Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-09
RIGHT TO THE POINT,
Tie CorOner'S Jury holding tine In
quest on the Dickson Building
Victims Demand That
ALL OVERHEAD WIRES COME DOWN.
Law be Enforced and New
Legislation Asked for.
ALL OVERHEAD WIRES COME DOWN.
A CRIMINAL PROSECUTION ORDERED
Coroner Mcdowell Makes Suggestion to the Depsrtm ent
Of Public Safety.

escapes go up.
The Coroner'S jury in the case of Robert
Irwin and vile, who lost their lives in the
Dickson building fire Thursday morning.
call upon the Department of Public Safety
TO remove all overhead wires, ask that the
fr-escape law be amended and strengthened,
and notify the District Attorney that he is
expected to proceed Immediately against
the owner or owners of the Dickson build
ing.
The inquest was resumed yesterday morn
ing. Mr.. G. W. Moore lived with his family
on the third floor OF the Dickson build
ing. He was awakened by Mr.. Irwin's cry
of fire" He tried to get down the stair
way, but was driven back by the flames and
smoke He and his family were rescued by
The fremen. The only way of reaching the
third and fourth floors was by a stairway
leading from the front hall.
Elmer O'Donnell, who roomed on the
fourth floor, said there were no fire escapes
on the building. He escaped death by jump
ing from a window to 4 roof below.
AFataI Lack of Fire Escapes.
Captain Snyder, of No. l engine company,
who rescued several persons at the fire, was
positive the inmates of the Dickson build
ing could have reached the ground in safety
had the building been supplied with fire
escapes.
Fire Marshal McFadden made an exam
ination of the building after the fatality.
His opinion was the fire had started in the
bathroom in the cellar, and had smoldered
slowly for some time before it communicated
with the other portions of the building. The
building was a four-story one, and was
of the class which is presumed to have fire
escapes.
O:her witnesses were examined, but their
evidence threw no new light on the matter
under inquiry, and Coroner Mcdowell
charged the jury at considerable length.
He read to the members the act Of Assem-
bly, governing the erection OF fre-escapes on
buildings of three or more stories in height,
and explained its provisions at some length.
Their attention was also called to their duty
and power in such cases as these. The jury
retired, and after some deliberation returned
the following pointed and exhaustive ver-
diet:
Criminal Action for Negligence Suggested.
Mrs. Mary Ann Irwin and Robert Irwin. aged
respectively Il and so years, were found dead
on the stairway, third floor. of the Dickson
buildings. 9Ol and 9OS Penn avenue. Fourth
ward PIttsburg on December 4, 1890, about 5
o'clock A. n.
From ali the evidence the jury find that the
said buildings were rented and occupied as
tenement house; that the said Mary Ann Irwin
and Robert Irwin were occupants of rooms on
the fourth floor of said buildings, and that said
buildings were On fire from about 1910 A. NJ.
SAID date and that egress to said apartments
was cut OF by smoke and flames; that they, the
said Mary Ann and Robert Irwin. were suffo-
Gated and burned to death while in an
attempt to escape from said building
ard the Jury further find that there was but
one entrance or exit to said buildings on the
upper floors, which was inadequate; also that
10 fire escape or device for the same was in
sald buildings, in compliance with an act of
Assembly approved May 9. 1882 for the better
protection of life and limb: and further find
that the owner ar owners of said buildings was
grossly negligent and did violate said act of
Assembly and recommend that the District
Attorney Of Allegheny county take such steps
IL relation to the violation of said act of As
senbly of May .. ISS9, he may deem ad-
vIsable; and we 90 further submit the following
recommendations from testimony adduced at
this investigation:
Overhead Wires to Come Down.
That the Department of Public Safety of the
city of Pittshurg and the proper officers within
the county take immediate steps to compel all
owners OF buildings within the provisions of
said act of May g. 1889, to comply with the said
act. and such legislation be procured and rules
adopted 10 comply Herewith, and also that the
proper officers take prompt action to remove
overhead wires within the city of Pittsburg the
same being shown to have greatly interfered
with the PIttsburC City Fire Department at the
fire and death at the building herein men
toned.
Coroner Mcdowell is we'll satisfied with
the verdict and thinks the finding of the
jury is the result of 4 proper estimate of the
evidence and the law. To-day the Coroner
will turn over his record OF the case to Dis
trict Attorney Johnston and with the latter
will rest the responsibility of further action.
Under the act OF Assembly governing the
erection of fire escapes the penalty for ne
g!ect to erect after proper notification and
in case death results is from six months to
one years Imprisonment.
The question of ownership of the Dick
son buildings was not determined bv the
Coroner's jury. The Coroner had the leases
and deeds produced IS evidence. The leases
were made by Mr.. and Mrs. John Dickson
Jointly, while the deed of one of the build
ings was made cy john Dickson to his
minor daughter for the consideration of 81,
the deed to the other building being made
10 Mrs. Dickson by third party.
Existing Fire-Traps in the City.
Coroner Mcdowell in speaking of the
existing law relating TO fire escapes believes
that it should be mandatory upon owners of
property coming within its provisions to
erect fire escapes, and that the penalty
should be imposed without having to wait
until a fatality has called the attention of
the public to the matter. He knows per-
soually OF a number of buildings in this
city that are fre-traps, in which, should
fire occur, score, and perhaps hundred,
human lives would be sacrificed. He ex-
poets the matter will be called to the atten-
tion of the Legislature when it meets in
January.
Coroner Mcdowell has plan which he
will suggest to Chief Brown, and which he
expects the latter will favor. 1t is to pro-
vide every police officer with blanks, and
require him 10 fill them up and turn them
in TO the Board of Fire Escapes. The Off
Ger will be expected to visit every building
OF three or more stories on his beat, and
record full description of the premises, the
name OF the owner and the name and num-
Der of the occupants, and, if it is TO be used
as 4 factory, give the number OF employees
This information would be valuable as it
would be thorough. The only expense at
tacheG to this plan would be the cost Of