The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-15

attributable TO those companies who leave their districts
Saturday nights and Sundays By gangs
comTsnes in street fights. II seems hard suspend
osbsnd companies thus brought in collision by the sruu
Dess hut unless the companies implieatei can show
that h DO not harbor Of bad character around
th. apparatus aud in their FIRE houses tue companies
should be accountable for the nefarious act Of the
ners II the companies were made responsible for the
yiiany of their runners and II the policemen would
aret ali rowdes collected the Of streets for
tie EXPRESS purpose Of running with and attacking fire
companies, rosdyism would receive its quetus as
connected 18th tie fire department. But the police neo
say they cannot legally those until
the be FMS and when 1t begin, the polsemen
run as fast their legs can carry them to their homes
or 10 the station house.
Comrsnie, should not be permitted to fois the
and result OF their collisions the runners al no igh
the runners the cause but, repeat that com.
pan,s have not the WILL and the moral and phi steal
couines TO al card the then they themselves
should be responsible for the violation OF the public tran
quill y The destruction Of the public apparatus and the
manglel bodies Of late Nor should the subtle
excuse that their ranks too THU the
rmy resolve to have no vssabonds about their appaa-
tus or houses they would get ri Of them, when
,esleese,e person. would gladly gil up their ranks thus
already been the happy resu.i when companies have
Iesouiely adopted this course.
unlawful for idle vagahonds to assemble in the fire
apparatus houses, yet some Of the houses generally
filled with them. But, pleased to say that it Is
permit, By only small portion Of the department
The police, II dspoted could easily correct the evil by
dfiv ng the scoundres out of the houses and ordi
nance ADOPTED arrest the vegabord runners on
the street and in the FIRE houses, and all who
wi the Ere apparatus to create disensoD and IL the
ordnance in question would impose severe penalty on
all ccwardly policemen (from the chief down To the
est subordnae) who failed TO arrest these ab,n.
doned scound,es- gay that If your honorable
th, s,Inl en aud practicable character the evils in
qu'i,n would cease, and the department be far
mo cient than BY the adoption Of asy Of the pro-
Ioscd cAI ensve plans OF reorganization agitaed by the
pee, ctled fire bgades, or paid systems, which seem
and fanatic Localities Of our own country and to the
od'ous Atmosphere of Louis Napoleon and yictori,,
whose on resed and rvng lordcs would doubtless
Atfeme grateful for the meret pitt fer preserving
from oonlag the iron, marble, brick granite, an
oiler intestruciibe habations Of Paris aud Lonlon
Iii the eriod has not arrived shen the Free lawful
een,le call mt volunteer dremen Of New York require
o. vii tolerate proud Brigader With his lash at the
hels and they would equally disiain to receive pecu
ay for those patriotic crvices which they AND
their fathers have gratutously performed since the
foundation Of the city. Respectfully submitted
ALFRED CARSON, Chief Engineer.
Chief Engineer Office March lG, 1854
Tho following communication received from the
Chief Engineer Of the Fire Department in answer to
resolution Of inquiry to reinstarg members viz
To THE HoScRAntE THE Board ALDERMEN
GfxTiIaEs-ln reply TO the preamble and resolution
adopted by honorable body. follows:-Whereas
in the Commercial Advertiser OF May 4, 1854, there
rfrom tie Commercial advertiser May A. 1851
Tic testimony before the Coroners Iaquest, in the
case Of he Broadway catastrophe published in yester
days Commercial, cannot fail 70 excite attention.
