Nearly a quarter of all the fires were caused by carelessness, and 100 are attributed to children playing with matches and fire. Forty fires were caused by the spontaneous combustion of oily rags and other materials, and 93 by exploding kerosene lamps. Four members of the department and 12 citizens died of injuries received at fires during the year, and 139 firemen and 54 citizens were more or less injured.
There are 729 uniformed members of the department The pay roll of the whole department for 1879 was $1,030,822.14, and the appropriation for all expenses was $1,254,970. The appropriation for the present year is $1,307,670. The department now possesses 233 horses, 1 marine steam fire engine, 58 steam fire engines, of which 5 are self propelling, 10 chemical engines, 24 hook and ladder trucks, 108 chemical fire extinguishers, and 4 aerial ladders, together with other fire apparatus.
The annual inspection of the department showed that the quickest average time in hitching a team was 3.17 seconds, and in hitching a single horse, 5.66 seconds. The general average in hitching all apparatus was, in 1879, 9.54 seconds; in 1878, 10.26 seconds; and in 1877, 13.03 seconds.
During the year, $30,300 was collected for licenses for the sale of kerosene oil, each license costing $10. The Fire Department Relief Fund now amounts to $422,569.07, and the insurance fund to $12,780.
ASPIRATOR AND COMPRESSOR.
Professor Marangoni, of Pavia, has invented an aspirator for measuring gases which is much simpler than many now in use in laboratories, which latter have the defect that the air or gas ascends through the descending liquid and makes thus the measuring of the former uncertain. The improved apparatus is shown in our illustration. It consists of two vessels attached to a fixed horizontal shaft, FE, which is placed upon two upright supports. This shaft has several ways or passages made in it which performs the functions of the taps. The water of the upper receptacle passes into the lower one by the passage, A, and thence through the tube, BC, issuing at its lowest extremity at C. The air contained in the lower vessel is thus emitted by the channel DE, cut into the shaft, while the air or gas is aspirated in the same ratio by the passage and tube, FG. The apparatus acts thus at the same time as aspirator and compressor. It is simple, and will be a useful addition to the laboratory.