New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-05-05
TIE KILLING OF FIREMEN.

herewith VIII be read WIN dr' INTEREST ih' "''-
nude If the calamity. the nexcusabe nature oi the
cause and the certainty that there are scores OF SINH
lar buildings already prepared and waiting for their
victims. render this one of the greatest I'M
.portance The jury state. in plain terms, that the
men over whose dead bodies they began their dclb
erations. were mangled and burnt To death IN con,
sequence If most reckless disregard OF the laws
regulating the construction and repair OF buildings
They characterize the edihce in question a. com
rete death trap one which could scarcely have been
more in.eour, and dangerous if it had been construct
ed expressly for the purpose of destroying human life;
and state moreover. that il deceptive in its ap-
and on that account douby dangerous in
Of fire. Upon these facts they proceed 10 censure,
first Charles II. Mountain who drew the plans aud
specifications for the fatal building and superntended
IS erection: secondly. y. Il. Frost, who did the
mason work; thirdly. &. j. ketchum the carpenter
who Put in the timbers; and fourthly, Job Iaber and
James Hacley the essees. for whom the alterations
we're made. They further present that they believe
y uildng was fired by incendaries for the purposes
Of pluuder: and finally oXon5rate the occupants
Nessrs W. T. Jennings q Co.. from all blame in rcla-
lion to the insecurity Of the building snd the origin of
The fire.
Such the substance of tie verdict and il contains
icts If the most serious import, which should engage
the immediate attention Of the proper authorities.
There ore 10 recommendations in the letter of the
verdict: bat appended to 1t there is paper giving the
,,ws of tie jury upon several points Of great interest
The more immediate cause of this and OF similar
cslsnities TIE Jury state TO he the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
# existing laws This is the great evil of our nut
riciral government. Year after year the matter has
tf.f ,lI finn NJ
any important law has come TO be the exception
willie Tie rule is that all Corporation enactments are
mere jead letters. We need not specify. We have
ws which. fully carried out, would give rs perfectly
clean streets shut up unlicensed and sunday grog-
slo1s auliilate policy dealing AMI all the higher
irircits Of gambling. prevent street begging smut
up dens OF prostitution stop emigrant runners from
winding suppress mock aUctiOneers. IN short we
lave laws enough for every imaginable ofensc against
lie OF property. But they are never enforced. Inc
rcnvl climb to Office throug packed conventions and
brutal n iuenecs are afraid to offend their peculiar
friends They often hold their places at the pleasure
a. gangs OF bues WHO worked for them az the polls
aud WHO demand immunity in crime az the reward.
50 il has become the fact that ordinances that have not
,etn their first anniversary have been forgotten;
and II tie pressure OF public opinion falls heavily
enough upon any point, ordinance Is "Xtorted
from lie Common Council but only TO be forgotten in
It's Turn 80 inextrioabe il the mass Of obsolete
resolutions and ordinances numbering the minutes OF
tie Con mon Council that the only relief would seem
to be TO sweep the whole away aud build up new
t,dy Of lave upon "A foundation of common honesty
ard common sense if that is possible. For years past
,ur nu,i pal legislators have put up legal fabrics no
less worthy of censure then the material structure
which buried the brave fremen in Broadway And
tie leading offenders in this disregard Of law have
generally been the lawmakers themselves. Hun
drcds ii complaints Of violations OF the fire laws and
Of the liquor laws Lave been laid 1T the door of the
Aldermen. only To be put on file andneyer atefward
leald Of The irc-warlens the engineers the press.
private citizens. al have petoned demonstrated and
threatened in vain. Not step is taken until some
,uch terrible affair as that under consideration
drives the acgards a reluctant attempt to do some
lrg tud that something is IS likely not worse than
JothiIg.
There = one Other important matter in the supple
ment TO the verdict of which little has been said pub
licy hut which has engaged the serious attention oil
Ike people for long period and that is the uses and
aLu,es OF the Fire Department itself From facts de-
yecptd this aud other recent fires the conclusion
IL Irresistible that great number OF vagabonds make
Pretended membership in the Department cloai
!or theft and robbery if inceudarism. We desire
TO stste bpt we do not believe any real fremen to b
guilty oi any such criminality. We have AWAY
Locked uron the Now-York Fire Department as one 0
tie nobest Of our institutions and upon its member
q worthy citizens We know hundreds of names o.
the r. that stand foremost in honor in all IN
City: ond We cannot personally name one black shee
in the aock. We have had cause TO be grateful To ii
frmen for sery ices in times ofperl tha few would hav
volunteered, and remember them still with undimin
sled feeling. Yetwe must in the main agree with th
Jury that the bona fde members Of the Department
arc blamable in many instances for allowing boys an
r,w6y young men to hang around their houses 70 ORA
their machines TO usurp their badges and 10 impos
themselves upon the public as fremen when not one
tie Tascal- could get a vote in any Company in New
York. Two or three of these scapegraces hsngn
around tie doors OF engine house insulting passeI
~. ins,ighng fglrs, and talking profaney and yuga
~ Will seen disgrace whole company OF honest mel
Whenever any such persons get into the Department
tLey are promptly expelled by the Chief Enginee
and if rot reinstsed by corrupt Common Council
are 10 longer fremen. But that i. not enough. II
2 tue fremsn should hold no communion with them
they should expel them from their houses drive the
i-,m the ne:ghborhood snd by every honorable meal
sh,v the people that they have nothing 10 do wit
J them. Tie Jury ssy that several iremen. examn,
before th6m depreeate the doings Of these runner
I. lut could suggest 10 means of getting rid of theI
= But let them summsrily drive them away from d
tCusss ard lock up the first one who appears in Fir