WPBFD History

fathers were not convinced of the need for such expendi- tures, but they had not heard the last from their fiery chief. An alarm was called in at 10:30 p.m. on March 8, 1922. The caller reported a fire on the second floor of the Palm Beach Mercantile building on Clematis Street. In minutes the street was crowded with fire trucks and by- standers watching the action. Chief Sadler himself was pounding on the front door trying to break in. Suddenly the second floor windows flew open and some fifty peo- ple stuck their heads out to see what the commotion was all about. Employees of the Big Store had been calmly watching a motion picture after their monthly banquet. A passerby had mistakenly thought the flickering from the movie screen to be a fire. Chief Sadler had been getting his message out to the public about the need for a high pressure system in the downtown district. A letter from B. D. Cole to City Man- ager Karl Riddle appeared in the Palm Beach Post on April 24, 1922. The letter stressed the savings from re- duced insurance rates and the potential for a major confla- gration in West Palm Beach. Mr. Cole detailed how a fire of consequence might spread from roof to roof by flying brands, unable to be controlled by the current fire de- fenses. Looking back one can wonder if Mr. Cole had

The city fathers were impressed with Sadler's pro- posals until they realized how much the changes would cost. It looked as if he was preparing to go to war. Sadler, realizing that fire protection required a coordi- nated effort, wisely included participation of several dif- ferent city operations in his plan. With implementation of the above recommenda- tions Sadler hoped to gain ". . . a classification of first class on all risks within 500 feet of a hydrant on the spe- cial fire main system and first class plus 10 cents on mer- cantiles more than 500 feet from a hydrant of the other system, and first class on dwellings and all other risks within 500 feet of a hydrant." This rating would reduce the amount paid for fire insurance by occupancies in the city. The population of West Palm Beach had more than doubled over the last five years, to some 8,000. It was now costing the city $129,000 a year to provide all ser- vices. 1922 Sadler made a verbal appeal for his high pressure system before the council on January 4, 1922. He also requested additional water mains be constructed to cover areas of the city that were unprotected. Evidently the city

4 Central Station and apparatus in the 1920s.