The Portland daily press., 1884-04-12
CAsCO NO. 5.
Hearing Before the Fire Department
Committee-The Testimo ny.


hearing was quite lengthy and much evidence
was given which had more reference to prior
facts in the history of the engine company |
than what transpired at the fire in Market |
Square. Chairman Denison called the COM |
mittee to order and said they were ready to be- i
gin With the hearing.
Mr.. Looney arose and stated that on April |
I'd, the board of engineers suspended Casco |
Company No. aud reported their action to |
the last meeting of the City Council. This |
was done under section of the fire depart
ment ordinance. Since that time, counsel for |
the company had sent to him asking for spec
ifcations and these have been furn. |
ished by request of the committee on fire de- |
partment. They were read by MIR. Looney and |
are as follows:
SPECIFICATIONS.
William Hennessey, captain of said company
incapacitated by reason OF age d:deafness fir
efficiently pertofmifg the duties incumbent upon |
him both as member of the fire depar. ment and
as captstn of saiu company.
2.-Said Hennessey violated section 10 of the
revised ordinances relating to fire de, artment BY
ing the name of substitute foe approval, to any
membe- of the board of engineers.
Said Henneesey failed to report one other absen-
tee from the city, and permitted, contrary to the
ordii aDces and orders of the board of engineers
GaDmon to act steward.
of said company, disobeyed the command OF kngin-
ser sgsaing, at the fire In Market Square, March
4.-Andrew Nelson, Sr., disobeyed the command
Of Engineer Gushing, at the in Market square,
s. VIII am Follett. member of said company
was intoxicated while on duty January 1, 1884.
J he deafness Of raid Fol EFT renders him u fit
to efficiently act as member of this department.
6;-Samuel ID. Cannon member of the compa-
ny, has performed no duty for number of years,
aud has performed service steward an Office
which has no legitimate existence 10 the depart
ment and is in direct disobedience of the orders of
the board of engineers.
7.-N lillian Strong a member of said COMPANY
has been in the department for twenty-four years.
and on account of physical inrmity Is totally
Die to perform the du les incumbent upon him as a
Sc. G. Waite, member of said company has
outlived his usefulness having been mber Of
years. Contrary TO the rules of the department he
has repea eddy left the city without reporting
stitute.
9.-Joseph Dodge, a member of the company, has
violated the rules of this department by departing
from the city without reporting or furnishing a
substitute.
CISCO engine company No 8, on account of the
inefhcencv, inapacity and INSTRUMENTATION of its
members is as a company,s menace to the dseip-
line and se'ulness of the fire department of the
lack of discipline which has long time existed
in the comp ny, has impaited and almost destroyed
AT the fl 9 in Market Square, March 81, 1884,
the members OF said company wandered aimlessly
ABOUT ana could not be found in the vicinity of the
company's engine IL was necessary to the
90 peralion of citizens VIII not members of the
department. TO render service which properly be-
loDged to and should have been performed by mem
bers OF the company.
Although fret upon the scene of action at the
time of the fire last mentioned the engine of said
company the last to get an effective stream Of
water upon the hre.
de felt sure that the committee would find
| the charges sustained and ratify the doings Of
| the board of engineers.
Gen. Msttocks then rose and said he wished
| to lodge prot against the trial of the COM
| psny under the present charges. From the
| reading Of the ordinance it will be seen that
| there is a distinction between dsbanding a
| company for characterization, and suspending
| members OF a company. He protested against
| trying members of the company under charges
! against the company. He also protested against
| calling into question matters which transpired
under the administration of a previous board
/ OF engineers. There is but one known prece-
| dent for such course of action as the board of
| engineers have taken in this matter, and when
| Company No. 2 was disbanded the company
had, by vote, ratified the actions of its mem
| bers.
