St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-02
CHIEF sTErsoN TALKS.
He Tells Why the Firemen We're
ate in Getting Mnter On.


Chief Engineer Stetson, of the fire de-
partment, attributes the horrible los of
life to the lack Of fire escapes on the
building. According to the statements
of the chief engineer andI Building In
Spector HaZen, the officials having
charge of the erection of fire escapes
gave the owners of the building plenty
of notice of what result might he ex-
peeted in case of fire. Chief StetsOn. in
Speaking of the matter to GLOBE re-
porter last hight, said: This build
ing belonged to that class
which are often mIS-called "S.oW
cOmbuStible.7 Some people regarded
it as fire-prOof, but no one who knows
anything about fires had any idea that
it wouldn't burn. From cellar to gar
ret every room was filed with COM
bustible material. and the top floors
were always crowded with wOrkmeD. l
went To Gen. NettletOn about four years
ago and told him that in case fire
should start on the lower floors the men
in the upper rooms would be burned to
death. l ordered him to erect fire
escape between the two first windows
above the First avenue end OH the
Fourth street side, with balconies lead
ing from the windows. Both Gen. Net
tleton and his attorney, Mr.. Cross, OBJ
jecIed 10 placing an escape Oh the front
of the building, saying that it would
disfgure il. Then l changed the
plan ana suggested that the escape
should be placed in the rear of the
building. so as to take in the windows
OF the lavatoFy on each floor. Here
again / met with objection. 1t was said
thst the Tribune building contemplated
putting up an addition to the building,
and If an escape were put up il would
have to be taken down again III sh ort
time. The cumpOSitOrS employed on
the Tribune held a meeting and ap-
pointed committee TO see if something
couldn't be done To compel the owners
to put up an escape. They came to me.
and | did everything in my power to
get the owners, to put up escapes with
out avail. The law did not give me the
right to compel them TO do anything, but
/ expressed my opinions in pretty Wig
orUus language when l suggested the
adyisability of providing some means
of escape for the men on the upper
huors.n
did you have any trouble with the
water supply? 1t has been stated that
fully twenty minutes elapsed after the
arrival of the apparatus before any
water was thrown on the fire." suggest
ed the reporter.
Water! Perhaps we didn't throw any
water on the fire when we first got
there. We didn't think of it. Why,
man. it was the poor devils up in the
windows We thought of. The minute l
struck the corner of Fourth and NicOl-
let and saw the fire | knew that some
Ole would he killed, and | went right
to work to save as many of the people
in the building as pt ssible. So did the
rest of my men. We did everything we
could to save life. When the fire de-
partment arrived it was evident that no
water we could put in the building could
save il, for the fire was all through it
then. and the difference of few min
utPs in getting water on when there was
a chance to save human lite was too in
significant to be thought of. The mis-
take made was in not turning in the
alarm sooner. When Engine No. 8
pulled out of the house on Third street,
Immediately in the rear Of the building,
the whole neighborhood was lit up"