Chief Engineers - Chiefs of Department:

To the Honorable Board of Fire Commissioners:

GENTLEMEN : In accordance with the Resolutions of your Honorable Body, I have the honor to hereby transmit the following Report for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 1871 ; and submit for your consideration a detailed statement of the Department under my charge its workings and condition, with statistics which I trust will be of interest to your Honorable Body, the members of the City Government and citizens of San Francisco.

The items of interest presented and forming part of this Report will be, the organization of the Department, a full and complete list of its members, their age, residence and occupation, with the number of their badges ; also, a list and location of Hydrants and Cisterns where water may be obtained in case of fire, together with a list and location of Telegraph Fire Alarm Boxes, a record of all the fires and fire alarms which have occurred in this city during the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 1871 ; the causes of all such fires, as far as the same has been ascertained ; a statement of all the losses caused by such fires, and all insurance thereon and amounts paid ; the amount of hose used, good and inferior; a complete inventory of all the property belonging to the Department, and where located ; the number of alarms ; number of times in service and number of hours in service of each Company ; the number and style of buildings burned during the year ; highest number of buildings burned at any one fire during the year ; the largest loss at any one fire ; the average loss to the number of buildings, and statement of losses ; together with such other information and recommendations as the experience of the past would seem to suggest.

Your Honorable Body elected me Chief Engineer of the San Francisco Paid Fire Department on the fifth day of April, 1871, and on the same date I entered upon the discharge of the duties of my office .

Upon assuming the duties and responsibilities of this office, I instituted a thorough and rigid investigation into all the working details of the Department, and issued such orders as,' in my judgment, were demanded to place the same on a systematic basis and secure to the city prompt and vigilant service of its members ; and I have the satisfaction of stating, that for good order, sobriety, discipline, efficiency and bravery, the Fire Department of the City of San Francisco, as now organized, can not be excelled by any similar organization in the world.

On application to the City and County Auditor's office, to ascertain the condition of the Running Expense Fund of the Department, I find that for the Fiscal Year 1871-72, the amount of $12,578 22 has been overdrawn, which now leaves the amount of $12,421 78 to meet the current expenses of the present year, which is entirely inadequate, on account of the growing condition of our Department.

The annual appropriation for the Fund is entirely too small to meet the demands of this Department, in consequence of the additions that have been, and are to be made ; therefore, application should be made to the next Legislature to have the Running Expense Fund increased to an amount sufficient to meet the expenses of each year.

The apparatus of the Department is all in good working condition; but as, in my judgment, more is required, I now most respectfully recommend, for the promotion of the efficiency of our Department and the preservation of property, the purchase of the following most necessary Machinery and Apparatus :

STEAM ENGINES.
I recommend the purchase of two second-class Amoskeag Steam Engines, one of them to be used as a relief engine, and to be placed in the Corporation Yard, as the one now in use is about worn out ; the other one to be placed in the house of Hose Company No. 2, on Main street; and the house of that Company to be used thereafter as an Engine House. A great deal of valuable property is located in that neighborhood, such as warehouses, gas house, foundries, lumber yards, hay barns, etc., and a Steam Engine is very much needed in that locality, as, in consequence of the smallness of the water-pipes in that vicinity, the supply of water is limited and quite insufficient when simply used direct from the hydrant by means of hose only.

FUEL CART.
I also recommend the purchase of a Fuel Cart, the same as used in New York and other Eastern cities. I find, at large fires, that the Steamers sometimes get short, or run out of fuel, as they can carry only sufficient for a short period of service ; and it is very necessary that a Fuel Cart should be provided, in order that they may be constantly supplied with fuel of the proper kind, and that no delay or interruption shall occur in the working or efforts of the Department during the continuance of a conflagration.

EXTRA MACHINERY.
  I also recommend the purchase of the following parts of Machinery, to be used as a reserve in case of breakage, and which will add greatly to the efficiency of the Department, and be the means of placing it in perfect working order at any time duty may be required, viz :
            One set of Composition Tubes, for Boilers ;
            One duplicate Axle for each class Engine ;
            Three sets of half-Elliptic Springs, for Engines ;
            One set of Velute Springs for each class Engine ;
            One Truck Iron for each Boiler of Engine ;
            Two sets of Hind Wheels for second-class Engine ;
            One set of Front Wheels for third-class Engine ;
            Two sets of Axles for Tenders ;
            Two sets of Extra Wheels for Tenders ;
            Two sets of Extra Springs for Tenders ; and
            One Extra Belief Tender ;
            One-half dozen small Suctions for Engines, five feet long.

