The Portland daily press., 1866-10-05
The Case OF the Chic Enginecr or the
Fire Departments.

SOoenJ
sent to Jail. .
The Case OF the Chic Il ngineer OF the
Fire Department..
81 hearing on the memorial of John Il. Den
nell and 200 Others for the removal of Mr..
Spencer Rogers from the Office of Chief Engi-
neer of the Fire Department, for alleaea in
competency, was had last evening by the City
Council. n -9 -..ari 7.sg -Ie .is
Both Boards met in Convention, the Mayor
presiding. Nathan Webb, Esq, appeared as
counsel for Mr. Rogers. - li1 .#-
The Mayor read the memorial of the petition
ers and stated that an opportunity would now
be given to any of the petitioners or counsel,
for them to be heard in the matter.
No one responding to the call of the Mayor,
he then read the following communication
from John E. Donnell, ESQ.,, who headed the
petition:- i-H.
To the Mayor and City Council Of Portland:--
In answer to notice from the City Clerk
notifying me, as one of the many petitioners
| for the removal of the Chief Engineer of the
Fire Department that hearing would be had
this evening to show cause why he should be
removed, have no specific charges to prefer
against the Chief Engineer, but they are gen.
eral as every citizen and sufferer from the late
he been competent and had capacity sufficient,
with ordinary Judgment, such as the Office
would, and does require, that the great des-
truction Of property and suffering might have
been avoided; and 1 think more than nine
tenths Of the people of this city and neighbor-
ing towns, who saw the management of the
Chief, at the late great fire, would express the
same opinion, if called upon; andI would like
to know what reasons can be given why he
should not be removed, at once, instead of seek
Il in, n for ROC anv,a vvh IA ab0ulH ha
I am respectfully yours,
j. e. DoNNELL.
PORTLAND, October 4th, 1866.
Mr. Webb stated that as Mr. Donnell was
present he should like to ask him few ques-
tions ef srYet r9,i.
Mr. DonneH-Did not observe much of the
management at the fire; was on York street
about half past five in the afternoon of the
| fire and remained probably half an hour; was
not on Commercial street; saw the Sugar
House when it took fire; thought there shonld
| have been engines on York street. and that
the casks on Maple street should have been
rolled into the dock to prevent the fire from
extending; saw nothing of the Chief Engineer;
was member of the Board of Aldermen
| when Rogers was elected Assistant Engineer
| have never seen Mr.. Rogers at fire, for have
not been in the habit of attending fires.
Mr.. Donnell then requested that Mr.. s. r.
| Leavitt and Col. l.. b. Smith might ba ques-
| toned as to some particulars in relation to the
| management of the fire. aif ~
MIR. Leavitt was called and sworn. Mr..
gentleman. He was called by the petitioners
| and if they had any questions to ask him he
| hoped they would. ..
Mr.. Leavitt then requested permission to
make some statements why the prayer of the
petitioners should be granted. ~ pia .ef.
Permission being given, Mr. Leavitt COM
menced with a statement of the negligent con-
duet of Mr.. Rogers while captain Of an engine
in 1853 or SO, at a time when he CMr. L.) was
| Chief Engineer. Mr.. Rogers at fire that oc-
Cured at that time allowed his engine to get
/ fOuled by not putting the strainer on the sue
| ton hose, and insisting that it was on when
the proof was that it was not. From that time
said Mr. L., ] have considered him an unfit
man in the Fire Department. aA p
Mr.. Leavitt then adverted to the charges that
had been brought against himself, and which
were heard by the City Council last week He
then passed to the great fire on the 4th Of July
| At that fire he went down Union street, and
when he got to the corner of Commercial
| street saw that a stream of water was being
| played upon the fire. Found it was from No.
| 1, which was stationed on Berlin Mills wharf
Assistant Engineer Littlefield, who did not
| seem to know what he was about. Saw the
| Chief Engineer and Immediately come to the
| conclusion that there was no one at the fire
who seemed to realize the situation. Mr. Leayitt
| was then going on to state what he intended
| to do, when he was stopped by Mr. Webb, who
| wished the witness to confne himself to what
Mr. Rogers did, and not what he, himself did.
| Mr.. Leavitt then stated that there were three
tiers of hogsheads on Maple Street, some of
them on fire, when he was trying to get into
the rear of the fire by extending his hose up
| the passage way by the boat shop, when he was
| ordered by the Chief Engineer to extend his
| line up Maple Street. He did so, and the hose
| was lost by being burnt. In his opinion the
| fire, with proper management, never need to
| have crossed Maple Street, and the Sugar
| House and all the other property need not
| have been destroyed. His engine was ordered
from situation where she was working well,
to another station-to the. corner of Danforth
and Maple Streets, by way of High Street. 1t
| was roundabout way, but after considerable
difficulty we got her there, There was much
shorter route through the passage way by Sta
pies foundry. Exhausted that reservoir, and
| then went to the one ON the corner of High
Street Mr.. Littleield ordered us to take our
hose down High Street, and played for some
| time over the wall on the burning embers
where the water might as well have been
played back into the reservoir.
Mr. Leavitt, after stating what orders he had
received from the Assistant Engineers, which
| was objected to by Mr. Webb, said that he got
| orders to change his position. Went down TO
| Market Square, but found no Engineer. AT
length took up position in Temple Street,
| Was driven from there by the fire. Went to
the City Building and got his suction hose in
the reservoir. Played there as long as we
could Then went to Cumberland Sfrert and
played there with success, stopping the fire in
AT the City Building in the Engineers rooms
the chair of the Chief sat within eight feet of o
stationary steam engine, with $50 feet Of hose
Mr.. Rogers might not hsve known it was there
but he Should have known it. And here, Mr.
Leavitt said, he charged the Chief Engineer
with inefficiency or imbecility as he termed
the latter the better word. His course showed
that he was unfit to have charge of the fire
dana akvr fnr xrrftI L. TNsa
Building might have been saved.
| Mr.. Leavitt then went on to state that in the
general management of the affairs of the De.
partment, Mr.. Rogers was unfit for the place
He closed his remarks by stating that in his
opinion, four-fifths of the citizens expected
that on the day after the great fire, Mr.. Rogers
would have been removed, and q competen
person put in his place. ~ i-
In answer to Mr.. Webb, Mr. Leavittl stated
that he could not fix the exact time of the Ar
when Capt. Rogers allowed his engine to oe
out of order The engine was taken apart r,
Mr.. Porter; could not remember whether h,
asked him If the hose was put down witbou
the strainer, but think the question was II
your ssralner on and his reply was that !
stralners; always thought Mr. Rogers was in
competent as an Assistant Engineer; never
knew him to refuse to obey an order either
wmle captain or as Assistant Engineer, and
never knew that he neglected his engine; al
ways had something against him as fireman
never thought he manifested good Judgment
in the application of his stream at fire; the
foreman IF an engine at fire, has the general
application of the stream and the control Of it
: MI. Webb severely cross-examined Mr.
Leavitt in relation to the passage way from
Berlin Mills wharf being blocked up when ht
had orders to remove his engine He could
not say that the hogsheads were placed there
while Mr.. Rogers was present, but thought he
must have seen them.
In relation to the order to change the posi-
Mr.. Leayitt said the passage way between the
Sugar House and Staples Foundry was a
shorter cut and time might have been saved
did not mention this to Mr.. Rogers; did NOT,
know all the streets and lanes in the city; there