Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1892-05-16
THE CAPITOL FIRE.
The Investigation Continued Very Tn,
satisfactory Water Seryice-A
Strange Man in the JAM
tors Room.

Lpl lNOOulh
laultor Eyerhart being further eX
amined, said he had not been in the
domes or attic lor ten days prior to the
fire there was a good section of hose in
both domes but these pieces of hose he
had not examined for about six weeks
There was no hose on the third floor on
the night of the fire. He said all keys
belonging to the building were in the
hands of those entitled to hold them save
key to the west main entrance and the
council chamber which have been held
by Max Luna, formerly clerk of the
council, since the last legislative session
the janitor has repeatedly written Mr..
Luna to return them but had received no
response to such requests. 1t would
be possible, the janitor said for person
to get into the building and get out again
without being noticed by the attendants,
although it would be difficult thing to
do. On the night of the fire the janitor
did not see the Waterman TIL 10 clock,
two hours after the fire started. Had the
water pressure been rs good on the night
of the fire as the night after the flames
could readily have been extingushed.
On the day following the fire he and the
superintendent OF the water company
Lad dug down and examined the water
main ana they found the water company's
street valve turned of fully one-thlrd;
water for the building and grounds came
through this valve; the valve was located
III the public streets, not on the grounds;
the janitor nor capitol commission never
had any key for this valve; it was under
the control of the water company and
the partial closing OF this valve has GRIP
pied the water service in the building and
grounds for wears, although the lanitor
and members OF the capitol commission
had repeatedly complained of the lack Of
water.
Santiago Baca, the night Waterman,
testified that he had orders to be at the
building daily at or 7 80 O'Clock each
evening, but on the night OF the fire
| (Which occurred shortly after s o'clock
| he was on his way TO the capitol when he
heard the people crying fire. He had at
times complained to Mr.. Spiegelberg,
secretary of the capitol commission, that
there was little or no water supplied the
building.
Fire Chief John Gray said the water
pressure was not sufficient to force the
water from the nozzle Of the fire hose.
About an hour after the fire got under full
Roadway he went with the superintendent
of the water company and tested the fire
hydrants at the Gerdes corner and in
front of Mr.. Carriers residence, near the
capitol grounds, and these hydrants
showed abundant pressure for all pur-
poses OF fire protection. This same pres
sure, had it been provided through the
hydrant at the capitol, would have been
quite sufficient to have extinguished the
flames before much Roadway was made.
He also testified that in his opinion the
capitol was destroyed by an incendiary,
and that the lack of water was due to the
fact that the water Company's hydrant
valve, in the street, was partially turned
off and had been so turned off for long
period of time. Mr.. Gray testified fur
Their that, as fireman, his opinion was
that the water service has long been most
VI satisfactory both to the firemen and the
citizens generally. The water has been
turned off very frequently without any
public notice.
+. L. Harrison, member OF the fire
department, testified that after finding
the water would not flow through the fire
hose from the capitol ground hydrant, he
senttw men to test the Manhattan avenue
plug, in front of Mr.. Gamers, hoping
| to use the $50 feet of new hose and get
water from that hydrant cross-lots to the
| fire. The two men referred to are Fire
men Juan Sandoval and W. II. Coleman
and both of these make affidavit that
when they opened the street hydrant in
front of Mrs. Gamers the water did not
rise two feet from the mouth of the by
drant, there being nothing like the ordi-
nary pressure.
Harry Werner, a baker employed by
Gusdorf, testified that he and the two
soldiers, Young and Downey, reached
the burning building about the same
moment, and he saw the convict, Her
nsndez going toward the A, I. & S. F.
depot. He looked through the window
and saw man sitting by table in the
ianitor's room. The man. light complex
toned, was dressed in a light overcoat
and wore a black derby hat, ard bis full
beard was about four inches in length.
He called to this man and asked him ii
he knew the capitol was on fire, but he
appeared to be quite undisturbed by the
announcement. Roy Young, one OF the
soldiers, testified that when he and Dow
new reached the building about 7: AS
O'Clock man came out Of the south en-
trance. He wore brown beard not
long but thick, and dark suit of clothes !;
height about five feet seven inches, When
told that the building was on fire this
man paid no attention whatever to the
remark and Downey took him by the
arm and pointed upward to the fire, still
he did not appear 10 display any feeling
IN the matter.
Private Peter Downey, of Fort Marcy,
corroberated Young's statement and said
he could not tell what the nationality of
the mysterious man was, but seemed to
be dazed when told that the building WAS
on fire. The convict was not in the room
with this man. Downey did not see the
convict about the premises.
Bert Sloan testified that he saw the con-
wet, Hernandez, running from the cap.
itol toward Jantor Everhar's house.
Sloan and Albert Steinhall ran to the
building and found the north door open.