WORK SHOP.
I trust your Honorable Body will urge the necessity of a repair or work shop to be established at the Corporation Yard, and that a practical machinist, blacksmith, and wheelwright be permanently employed, who, together with the enginemen (who are machinists) could repair their engines and apparatus, and do the work required in the Department. A horseshoer and harnessmaker should be also employed who would do all the work required in their different departments. By reference to the books of the Auditor as to the cost of the Department you will at once see the necessity of the establishment of such an institution. I am fully confident that such a work shop would in a very short time repay the city for the outlay.

HOUSES.
The house now occupied by Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, on O'Farrell street, is in a very unsafe condition, and in case of a heavy gale of wind or severe storm, the upper story may at any time be seriously damaged, and perhaps lives may be lost. I would therefore suggest that steps may be immediately taken to place it in good and strong condition, before any accidents occur. With the above exception, I believe the other houses belonging to the Department to be in very good condition and repair.

HOSE.
I also recommend the purchase of 5,000 feet of hose. We should always and at all times have an abundant supply of good serviceable hose on hand; so that, in case of the destruction or injury of hose at fires, as sometimes is the case, we may have a reserve in store, from which the Department may be immediately supplied, thus ensuring its constant readiness and efficiency.

CISTERNS.
I would call the attention of your Honorable Body to the leaky condition of the Cisterns located in the following places, and recommend that they be repaired as soon as possible : The cistern on Stockton, corner of Pacific ; the cistern on Dupont, corner of Jackson; the cistern on Dupont, corner of Washington ; the cistern on Kearny, corner of Sacramento ; the cistern on Kearny, corner of California ; the cistern on Sansome, corner of Bush ; the cistern on Second, corner of Folsom; the cistern on Broadway, corner of Ohio; the cistern on Columbia, corner of Guerrero; and the cistern on Fremont, corner of Mission.

I also recommend that two new cisterns of large size be built as follows : One at the crossing of Beale and Howard, and the other at the crossing of Beale and Mission streets . It is necessary to have cisterns in these localities as the water mains in that part of the city are too small to afford an abundant supply of water in case of a large fire .

DEPARTMENT RELIEF FUND.
I am sorry to state that this Fund, maintained by the monthly contributions of the members of the Department, is (owing to sickness and accidents happening to members) now entirely exhausted. I would therefore request your Honorable Body to take some immediate action, and call on the Insurance Companies of this city to subscribe donations to the Fund. It is just and proper that those members who, in time of conflagration, risk their lives by rushing into the most dangerous places in order to save life and property, and through their perseverance and bravery meet with most severe injuries, often of a very dangerous nature, should, during their suffering and sickness and when unable to perform duty, be taken care of.

I cannot conclude my report without expressing my thanks to the Exempt members of the old Volunteer Department, who were associated with me in that organization, and who on many occasions since my connection with the present Department have evinced their friendship for myself, and the success of the new organization, by lending us their voluntary aid and performing most efficient services.

I desire to return my thanks to the Fire and Water Committee of the Honorable Board of Supervisors, for the attention given to the requirements of the Department, for their cordial support and endorsement, and also for the able, prompt and cheerful manner in which they have given me their cooperation since my election as Chief Engineer of the Department.

I also take this occasion for myself and in behalf of the Department to tender our thanks to Chief Crowley and the Police Department, and to Fire Marshal Durkee and his deputies, for the valuable services rendered by them at fires, and for the cheerful and prompt manner in which they have always rendered assistance when called upon to do so.

I desire also to express my thanks to Mr. Greenwood, Superintendent of the Fire Alarm Telegraph, and to his assistants, for the promptness and correctness with which fire alarms have been sounded.

It is a source of very great gratification to me, as well as the other Officers and Members of the Department, to know that the citizens universally recognize its unequaled efficiency and feel a just pride in its success. They have watched its progress with the greatest care and have never been tardy in giving expressions of approval, which have served as powerful incentives to the prompt and faithful performance of the difficult and hazardous duties devolving upon the members.

To your Honorable Body, who placed me in the responsible position of Chief Engineer of the Fire Department of the City of San Francisco, I am under lasting obligations of gratitude, and now tender you my sincere thanks for the high honor conferred on me ; and I do assure you, gentlemen, that it always shall be my aim to discharge the duties of Chief Engineer so as to retain the confidence and esteem of your Honorable Body and the respect of my fellow citizens.

Very respectfully,

DAVID SCANNELL, Chief Engineer.
San Francisco, July 1, 1871.

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