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of allowing the Fire Escape conductors to sleep in an enclosed box while on duty, and
urging the Board to direct that the conductors patrol in the neighbourhood of the Fire
Escape Station all night, in order that they might be enabled to hear an alarm of fire
and attend with the Escape with the least possible delay. The Vestry also suggested
to the Board that a key to the fire-plugs be provided at each Fire Engine Station to
enable the firemen to turn on the water, as soon as they reach the locality of a fire with
the engine, in lieu of their having to wait the arrival of a turncock for
that purpose, to which communication the Vestry received the following reply from the
Metropolitan Board of Works:—
"METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.
"Spring Gardens, S.W.
"5th October, 1870.
"Dear Sirs,
The Board have had under consideration the letter from the Vestry of
Rotherhithe of the 16th ult., on the subject of the recent fire in Church Street. The
Vestry complain that the Fire Escape man stationed in the Deptford Lower Road did
not attend with his escape until a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes after the fire
broke out. Enquiry has been made into the circumstances, and it has been ascertained
that in less than one minte after receiving intimation of the fire, the man had the Fire
Escape in motion, and in four minutes he arrived at the scene of the fire. He then,
however, found the fire coming out of all the windows, and was consequently prevented
from getting into the house. The Fire Engine also proceeded to the fire with all possible
dispatch, arriving there in six minutes after the call was received at the station.
It thus appears that no time was lost, either by the man in charge of the Escape, or by
the men at the station. I am to add, in corroboration of this, that the facts were fully
enquired into at both inquests which were held in connection with the fire, and that in
each case the Coroner and Jury expressed their opinion that both the Escape and Engine
attended with the utmost promptitude.
"With reference to the suggestion of the Vestry, that the men in charge of the
Escapes should patrol for a certain distance in the neighbourhood of the stations all
night, instead of sleeping in their boxes, I am to state that this point has received
careful consideration; and having regard to the necessarily limited force composing the
Brigade, the result of the Board's experience is, that the present system is the best.
Amongst other reasons against the alteration suggested, it appears to the Board improbable
that a man who had been walking about all night would be physically able to
undergo the amount of exertion sometimes necessary on the part of the Escape men.
Further, it requires but a very short time, less than a minute after receiving a call, for
the man to leave his box and to have his machine in motion, so that little time would be
saved by the alteration suggested.
"With regard to the other suggestion of the Vestry, viz., that there should be kept
at each Fire Engine Station a key to the fire-plugs, to enable the firemen to turn on the
water as soon as they arrived at a fire, without having to wait for a turncock, I am to
state that a complete set of turncock's tools is always carried with each engine. The
difficulty generally experienced is, that, notwithstanding that they have the necessary
tools, it is impossible for the firemen to tell which pipes are charged with water. In
the present instance, however, the delay was caused by a stone having got into the box
of the fire-plug.