Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-06-17
Who was to Blame?

and Schroth on Monday, that there was an
insufficient supply of water at the PhHnlx
Mill fire.
The meeting was called to order by
Mayor Brown, who, addressing Chlef En-
gineer Foster. stated that it had been
charged that lately there had been an m
sufficiency of water in the mans, ana thlS
was particularly the case at the time OF the
! Phoenix Mill fire Monday morning. He
would like to have Mr.. Foster explain IN
relation to the matter and tell the Board
what was the trouble on that occasion.
Mr.. Foster said he heard the alarm, and
getting out of bed, fastened to the water,
works with all possible speed. lie arrived
there some six or eight minutes after the
| first alarm was sounded. Mr. Williams was
at his post He found a water pressure OF
65 pounds and ascertained that there was
pressure on when the alarm was sounded OF
| 80 pounds. He said the large tank on top
| of the old Citv-hall contained 240,OUO gal
| Ions and was constantly kept filled with
| water Whenever. for the purpose OF PACK
| ing a piston or making any repairs to the
| machinery, which was always done at
night, the machinery was stopped, the tank
was ALWAYS turned on. The tank gave a
| gravity pressure of "a or % pounds. The
! fires are never put out but always ready at
a moments notice. The engines can al
| ways be started in moment. Steam sut-
| ficient to run the engines hGiT an hour is
always stored in the three boilers He said
| he always reported the actual running time
| OF the pumps. If they were shut down FOR
| one, two or ten hours in week his state
| ment to the Board showed that fact. As
| far as fuel was concerned he did not know
| 60 -, how hppn n
about using too much of it. He would
| like to have the Waterman at the mill and
others present who claimed anjnSutficiency
| of water He was sure they were mistaken.
| He said he entertained no ill will toward
Trustee Jones.
Mayor Brown said the complaint did not
come from members of the Fire Depart
ment, but from Frank Miller and George
Schroth whom he supposed would be
present and assist in the investigation.
Trustee Nielsen said some of the neigh
bors in the vicinity also complained about
there being no force to the water on that
occasion.
Henry C. Wolf, one of the engineers, said
he was on duty until II o'clock that night
When he left and was relieved by Mr..
Williams the Holly pump was running
and there was water pressure of 35 pounds.
Everything was all right at midnight
Whenever the pumps were stopped for any
needed repairs the tank on top of the old
hall was turned on, which gave a pressure
of "A pounds, and was sufficient for all do
nestle purposes. Steam is always carried,
even when the pumps are stopped, and at
no time can there be a possible delay of
more than y or minutes in getting the
pumps to running and the full fire pressure
on.
Edward H. Williams, the engineer on
duty at the time of the fire. said that on
his arrival at II o'clock he found every
thing all right. There were from seventy
to seventy-tive pounds Of steam on, the
Holly was running, and there was a water
pressure of thirty-tiye pounds. Before the
alarm had finished coming in, he had
thrown open the throttle, and the pressure
jumped instantly from thirty-five TO forty
five, and in a couple OF minutes went to
fifty-five The Chief came in a few mo-
ments later, and asked how many pumps
l had on. When replied three, he said
" L think perhaps it is big fire, and we bet
ter start up the Stevens pump This was
done Immediately, and then the water
pressure stood sixty pounds strong. He
said his hours were from u to A. NJ. The
tank on top of the old hall was kept con-
stantly filled and was always used when
the pumps were stopped. During the past
three months he said that the pumps had
not been stopped one time. We have
plerty of fuel, and are not restricted as to
It's use. He said he had been an engineer
for twenty-five years, considered himself
competent in that line, and also thought
the others connected with that department
were quite competent. He had been EN-
plOyed at the water works for the past seven
years.
Frank Longabaugh, a fireman, testified
to the same statement of facts. He said
the tank on the old building was always
kept filled with water, and steam never al
lowed to go below seventy pounds.
Stephen Anderson, who fires the first
part of the night, was the next witness. He
lives within a block of the fire, and had
just returned from his labor when the fire
broke out and the alarm given. He went
Immediately to the fire, and assisted the
fire department all he could by firing one
of the engines. He said when the engine
attached hose to plug, one of the fire
men, Heinrich, remarked to him that there
was no force from the water-wOrks. An
derson said, L Immediately called his at
tentlOn to the water-gauge on the engine.
which registered fifty pounds The watch
man at the mill, he said, was young very
excitable and addicted to drink. That
evening at II o'clock he was noticed taking
a drink at a saloon over a block away from
the mill. He gets drunk very often, and
on the least pr0vocation. He, in his ex-
element, likely pulled the hose straight
from a coil, or perhaps did not turn the
valve on the hydrant sufficient In either
case the hose would have been of no use.
Frank Daroux was asked several ques-
tons regarding the time it took to get up
steam on steamer and several other
questions. Some he answered and others
he declined on the ground that he was not
a member of the department and did not
want to get mixed up in the matter. The
deputy City Taper, Mr. Marsh, said the
pipes had all been blown off during the
month and were in good condition.
Trustee Jones, although present, had
not a word to say. The meeting adjourned
to 10 A. NJ. to-day, when Mr.. Miller and
Mr.. Schroth are invited to be present and
produce the Waterman at the mill and all
other information they have
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