St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-05
STILL INVESTIGATING.
More Testimony Before the Under
writer's Committee on the Big
Fire.

More Testimony Before the Under
writer's Committee on the Big
Fire.
The underwriters committee was at
it again yesterday mornin @, investiga~
ting the handling of the Lumber EX-
change fire. Noone has as yet discovered
what the committee intends to do
should it discover that the fire was not
properly managed But it keeps right
on investigating Just the same. The
first witness was j. NJ. Sullivan. Mr..
Sullivan in private conversation
had expressed himself strongly
on the point that the EX-
change building should have been
saved. lie stood on the sidewalk on the
night of the fire and watched its prOg-
ress, and he was of the opinion that if
the tiremen had stationed themselves in
the upper stories and fought the flames,
there would have been no occasion for
an investigation to-day. This was still
Mr.. Sulivan's opinion, but he did not
want to do injustice to any one. He
told the committee that he was standing
at a distance and looking On-lIke man
watching a game OF checkers. He
thought he could see how the fire might
have been overcome. but there may
have been facts and reasons of which he
was ignorant which prevented the fire
men from doing what to all outsider
seemed the proper thing.
Three of the captains of companies
first to arrive at the fire were up and
ready to testify-Capt. O'Neil. OF Truck
3; Capt Haniey and Capt Malone. They
were given an opportunity, The fact
has been established that the large
stand pipe in the rear Of the Exchange
building was in good working order.
Then the question of importance to be
settled is whether it was possible to
have used it,0n account of the heat from
the Russell building. Some important
testimony was brought out on this point
during the morning session. One of
the fire captains testified that, with two
others. he passed through the alley be-
tween the buildings. by the stand pipe,
carrying two lines of hose for the pur-
pose of throwing water on the Russell
building. When they gained the rear
they found the point already covered,
and returned to the front again, passing
through the alley second time. The
point OF interest i'll this testimony is the
fact that it was possible to pass through
the alley 50 that the stand pipe could
have been reached. On the other hand.
the committee has found it necessary
to look for further witnesses to cor
rOOOrate some OF the statements made
by outsiders about the work of the de-
partment in other respects, as the test
mOny submitted is not regarded as
strong enough TO sustain these state
mentS made against the firemen.
Other captains testified to the condi-
ton OF the fire when they reached it: to
the fact that it caught the Lumber EX-
change on the eighth floor, above the
water line. and to the infiammable char
acter of the contents of the Russell
block. The latter building is four stories
high, and its flames went up as high as
the tenth floor, they said. The captains
gave it as their opinion that the fire was
managed as well as could have been eX-
pected. ii. SlOeum, representing one of
the local elevator companies. and an
occupant Of the burned building,
testified as to the contents of his
rooms on the seventh floor and
his loss. The senior partner
of the Ciare-Speaker Paint company
testified as to the character of the con-
tents of the Russell block belonging to
him. There were paints, oils and var
nisheS and turpentine, all of which are
highly cOmbustible, and would make a
very hot fire.
The committee will introduce evil
dence to show, by an examination of
the Exchange building made yesterday,
that the wood on the windows of the
first and second stories is not even
bIackened by smoke, to show that the
heat at that point could not have been
very great at any time during the fire,
at least not sufficient TO have prevented
the working Of the stand pipe. The glass
is not even broken, and it is claimed
that if there had been intense heat it
would have melted the glass.