In time of fire, the Fire wardens controlled the working of the manual fire engines by the slaves. The many thatched houses and the frequent south-east wind in the summer were dangers on the outbreak of a fire. On the alarm being sounded, those responsible for the engines hurried to the station which was next to the Burgher Watch House and ordered the slaves to bring them to the burning building. The Fire wardens, who were specially chosen from amongst the prominent citizens of the town, were required to keep the crowd in order, to see that nothing was pilfered and generally to direct operations. As a sign of their authority they carried a staff with the Company’s monogram engraved thereon.
During the previous century the extinguishing apparatus and accessories consisted of fire buckets, scaling ladders, sledges or battering rams for breaking the walls, and canvas sails. The latter were placed upon the roof of the adjoining house and kept wet to prevent the thatch getting alight. Many people, when a fire broke out adjacent to their houses, spread old sails over the roof opposite to the fire and kept the sails soaked with water to prevent their roof catching alight. The above was followed by hand squirts and then by manual fire engines with hose. But the buckets continued to be used and the method was to pass them from hand to hand of men. In public buildings, such as the hospital and the church, suitable apparatus was kept for combating an outbreak of fire.
On the fire alarm being given the drummer at the Watch House beat his drum, the bells at The Castle and the church were rung, the Fire wardens were awakened and citizens, who were obliged to raise the alarm by shouting “Fire!” under penalty of a fine, hung out lanterns to help the workers. Onlookers had to render what assistance they could when called upon to do so by the Fire wardens. As the fire decreased or increased the people were notified of this fact by the decrease or increase of the strokes of the church bell. Running down several of the principal streets of the town, as the Heerengracht, Keizersgracht, Buitengracht, Plein and Wale Streets, were canals or open ditches fed with water from the mountainsides. These were of great service in supplying the water in case of fire. We read that as early as 1687 a canal was dug before the houses of the freemen for household use and to extinguish fires.
A town with thatched roofs is always an easy prey to a fire. Cape Town with its south-easterly wind was no exception and to prevent calamitous results stringent regulations were frequently issued and had to be observed by everyone. The Fire wardens made periodical visits to the residences to see that the chimneys were clean.
In 1723 penalties were introduced for having a dirty chimney, and if the delinquent had not cleaned his chimney by the afternoon after having been fined he rendered himself liable to the second and larger penalty. Bakers, coppersmiths, smiths and coopers who used fire relating to their trade had to obtain the permission of the authorities before commencing their trade and had their fireplaces inspected.
Baking ovens had to be made on the floor and free from all other wall work, the crown of the oven not coming nearer the ceiling than two feet. A clear space of two feet at the sides and above the ovens had to be kept. Hay or straw could only be kept in places with stone walls and no one was permitted to keep more than six pounds of gunpowder.
Hot ashes were not allowed to be thrown in the streets, and smoking of tobacco pipes in the public thoroughfares or carrying of lighted torches at night was against the law. The Night Watchmen meeting anyone smoking a pipe warned him in a friendly manner to put it out and if he persisted took him in custody to the Watch House.
Fire Wardens
The Fire wardens performed their duties in an honorary capacity. They received their appointment from the Governor and Council and instructions were drawn up for their guidance. Their number was increased as the town enlarged and each one was responsible for a certain ward. They saw that the fire appliances were brought out when needed, that all present gave a hand and that the workers were not interfered with. They had to see that the flames did not spread to the adjoining property and to do their best & “without hate or spite. Within twenty-four hours the Fire wardens had to restore to the owners the salved goods. Many of the regulations against the prevention of a fire, the duties of the Wardens and obligations of the citizens, were modelled on those in vogue in the cities of Holland, particularly Amsterdam.
Streets at Night
If it was an undertaking to walk through the streets of the Cape by day, the difficulty at night-time was greatly increased. There were no street-lights and everyone who ventured out had to trust to the dim glimmer of the lantern carried by his slave. On moonless nights many drunken persons fell into the numerous holes and ruts on the Parade Ground, and sometimes accidents occurred.
When it was pointed out that the streets were totally impassable and in some cases extremely dangerous and should have means of illumination, the Burgher Senate in 1797 replied that to place lamps in the streets would be costly and might be a source of danger by causing a fire. Happily, some citizens with civic pride had just then conceived the idea of placing closed lighted lanterns over their front doors which the Governor pointed out obviated the apprehended dangers. It was left to the people of the next century to see lanterns placed at certain street corners and lighted only for a few hours during the night. A survival of the practice of private illumination of the thoroughfares is still to be seen in the lanterns in the fan-light over several front doors of several of the eighteenth-century houses.
