FIGHTING FIRE BOMBS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 February 1941, Page 3

FIGHTING FIRE BOMBS

I EFFICIENCY OF BRITISH METHODS CONDITION OF GUILDHALL. REPAIR AND RESTORATION I PLANS. i 'Ey Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright i LONDON. February 18. The efficiency of the methods "adopt-1 ed for dealing with, incendiary bombs: dropped by enemy aircraft has beeh I strikingly demonstrated during the re-i cent raids, and a widespread publicity! campaign through the Press, films, i wireless and posters is being begun im- { mediately to instruct the public on the | subject of fire prevention, Through-1 out the country partially-filled sand' bags are in readiness outside almost ! every house and in public places fori use by fire-fighters in smothering ’ bombs in the early stage. No fewer than 1.000,090 stirrup i pumps, which experts consider to Dei even more effective in dealing with the ’ menace, have now been manufactured, i The pumps, which arc hand-operated,! are fitted with a two-way nozzle, one for a fine spray to render the firebomb innocuous and the other for a' jet of water to extinguish fires that! may result before they become serious. L It is revealed in London that some! of the incendiary bombs used by the' Germans contain small explosive! charges. Colonel Simon, the inventor of the stirrup pump, said that the pro-! portion of these explosive incendiary! bombs was small, and in any case! there were several ways in which a; fire-fighter could protect himself. One) way was to carry a sandbag in from i of his face and chest in tackling the! bomb.

Though the Guildhall suffered much damage in the recent big incendiary raid on London, reports which circulated at the same time to the effect that the historic building was destroyed have no foundation. Though, surrounding buildings—the Alderman’s Court Room, the Council Chamber and the town clerk's office—have largely disappeared, the walls of the magnificent banqueting hall still stand. Indeed, they may be said to be in no worse condition than afier the Great Fire of 1666. The modern roof has been burnt, but another can be erected.

The work of clearing the Guildhall is in progress, and Sir Giles GilbertScot, who has investigated the position generally in collaboration with the City Surveyor, is about to present a report to the Common Council. It is proposed to erect a lint-pitched steel roof covered with asphalt at a cost of £2OOO. Without antticipating the report. it may be said that generally the, walls remain sound, and there should I bo no difficulty in dealing with them in such a way that an equally beautiful roof may be substituted. Precautions against further destruction in the Temple precincts were ■ taken yesterday when Sir Patrick Hastings. treasurer of the Middle Temple, presided at a meeting of the Middle ' and Inner Temples which was held to discuss an extension of the fire guard system to bring it into line with the fire-fighting order. Well-known bar- - risters. including a King’s Counsel, are I among the many lawyers who arc al- , ready taking duty nightly to guard the buildings against fire-bombs.