HEADQUARTERS FIRE DEPARTMENT,
OLD CITY HALL,

SAN FRANCISCO, July 1, 1890.

To the Honorable the Board of Supervisors Of the City and County of San Francisco :

GENTLEMEN : According to the law governing the Department, the undersigned, Chief Engineer, has the honor of herewith submitting for your consideration the following report of the operations of the Department under his charge for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1890.

Therein will be found a full Hat of the officers and members comprising the force, a record of the alarms responded to, and fires that have occurred during the year; the loss by fire and the amount of insurance on property affected; the aggregate of insurance paid; also such suggestions and recommendations that appear to me necessary to increase the efficiency of this branch of the municipal service.

During the past year the Department responded to 290 first-bell alarms, 4 second-bell alarms and 283 still or verbal alarms, making a total of 547 alarms of fire answered during the year.
            The total loss by fire as determined by Captain White of the Underwriters' Fire Patrol was $668,361 61
            Amount of Insurance Paid 537,802 75
            Actual Loss to Property-owners $130,55886

NOTABLE FIRES.
August 18, 1883 Box 156, 2:37 A.M. Townsend near Fourth. Loss, $39,890.

September 6, 1889 Box 15, 12:16 P. M. Sacramento street, between Drumm and East streets. Owing to the great headway this fire had gained and the inflammable nature of the buildings a second alarm was turned in twelve minutes later. Loss, $23,516.

November 17, 1889 Box 261, 4:52 A. M. Nos. 546 to 550 Mission street. Loss, $17,261.

December 27, 1889 Box 47, 10:22 p. M. Nos. 839 to 857 Market street. Owing to the inflammable nature of the contents of this building a second alarm was sounded thirteen minutes later. This building was formerly St. Ignatius' Church, and was altered for store purposes for a furniture company, printing office, etc. The party walls did not extend to the roof, which was the cause of the fire spreading throughout the entire building. Loss, $38,495.

January 12, 1890-Box 134, 6:45 p. M. Girls' High School. A very high wind was prevailing at this time. This building being a frame structure, and being entirely surrounded by buildings of the same character, a second alarm was sounded at 7:09 P. M. Loss, $34,571.

March 25, 1890 Box 36, 6:30 p. M. Foot of Steuart street. Scott & McCord's hay barn; Seiners & Healy's hay barn. etc. Loss, $17,000.

April 21, 1890 -Box 264, 8:10 P. M. Nos. 23 to 33 California street, occupied as bag and tent factory and store-house. Loss, 181,168.

May 3, 1890 Box 95, 10:58 p. M. Nos. 937 to 941 Market street, Pinkiert's Bazar. Loss, $20,116

May 27, 1890 Box 95, 8:14 p. M. Nos. 1228 to 1234 Market street. Loss, $36,615.

June 10, 1890 Box 35, 4:38 A. M. Nos. 6 to 20 Sutter street. Loss, $34,430.

June 13, 1890 Box 53, 8:21 P. M. Oilworks on King street, between Second and Third. Second alarm, 10:49 P. M. Loss, $17,758.

June 28, 1890 Box 52, 10:02 p. M. Nos. 14 and 16 Fremont street. Loss, $35,000.

CASUALTIES.
In view of the dangerous duties the members of the Department have to perform, and the great risks they take in the discharge of those duties, the casualties, I am pleased to say, have been few during the year. The following is the list of the most serious:
            March 23, 1890 L. Fenstermacher, Truckman of Truck 1, hand cut at Box 43.
            March 25, 1890-William Theisen, Driver of Truck I, foot crushed at Box 36.
            April 22, 1890 F. Maguire. Truckman of Truck 1, hand cut at Box 264.

MORTUARY.
            During the year the following members and employees of the Department died :
            September 29, 1889 James Logan, Truckman in Truck 2, died of consumption.
            October 9, 1889 Stephen Neil, Hoseman in Engine 4, died of consumption.
            January 28, 1890 Thomas O'Donnell, Truckman in Truck 5. died of abscess on brain.
            May 25, 1890 John Garde, Truckman in Truck 5, died of cancer.
            February 18, 1890 Assistant Chief Engineer James Riley, after a short illness, died of apoplexy.

CORPORATION YARD.
The relief apparatus of the Department for service consists of 8 steam engines, 6 hose carts, 1 hose carriage and 3 relief trucks.

During the year 28 horses were purchased. .Ten horses that were declared of no further use to the Department were transferred to the stables of the House of Correction and Industrial School; 2 having received fatal injuries were killed, and 4 died from disease.

The horses now in service are distributed as follows: To engine companies, 54; hose companies, 9; hook and ladder companies, 10; Engineers' buggies, 9; relief horses in Corporation Yard and Alamo Square stables, 28 ; making a total of 110 horses in service at the close of the fiscal year.

During the year 53 hydrants were set in new locations, making a total of 1,616 hydrants in use by the Department.

RECOMMENDATIONS.
Before enumerating the different recommendations I think it absolutely necessary for the increased efficiency of the Department under my charge, and to meet the growing demands of this rapidly spreading city, that at least 500 to 1,000 hydrants be immediately set throughout the city. A glance at the following figures, the results of a public test made on the 18th day of April, 1890, before the city officers and the sitting grand jury, with 1 1/2-inch nozzle and 130 pounds pressure at the engine, will show the necessity of hydrants being placed not more than 200 feet apart :

The figures of the growth of the Western Addition and Mission districts need not be recapitulated here, but in this already doubled city in area and probably in population a fire department cannot be efficiently run on an appropriation of $110,000 per year, which was established for this branch of the municipality in 1878.

I would recommend that at least three more engine companies be immediately organized and placed in this section of the city; also, two more double 60-gallon tank chemical engines should be stationed on the steep western hills, The chemical engine recently purchased as an experiment has already in its short career saved many times its cost, and as they are lighter than steam engines they are better adapted for the hilly districts.

It is needless for me to say that the days for a call- system department in this city has gone by. The great fires in Chicago and Boston in 1871 and 1872 occurred while their departments were working under this system. We should profit by their experience and establish at the earliest possible date a full paid department.

In closing this report I desire to tender my thanks to the Honorable Board of Fire Commissioners for the active interest you have manifested in all matters pertaining to the success of the Department, and I desire also to thank the officers and members of the force for the alacrity manifested on all occasions in complying with my orders.

I also desire to express my thanks to his Honor Mayor Pond and the Board of Supervisors for the interest they have manifested in all business pertaining to the Department.

To the Chief of Police and members of his force, to Fire Marshal Charles Towe, to Captain White and Lieutenant O'Kell of the Fire Patrol, and to Superintendent Rankin, Fire Alarm Telegraph, I am under many obligations for the manner in which they have assisted the Department in the discharge of their duties on all occasions.

Respectfully submitted,

DAVID SCANNELL,
Chief of Fire Department.

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