Mr.. Looney in reply argued that the objec-
ton was q technical one and that the proper
way to show the ineficiency of the company
was to display the inefficiency of its members
| II enough cases of individual characterization
| can be shown, the vote of the board of en-
| gineers is justified.
| General Msttocks restated his position, that
| If one man has done his duty he should be re-
| tanned and not suspended. In the case of
| Company No.2 one man was accepted when
| the rest OF the company was discharged.
Mr.. LooDey thought this would depend upon
the will of the committee; they might report
as they wish, in favor of disbanding the whole
company of suspending certain members
| and excepting others.
The committee then withdrew at the request
of the chairman and remained out about five
minutes. On their return the chairnaan
| stated that the committee decided to proceed
| with the investigation.
| Gen. Mattocks then said be desired specif-
| cation three to be dropped or else it should be
| Shown what charges were disobeyed. Mr.
| Looney offered to bring out the charges more
| fully and this met the objection OF Mr.. Mat
| tocks.
ALI the witnesses were sworn as they went
| upon the stand.
THE TESTIMONY.
Mr.. Geo. w. Gushing was first sworn. He
| testified he had been members of the depart
| meut 25 years; was at present one OF the board
| OF engineers and was at the fire in Market
| Square. He went upon the roof and saw that
| not enough water was coming to reach the fire.
| He ordered Andrew Nelson il, to see what was
| the matter with his engine ana he did not
| obey, nor did he again when the order was
| repeated. He started himself and met An
| drew Nelson, ST., aud ordered him twice 10
1
| paid 10 the order he went himself. Upon
| coming from the engine he ordered Andrew
1 Nelson, Jr, 10 have q smaller nozzle put on
| the hose AID this order was disobeyed. The
steamer played about 30 feet and for Is
| minutes did not reach the fire. Nobody but
| the engineer and driver were near the engine
| when be reached the fire.
| His crcss-exsminstion showed that Five was
| the second engine from the building Three
engines were at the fire when he reached
| there. The engineer and driver are not
| strictly speaking Members of the ompany and
4 60 to fires without waiting for mem bers of the
company; He did not know why the Nelson's
! 6isobeyed his orders. Neither of them were
heard before the board of engineers. Men
| were not generally heard before they were
suspended. He knew nothing further about
| the charges
| A. s. Spaulding then testified He had
| been a member OF Casco for five years. He
| secured the services OF the Chief Engineer to
| get the hose ready SO few of the members W. ere
| there. He knew William Follett was drunk
the first of January, 1884. and also that he was
deaf.
The cross-examination showed simply that
| the drunkenness of Toilet was know to the
board OF engineers and still they retained him.
George ii Robinson testified that he was q
member of Casco No. and was at the fire iu
Market square. He had to call for outside
help to move the hose to the rear of the build
ing aud to put IN a ladder. He had noticed
the deafness OF William Hennessey, and had
".
Waite, to his knowledge, has been repeatedly
absent from the city.
Walter A. Fogg then testified to the deaf
ness OF Capt. Hennessey and the incapacity of
Messrs. Strong and Waite. One cause for de-
lay in getting stream on the fire was the fail
ure of the hose carriage to go to the right bog,
Samuel Ell. Cannon had never performed any
duty to his knowledge. It was shown on
cross-examination that there had been coz
test over the admission of new member, and
that few members were in favor OF candi-
date supported by the Board of Engineers,
while the majority wanted different man.
The record of the Board of Engineers abol-
ishing the Office of steward, was then offered
in evidence, and Mr.. Andrew j. Cummings
testified that the different companies d been
notified of this vote.
The testimony for the engineers was closed
at this point.
Gen. Mattocks opened for the defence. He
said there was no feeling against the Board of |
Engineers, but he only wished to have the |
committee look at the matter in an unpreju- |
diced light and to remember that the engineers |
had suspended the company without hearing. |
On Jan. 10th, 1884, William Hennessey was |
confirmed as captain by the engineers, and to- |
day they say he is too deaf to perform his du- |
ties.