to locate it. When, after the loss of considerable precious H time, somebody ascertained that a portion of the H fire hose was kept in the basement of the library H building, a key was obtained, and finally the hose H brought and attached to the nearest hyrant. We 1 next found to our dismay that there wos not m enough force on the street to have extinguished M an ordinary camp fire. It was remembered that M the city watermaster had lately adopted a prac- m v tice of partially closing the valves at the head of m ? each street in order to prevent the use of too M , much water on lawns, etc., by the residents of any m particular section or locality. Where was the watermaster? His home was m ' a mile out of town. An automobile was chartered fl I and the watermaster was brought to town as soon m as poss'ible; but where vfaa the wrench used in m turning the valves 7 There was only one in town B and this he had left in his cart in the street, and m someone had removed it. Then followed a hunt 1 for the wrench. In the mean time a man with M his thumb partially obstructing the nozzle of the B big fire hose, was attempting to play a frail lit- m tie stream of water onto one comer of the fire. m j Those of you who have read the story of Guliver's M Travels among the Lilliputians can better imagine M ' than we can describe how the assembled crowd, M ruthlessly snatched from their warm beds into B the cold night nir, felt as they looked upon the H scene. Gulliver would have been a real hero on m ' this occasion. m For a feuf minutes the wind came up rather B brisk from the north and it looked as if a lot of m tne adjacent property was doomed. Fortune fav- B ored, however, and the wind shortly died down fl again, and the small blazes that had been started B in new quarters were quickly extinguished with B the meagre supply of water at hand. B Hooray ! In just about one hour from the time B the fire was discovered the force in the fire hose B began to increase, and in a moment more a splen- B did stream of water was being played onto the B blazing logs and timbers. Of course, by this time B practically all danger of the fire spreading had H passed. B The citizens hod come to depend upon the wat- B er system for protection, and the great majority B of them did not even take buckets with them to B the fire. Those who did found all the open ditches B practically empty, so that they were in far worse H condition to render aid than under the old system, H when buckets and tubs were the sole dependance H and some very elficient assistance was rendered B in time of need. K We trust that this experience will be the in- H centive for the planning of a better system of pro- H tection for the future. In the first place, fire hose B , should be located at not less than two definite B. places, easily accessible and where there is some 9Hu j one on the spot with a key. The places thus des- mSb ; ignated should be given the widest publicity pos- y$& . sible, so that the first person to respond to the Wwm ' fire alarm will know exactly where to obtain the mm fire hose. In the next place, if it is necessary to mm , follow the practice of partially closing the cut off K valves at the heads of the streets, arrangements jK should be made with at least two citizens at con- Bp ' venient locations and wiho arc likely to be at home H? I' j 'major' ifarfof thiftimGto'takc' charge" bfwreiirh- mmmml mmmmJ f mmmW B H es fitting the valves, and be duty instructed as to their use, and how to supply water when needed in the locality of fires. Third, there should be some organization and drills in the handling of fire-fighting equipment. Hose should be kept wound upon the hose carts, so that the cart could be drawn out by hand at a moment's notice, without with-out having to get out automobiles to haul it to the fire. (This we learn was done in this case with a portion of the hose, but none of those responding re-sponding early to the fire alarm seemed to know where it was kept.) Next,11 some arrangements should be made for the ringing of a bell or blowing blow-ing of a whistle as an alarm in the case of fire. It seemed an age to the anxious residents hear the fire the other morning before people could be roused and gotten out. The bell was not rung until un-til half the town was at the fire. And last, but not least, that all night telephone service that we have been talking about so long, would be of inestimable in-estimable value in the case of a night fire. The operator should be supplied with a list of the important im-portant numbers to call in the event of a fire, which would naturally include those persons controlling con-trolling the water supply, the man in charge of the fire bell and the fire hose, the captain of the fire department, nnd such others as might suggest themselves to the minds of the city council. Unless some such precautionary steps as these are taken, the people are going to be rudely awakened awak-ened from their dreams some windy night and see an entire block and possibly more of the town wiped completely off the map by the fire fiend. Better attend to the matter now, gentlemen, while it is fresh in your minds. (S |