View report page

63
and as there were few large inhabited houses within a short distance of such Escape Station
the Council had, on the recommendation of the Chief Officer of the Brigade, decided that
the said Station be discontinued on the 27th July.
Rssolved—That the Clerk be instructed to write to the Council in reply, drawing their
serious attention to the necessity for maintaining a Fire Escape in the locality, and that the
further consideration of the matter be referred to the General Purposes and Works Committee,
with instructions to visit the neighbourhood with the view of selecting a new site
for the replacement of the Fire Escape removed from Bickley Row.
The following correspondence subsequently took place: —
Town Hall,
Rotherhithe,
7th September, 1898.
Sir,
Referring to your letter of the 20th July, 1898, stating that the Fire Escape and Watch
Box which have hitherto stood upon the premises of the Authorities of the Norwegian
Church, in Bickley Row, were to be withdrawn on 27th July, 1898, the space being wanted
for other purposes, I am directed to express the regret of the Vestry at the action taken
by the Council in the matter, and the hope that the Council will reconsider the matter
and reinstate the Escape in the neighbourhood.
In spite of the fact that a horsed escape of an improved pattern is kept at the Rotherhithe
Fire Station, the Vestry is of opinion that were a fire to break out in the neighbourhood
of Bickley Row, lives might be lost before the horsed escape (which is, according
to you, about a mile and a quarter away) could arrive, which might otherwise be saved if
the escape were reinstated.
If the want of a site stands in the way of the Council reinstating the escape, I am to
state that the Yestry is quite confident that one can be found in the neighbourhood of
Bickley Row ; in fact, there is every reason to believe that if application is made by the
Council to the Rev. Selby Hele, Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, he will be willing to permit
the escape to be located permanently in Trinity Church yard; at all events, he is willing
to allow it to be put there temporarily at once.
I am, therefore, to ask the Council to be good enough to give instructions for the latter
to be done, pending some final settlement of the question.