St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-06

repealed Feb. 81, 1888; this ordinance gave
the inspector of buildings general powers.
but made no special provision for Ere es.
capes; it provided, however that no build
ing should be erected within the fire limits
unless permit was granted as provided in
that ordinance; no permit was ever Issued
by the inspector of buildings for the erection
of The Tribune building: my recollection Is
that az that time W. l.. Pardee was the In
spectoT, and that the present building in
spector was his deputy, attending TO
the outside work; Feb. II, 1883, an
ordinance to regulate the construc-
ton, alteration. repair and removal of build
ings was approved, being what is now known
as the building ordinance; section 2 of that
ordinance provides that the ordinance shall
apply TO all buildings hereafter erected. and
as far as practicable to all buildings.
Another section provides that the inspector
of buildings shall construe all provisions of
the ordinance; section % provides that be-
fore the erection of building within the fire
limits. plans, specifications, and all lntorma-
ton that the INSPECTOR may require shall be
submitted TO him for approval, and on his
approval permit shall be issued; section 20.
that all business buildings, four stories high.
shall have a two aud one-half inch stand
pipe; section "a provides that all build
ings other than private residences. three
stories high. shall have such numbers OF
metallic ladders. from the first story 10 the
ton, aS the building INSPECTOR may require,
and of The owner TO bu Id III m within thirty
DAYS after n notice TO the owner, lessee or 0c-
cupant and necessarily applies TO the build
ings already erected; also for all buildings
more than two stories high used for manu-
featuring purposes one ladder shall be pro-
yided for every twenty-five persons or less
employed above the third story, or fire.
proof stairway. Section % provides that in
every building where men and women work
for wages above the first story there shall be
a distinct stairway for each fifty feet of 'front.'
age. Section ) provides, that the term bust
ness building shall be deemed TO include
office building: section 10 provides that the
hoistways for elevator shall haN Q fire-pToof
shaft from the lowest point reached TO six
feet above the roof, while section 80 makes
It the duty of the building inspector TO make
or cause to be made frequent inspection of
the same when not in accordance
with the ordinance; section 81. rela-
tive TO the duties OF the inspect
or, requires him to make complaint i'll the
dinance, and gives him full power 10 pass
upon any question relative 10 the conSlruc-
ton OF buildings that NAV arise under the
ordinance. subject to appeal to arbitrators;
section of the ordinance establishing fire
limits. which ordinance is still i'll force, pro-
vides that no building shall be erected with
in the fire limits without permit from The
city council, which provision is conceded to
have been repealed by the present building
ordinance, bus under which permit may
udkG D6Su tSSutus L lniHh PtlAIiS htSAt
have been granted by the council under this
provision. but there was never any lnspec-
ton Of the building as provided by the pres
ent building ordinance.
Witness Stetson testified that the electric
wires INSTRUCTED the work of erecting the big
ladder in reScuing the men in the sixth and
seventh stories, Occasioning delay of from
one TO two minutes, or untll the nre nau
driven the men in the building away from
the point where the ladder was being erected;
flao 81, lo11 had IN no n To
moved TO another point and that the wires
again obstrucIed the erection of the ladder,
thereby tossing precious time. Witness Stet-
son also testified that there WAS 50 much eX-
element and confusion, and that the i'm
mense crowd of people yelling and giving or
derS to the iremen. so completely confused
the tiremen that they did not know whether
witness (Stetson) was giving orders. or
whether il was some of the citizens. This
chaotic state of affairs greatly retarded and
interfered with efficient service. 1t was also
testified by spectators that, IN their opinion,
the department was slow i'll getting TO WORK.
In consideration of this evidence we, the
jurors whose names are hereUntO affixed, do
find as follows. to-Wlt:
First-That if the law relating to fire es-
capes and standpipes and stairways applies
TO such buildings as the Tribune bulldlng-1f
a publishing house, newspaper ofhce and
boOkbindery is manufactory-lf printing
newspaper, making books, making paper
boxes. such as are made in bookbinderieS,
constitutes the manufacture of articles-then
the authorities have been derelct IN their
duties IL the Tribune building did not
come within the meaning of this law then
the law is very defective. The law should
afford just as adequate protection from dam
ger by fire to the printer. the newspaper man
and the bookbinder as to the artisan and the
labOrer.
Second-The Jurors find that if the law did
not reach the Tribune building, and the
authorities could not legally compel the con-
struction of additional fire escapes or non
combustible staircases, that the moral obli-
CATION still stands. IL is patent that the
danger from fire i'll this building was just as
great. whether occupied as shoe factory or
publishing house. Then the owners and
iessees of the building, if not legally RESPONSE
BILE, were morally culpabIe.
Third-There is no doubt in the mind OF
the jury that the folding ladder testified to
by Witness Netteton was in the building.
In this connection we hold that either the
owners of the building, the lesses superin-
tendent or janltors or all of them are blama-
bic. in that they did not inform the men en-
pluved in the building OF the existence of
the ladder show them just where 1t was
located, show them how TO operate it and to
experiment with il in order to become
thoroughly satisfied with its efficiency as Il
lIve-s saving apparatus.
FOurth-In view of the result of the fire,
we hold that the architecture of the building
was ill-planned. To erect wooden staircase
and an elevator in one and the same well
from first to last story in structure Of the
the height ,S Of Tribune ;ra. bullying lid is
pants in the upper stories in jeopardy i'll
case of fire, when there were SO many peO
pie on the upper floors as there were in the
Tribune building Saturday night, especially
when the only fire escape known is located
in the immediate vicinity of this elevator
shaft and staircase. And we hold that there
should have Deen posted in conspicuous
places in the Railways and corridors of the
buildings printed placards. indicating the
location of the fire escape and the way to
reach it.
Fifth-We find that the deputy building
inspector, to whom is delegated the duty of
inspecting buildings as to fire escapes and in
enforcing the law relating thereto has also
been burdened with the duty of inspecting
slructed in the city. Therefore we would
recommend to the city council of the city Of
Minneapolis that they so amend the building
ordinance as to provide that one inspector
shall devote his entire time and attention to
the inspection of fire ESCAPES and matters
appertaining thereto on buildings. and hold
him to q rigid responsibility for the per-
Torrance of such duties.
Sixth-We find that the fire department
worked concientiously in its endeavor TO ex-
tinguish the fire and to save the lives of the
people who were penned up in the building;
but we also find that there were very costly
delays in getting the apparatus into position,
especially the large ladder. We find that
the intense excitement incident to the
terrible scenes unnerved the firemen and af-
fected the efficacy of their operations, and
that they were seriously interrupted by the
frantic efforts of citizens to hasten the
erection of life-saying apparatus. Futher-
more we find that only one large ladder was
employed. We would, therefnTe, recon-
mend the immediate purchase of additional
lifesaving apparatus, and the frequent drill
and practice of the companies employed to
operate the same.
Seventh-In the opinion of the jury had it
not been for the obstruction met with in the
electric wires the ladder would have been
erected in time to save all the people who
were in the sixth and seventh stories at the
time of the arrival of the fire department at
the scene of the fire, and that Robert Nc
Cutcheon would not have fallen, and per-
haps the others who went down the fire es-
cabe would have availed themselves of the
opportunity offered by The fire departments
ladders instead of Drawing fire and smoke to
reach the fire escape. Therefore, we would
recommend that the city authorities take
summary steps to have all electric wires in
the heart of the city placed underground.
J. II. DAVIS,
G. d. KINGSLEY,
LUTHER FORD,
p. ID. BoUTELLE,