The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-12-29
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS.
SFcnNn RRANCH.

Hankc, He'll, Kingdom, Long, Myles,
McGaw, Pryor, Reitz, Wilkinson and
President Logan.
The reading of the minutes was dis
pensed with.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FIRE DE-
PAKTMEST.
The committee on Fire Department
made the following report:
10 tie M0gor and to0cd NJ the CITY ct
U'heeiWg:
GEHTLEMES-lour joint standing
committee on FIRE Department of the
City Council take the liberty Of making
the following report to your honorable
body, without having the subject contain
ed therein referred to the committee, viz:
The attention of the committee has
been called, both publicly and privately.
to the cause of the late fire at Washing
ton Hall, and the committee believing
that it would be proper and right under
the circumstances to have some cXamna
ton made of the building, with view OF
ascertaining il possible the true or correct
cause of the fire, your committee directed
the Board of Control of the lire Depart
mcnt of the City, acting as "Fire War
dens" under the ordinance of the city, 10
make proper examination OF the sad
Washington Hail building rs 1t now
stands, and report their opinion as to the
cause OF the fire to your committee.
Said report has been received, and it
is herewith submitted for the in ormatlon
Of Council and the public generally;
The attention or tho committee has
been f.cquentiy called to the condition of
the walls of the "WaShingtOn Hall
building" on Twelfth street, since the
late fire occurred, rs other safety It's they
now stand, and believing the said walls
70 be tglSofc, directed the Board of Con.
troll OF the Fire Department to make an
examination of said walls rs they now
stand, December ~ 1873, o'clock =. NJ,
and within two hours thereafter, re-
ccivcd from said Board of Control re-
port on said subject, which is herewith
submitted to Council for such action as
may be deemed best under the clrcum-
stances, there being no ordinance Of the
city known TO the committee providing
for any action of the City Council in
such cases.
There is no question but that there is
doager in allowing the walls of the
washington Hall to stand as they now
are, not only TO the public, but to the
property of the city. Should the north
wall of the building fall out, it would
certainly fall upon the City Building
and thereby destroy the usefulness Of
said building.
Your committee, therefore, with all tie
information before them, recommend to
Council that some action be taken pro-
tcStiHg against the walls of the late
washington Hall" remaining us they
now are, believing it to be the duty of
the city TO protect Its citizens against loss
OF life or property from such causes, over
wE.ch the Council of the city should
have some control
The committee, with the yi3w OF
bringing the different subjects refer
red TO to in the foregoing report to the
notice Of Council have directed me to
submit the following resolutions for your
and action, hoping that it
may be your pleasure to take prompt
sction in the premises, viz:
Rcsoircj, That the report of the Beard
of Control of the Fire Department, act
ing as Fire Wardens Of the city, here
with submitted, and dated December IL,
1875, on the subject of the cause OF the
late fire at Washington Hall on the 30;h
day of November, 1875, be received and
fled for future reference.
WHEREAS, The walls of the building
of the Washington Hall Association, at
the corner of Market and Twelfth street,
are reported to this Council to be in an
unsafe condition, therefore be it
Rezoired, BY the Council the city of
w heeling, that it does hereby protest
against the walls remaining in such con-
dItlun, and request the Board OF Direc-
tors of sand Washington Hall Associa-
ton to have said walls or So much thereof
rs shall be necessary, torn down forth-
,cith.
Re>oircd That a copy OF the last named
resolution be served on the President of
the Board of Directors of the Washing
ton Hall Association, by the Sergcnt OF
the city, he to make proper return OF such
service to the Clerk Of the city.
REPORT or BOARD OF CONTROL, ACTING
As FIRE wARDENs, CONCERNING TIE
ORIGIN OF THE WASHINGTON HALL
FIRE.
To the Committee on Fire Department.
GENTLEMEN In accordance with
your instructSons given to US December |
Is, 1875, to examine the tlucs in Wash |
ington Hall building. said to be defective,
and the cause of the fire in that building,
we would beg leave to report that with !
the assistance of the Hook and Ladder |
Company No. and Hose Company No. !
|, We made careful examination of the |
tlae on the south side near the west end |
Of The building. We were informed by |
f. y. Britt, Esq, that this was the nuc |
that WAS thought to be detective, and near |
where the fire was first discovered This |
tluc had two openings, one near the top and |
one in what bad been used rs the Clerks !
office of the House of De cgateS, in which /
a stove was used ut the time We were |
Informed there was no fire used lntc,y in |
he upper room, whcrcithc opening was
We found the joints all perfect; tourd
wooden timber called wall plato, eight
inches wide, for girdcr to rest ON, near
he ilue; but iour-inch brick wall was
between that and the huc which was
well slushed. 1t may seem strange that
his tlue would be SO perfect after the
severe test it had in the late fire, but it
: nevertheless true. We found another
timber or wall plate about thrce-and-a
lalf feet above the stove pipe hole in the
lue i'll the upper room, there having been
| plastercd ceiling between the timber
md the opening, which made it Almost
to take fire from that.
We carefully went over the surface Of
he Hue, and found all the JOINTS perfect
md tight.
We also examined the floor next this
ne on the west end of the building; we
ouud tins one all perfect, with the en-
option of loose plate in the wall
through to the floor, but it was fully five
Get below the ceiling, and the opening