Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-06-05
FIRE ESCAPE.
hhe ActfOn Of h Commissioners
IN Granting Petition Of the Opera
House Owners.

The Action of the Commissioners
I'm Granting Petition OF the Opera
House Owners.
Yesterdays action OF the Board Of
county commissioner in allowing Sadler
q 20. the right to build a stairway from
inc sidewalk to the balcony in front OF the
opera House has given great satisfaction
10 NUMBER OF our business men. Several
Oh them have been DESTROYS for some time
OF obstructing the sidewalks in front OF
tneir places OF business with stairways to
the second stories of their buildings, but
have hesitated erecting them on account
OF the ordinance against such distractions.
Now. however, since the Board has been
obliging towards the owners Of the Opera
House, we understand five or more promi-
nent business men will men the
erection OF substantial stairways, covering
four feet OF the sidewalk in front Of as
many places OF business on Main street.
These will be mainly to hotels and lodg-
ing houses, from which the necessity of
escape in times Of fire is more necessary
than even from the Opera House. These
gentlemen are particularly grateful to R.
Sadler for his action before the Board on
Monday; and inasmuch as money cannot
be said to have any weight with the ma
jority OF the Board, who voted for grant,
ing Sadler the license, the poorest Of them
has no doubt that he will be unmolested
in his humane endeavors to secure the
safety Of dodgers and the public. The hui
manity and thoughtfulness Of our County
Fathers must be q matter Of congratuls.
ton to us oil and to none more than
"MANY CITIZENS"
The above communication, which is not
in accord with the SENrISEL's article Of
Sunday, we publish nevertheless, because
it is properly written. and because the
acts Of public servants is . proper subject
for public criticism.
The article in the SENTINEL, calling
upon the Commissioners to allow the
stairs constructed, was written under the
impulse of tho great public good that
would be done in providing a fire escape
an exit of any kind-and without q knowl-
edge of the fact that other modes of
egress had been suggested to the propri-
etors Of the Opera House better than the
one they asked for, and which would OBJ
the sidewalk. Inasmuch as the question
was one purely Of public policy and not Of
private interest, we believe it should have
been considered entirely on that ground.
In discussing the petition before the
Board, A. Jackson appeared and ar
gued against granting it, and asked
that before final action was taken
q committee of competent aremen
should be appointed to inspect the prem
ises and report whether a better exit could
not be provided than the ono proposed and
which would do away with the staircase
and leave the sidewalk unobstructed. We
are satisfied that the Board would have
done better to act upon this suggestion
and get the matter thoroughly before them
before passing judgment. They did not
see fit to do so, however, and as the stair
way to be built is calculated to save life
and limbs in case of accident, it is vastly
better than nothing, whether the motives
of those who own the Opera House we're
selfish or unselfsh.