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The Fire Ladder and the Council—A Thousand|| Dollar PMivThe fire ladder that forma the most striking, if if not the most attractive feature on the city lot, and for which council paid the sum of one thousand dollars, continues to be a subject of frequent remark and sarcasm, and of ironical compliment to the city fathers. A morning paper, a day or two ago, blamed the Chief of the Fire Department, Mr. Clements, for not taking the ladder to fires, aod stated that council had authorised him to equip it. This is m mistake; as usual “all the glory” belongs to the City Council^nd Mr. Clements is not a participator. The ladder was b jught by council after the Board of Supervisors, consisting of the three fire engineers and the council committee on Fire Department, had declined to recommend it. Mr. Cfements never thought well of the ladder, and still continues to believe it useless, lor reasons mentioned below. After the ladder was bought, council gave it into the aharge of the Chief ot the Fire Department. Being tall, broad, long, thick, ciumsy, heavy and bulky, that gentleman found his charge not an easy one to dispose of, and council failed to provide a place to put it in, horses to draw it, or a man to drive it to tires; it therefore remained upon the city lot, a monument of the wisdom and economy of the city fathers.The Chief believes that the ladder at a fire would be dangerous to life; as, in case of wails falling outward, as they did at the late burningof the People’s Theater, there would be no chance of escape for those who were mounted at the top of it, and, if the men escaped the ladder itself would certainly be destroyed. The ladder is as heavy as a fire steamer, and, from its great breadth, ten times more unmanageable, it could not therefore get to a fire so rapidly as the engines; if it got there afterward, it would have to be driven across the hose laid along the streets, which would be crushed and cut up by its great weight. Several other objections might be made, but we need only add that council are so satisfied of its inutility, that they advertised it for sale some weeks ago and could not find a bidder. What a ladder this must be when council, already so low, could descend still lower by its many steps.
Newspaper Details
Cincinnati Daily Columbian
Cincinnati, Ohio, US
Thu, Aug 28, 1856
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Cincinnati A.
OH, USA 29 Jan 2022
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