The Portland daily press., 1894-10-24
THE WALDO FIRE.
Defense Presented Its Case in Court
Yesterday.


Mr.. Charles #, Flagg Describes Graph
ically How the Guests Moved Out.
The Taussig case was continued in The
Supreme Court yesterday forenoon. line
cross examination of Miss Fannie TaussIg
was concluded without eliciting any
thing new; and her mother. Mrs. Pauline
Taussig, was next called to the stand.
Mrs. Taussig related the circumstances
of the fire as she saw it. She was over
come by smoke and got out with diff
Guilty, assisted by her son and daughter.
Her testimony did notsdevelop anything
particularly new.
MIR. Noah ". Taussig Of No.12 W. 95th
street, New York, was called next. He
related at length the circumstances of
the fire and of his escape with his moth
er. In regard to the tank room where
the fire started, the cross questioning
brought about this
"Didn't you have case of liquor in
the tank room?"
II never had case of liquor there"
"Did the Waterman accompany you
to bed that niqht?"
"The bell boy.did."
"Did he take pitcher of water ups"
N do not KNOW"
@Do you know where he went after he
left your
II do notn
ibid you go into that tank room after
you went up?"
q xx,c,,< u/,r, -, feo,, ,5o,k
to the tank room.n
did you see Mr.. Sea piling out any
freworks?"
II do not remember"
Witness did not know that Mr.. Sea had
made any preparations to celebrate the
Fourth and did not see him with any
fireworks.
In regard to the party in the cupola on
the night Of the fire, the witness was
asked:
"Do you mean TO say that there were
ladies in this tower at the top of the
hotel at one O'Clock in the morninga"
YES"
add you make any observation as to
the character OF the fireY"
II had not time to do anything of the
kind
Mr.. Taussig told OF his arrangements
at the Waldo and of the system of family
expenses. He allows his mother and
sister forty dollars week besides pay
ing the family expenses
At the close of MIR. Taussig's testimony
the case for the plaintiff rested, and the
case for the defendant was opened by
Joseph B. Reed, Esq. Mr.. Reed began
by explaining how the Waldo House
came into the possession of Mr.. Sidney
W. Sea, who bought the stock of Horace
S. Crowell, of Boston. Mr.. Sea ana
members of his family owned the stock.
and upon MIN the losses of the fire would
fall. The Waldo was boarding house
rather than large inn. Every individ-
ual in the house at the time of the fire
was a boarder. Therefore Mr.. could
not be expected ior required to use the
great precautions (which the proprietor
of large inn would use. But the de-
fence would show that under the cir
cumstances great Ecare had been taken.
In the first place the hotel was well con-
structed. Then they had good water
system, windmill being used to force
water through pipes to twoltanks in the
| roof of the hotel. From these tanks the
| water was distributed by gravity
through the house. Mr.. Sea himself had
| new plumbing put in. In the yard bhere
| were two other large tanks which re-
| ceived the overflow of the roof tank.
| Thus was obtained the efficiency Of rs
tons of water raised twenty feet in the
back yard. There was hose to throw
| water from these tanks to places most
exposed in all boarding houses, viz, the
kitchen and laundry. Moreover, by hose
connected with this tank syste N, it was
possible to reach all portions of the
house where fire would be likely 20 oc-
cur. Only few weeks before the fire
Mr.. Sea had had plumber from the
city overhaul all this system. Mr.. Reed
said that tine defence would show that
there had been great deal of exagger-
alton in the testimony Of the plaintiffs
side: that the Taussig family had ample
time to save their effects, as the Sea boys
did, there being fully fifteen minutes
when smoke and fame did not trouble.
There were fireworks about the house
| that night A gentleman from Portland
brought down package done up in
| brown paper, and put them under his
bed, all without Mr.. Seas knowledge.
In short we shall show, said Mr. Reed
1st, That the defendant was not an
| innkeeper.
and, That the plaintiffs were not
guests, but boarders, and
| 3rd, That the defendant was thorough
| Iy careful, taking all precautions AL
| though there were no fire escapes there
were ladders long enough to reach the
upper windows and these ladders were
kept near by. Moreover it would be
shown that it was the duty Of one of the
employees to inspect the house Thoroughly
after the guests had retired, and thai
| this employe looked into that very tank