Tie Chief Engineer of The Fire department, who must
lie regarded as competent and friendly witness testi-
fed tia, within his kno sedge gang Of men, wearing
the garb Of Gremen attended fires for the purpose OF
ealing; that lie las known members Of the Fire De.
partment 10 be caught tile wing; that in Of
member expelled Tor stealing at fire, the Common
Coui Gil had reinstated him. that member who is
foreman oi engine compaDy, had been thus expelled
and iensst.d that sometimes persons have attended
fires dressed as fremen, though not members of the
depar ment and that in his Judgment more than
half The fires that in is city the work OF
cerdisries; therefore
Resolved That the Chief Engineer Of the Fire Depart
meet he requested to inform this Board whether the
present Common Council baye insated any member of
tic FIRE department who had been expelled for thieving
stealing.
would beg leave to say had the evidence been fully
aud correctly reported in the public press There would
have been ecessy for the resolution of inquiry as
il giving evidence, after stating that had known Of
members being renstaed BY the Common CoAneil after
being expelled for stealing, the question was asked,
Have the present Common Council so reinsated any
who a6 previously been expelled for steaingf" To
this answered no; that II the previous Common
Council who had done So
THIS part OF the testimony entirely omitted by a
majority Of the daily papers AM other parts dis
torted in various in order to brand the Gre depart
nent With niamy. far in their power lay at
the sacrifice of truth for instance have noticed that
10 one o. The papers az least aui mace to reply ~ do
TO II following question BY Juror:
frep' "'S WY ~ ''' 30 '''' p''p0'' . a''''
The question propounded vas apo you know Of yous
positive In wleoge that there thieves that attend
fires for tie purpose of plumber aside from the remen
My reply was Il do net; but it is my opinion that
would also here take occasion do an act OF justice
TO the persons whose lives sacrificed at tho desruc
10
ton
Atlem, we're made to establish the fsct that some Of
tie persons killed in the building for tho purpose
stealing instead of distinguishing the Gre and that cloth
ing recognized by the prorretoIs OF the store belong
70 their stock, was found upon some o. the bodies
were made thereon by of the public press raduc-
ing The character Of the department.
TIC evidence however afterward adduced, in
opinion clearly established the fact that their abuse
entirely gratuitous. and that clothing whatever,
from the establishment, was found upon any OF the
bodies, except such placed and upon them
BY their comrades, after Iecrine them from the ruins
in order that they might carried TO the hospital as
comfortably possible. AS this portion of the testi-
mony has not been placed before the public extensively
the charges to which they aliude have taken the
liberty 10 here refer to it. although egtmaely be
longing TO reply to the resolution of your honorable
ALFRED CARSON, Chief Engineer.
Chief Engineers Office, May To- 1854.
To THE HoNoRAmE rHE COMMON COUNCIL
% sunday the 4'h instant, bloody rencounter was
anticipated between engine companies Nos. Is and 81,
and several thousand persons assembled to witness it.
In view OF he extraordinary excitsmant and fearing
oTeauu cor hct should they meet directed botn en-
gines 10 be into their houses tongue first and to
remsip there until further orders.
About 10Y O'Clock on the same evening and after l
had given the above directions met about $50 persons
on their way to the house Of No o. Some of these per
members of No 81 and the residue were run.
ners aud the whole gang led by the foreman Of en-
gine company No. u, whom mmedi ltely took aside,
when lie said that they oniy intended to cheer No o.
told him that such conduct from the officer of FIRE
company highly improper, especially on Sunday
evening and requested him to tell his party go quiet
j. to their respective homes which he assured he
woulo DO But instead OF doing this he marched his
excited !arty to the houses of several fire companies
giving cheers and groans according to his friendship
hatred of the respective companies he visited striving
thereby TO renew the fearful excitement that pervaded
the city al an early hour of the evening.
do most iervtptly hope that measures will be i'm
mediatey adopted By your honor lble body to check
these Saturday evening and sunday broils, which
vile disgrace TO the city and which chiefly caused by
those mischevous heyish and blood thirsty rascals,
called fire srunners."
IT is useless TO rely on the policemen, who make
great russ the newspapers and at the political grogge
res about their courage at res their arrest
mere, but it is all faacous. The policemen fly before
the runners as chan before whirlwind and have
known them to each other In their desperate
flights from the runners
Ano again recommend. what have often proposed
TO yourselves and predecessors, viz TO hold the Are
conn anes in all cases responsible for the Infamous
duct of their runners fyou viii Immediately adopt this
course, and disband dozen companies, dc necessarily
aud " keep them dsbandcdn the surviving companies
will drive the from their apparatus and from
then anses at the peril Of their yes and then and