The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-07

the department. would be prohibited
from dnincr 50
Returning salutes.

the department. would be prohibited
from doing 50.
Returning Salutes.
Charge l. Specification ID" charg-
/ ing the chief with failing to return the
/ saIutes of the officers and men.
A number of men testified that the
! chief had failed to return their salutes
when they thought he must have seen
| them; on the other hand, the testimony
! of the chief was that he had never
/ knowingly failed to return salute,
aLld that if he had failed to do so 1t
! must have been when he was engaged
{ in conversation with some one else and
/ had failed to see the salute of the
! subordinate except upon one or two
! occasions when, the chief states, he
failed to return the salute in cases
where the subordinate saluting had
previously failed to salute the chief.
The commission are of the opinion
/ that the failure of the chief to salute
under such circumstances is very
reprehensible; should the subordinate
fail to salute the chief he ought to be
/ called to order, and If his intentions
were to Wilfully show disrespect to the
chief, the offender should be promptly
fined, or reported to the commission,
but on a subsequent occasion refusing
to answer the salute of such an Of
fender because he had, on a former
! occasion. not shown proper respect 10
the chief is, in the opinion of the COM
mission, not the way to punish mem
Der of the force, and we are of the
opinion that a salute by a subordinate
TO the chief should always be returned
by him, no matter what the relations
are between the chief and such sub
ordinate.
The Sears Check.
Charge /. Specification Fl" with
reference to holding the Sears check.
The commission finds this charge to
be wholly unsustained, and fully en-
dorses all that has been done by the
chief with reference to the funds that
have come into his hands His in
structions were to hold such funds in
his hands until the board should de-
eide 10 what purpose they should be
applied.
The board had had under cons.dera-
ton the establishment of a relief fund.
but as yet no determination has been
reached in regard to it. The evidence
! i'll regard to the Sears rheck shows
that Mr.. Sears brought the check to
the office Of the chief, the chief and
secretary being present and that moth
ing was said by him at the time in
regard to what disposition should be
made of the money
The receiving of the check was re-
ported by the chief to the board and
same was deposited in to bank in the
name of the chief engineer, with other
monies derived from gifts to the de-
partment and money derived from
fines.
The chiefs accounts of moneys re-
ceived from these sources are satisfac-
tory to the board
Inefiiciency at Fires.
Charge .. specification a in re-
gard to inefficiency at fires Very full
evidence was taken upon this point.
and, after hearing all of the evidence.
the board are of the opinion that all of
the fires mentioned in the specifications
were efficiently handled, and that no
more water was used than good judg-
ment at the time of the fire, would
dictate. 1t is easier after a fire TO say
how much water should have been
used than to know during the progress
OF the fire how much is necessary TO
put out the fire.
The object of the fire department is
TO put out a fire as speedily as posi-
bic and prevent its spreading; in doing
TINS more water may sometimes be
used than critical examination of the
premises after the fire is over show TO
have been necessary. The use of water
must rest largely upon the discretion
OF the subordinate officers and men.
and the board are of the opinion that
in all of the fires mentioned in the
specifications. both the officers and the
men did excellent work
Laying Out Hose.
Charge >, Specification ID" that at
the Waltner clothing fire $500 feet of
hose We're laid out, and that in case
Of another call the chief could not
have responded with the hose, the
board are Of the opinion that the chief
should use care in keeping, if posi-
bic, some hose reeled which could be
taken 10 another alarm, but in the
case inStanced the fire was adjoining
the Cullen hotel. and the evidence
shows that there was smoke in the
Cullen hotel basement and it was not
known, at the beginning of the fire,
whether it was in the hotel or not,
and in view of the fact that the said
hotel was a large building filled with
guests, the commission are of the opin-
ion that the chief was warranted in
laying out ali Of the hose that was laid
out at the fire.
Regarding Apparatus.
Charges >. Specifications E. with
reference to having steamers out of
service. The evidence shows that the
steamer at House No. l has been in
service ever since the lack OF water
pressure in the spring and that it has
never been customary to have the
steamers in active service with a nor
NAL water pressure. but are always
held in readiness for a second call The
steamer in No. . house has never been
in active service since long before
Chief Devine's appointment by the
mayor; it is kept in readiness for a
second call.
The apparatus at No. house con-
sists of hose wagon. hose reel and !
steamer. 1t is imperatively necessary
that the hose wagon and reel be taken |
at once to fire, as they must neces- /
Sarily be used before the steamer, and !
in majority of instances the steamer
is never used at all; in addition 10 this |
there are at No. 2 no places for horses /
for the steamer.
There are stalls for five horses, OF |
viii, / one is for the assistant chiefs |
buggy, two horses for the hose wagon |
and one or two horses for the hose !
reel. according to whether a one or two !
horse reel is in service; it WILL there |
fore, be seen that it is impossible to |
have a steamer at station in active |
service and have it respond upon a |
first call.
Specification r." under the same |
in regard TO taking away 500 !
feet of hose from house No. ,
The evidence shows that when the |
two-horse hose reel was used there /
were 1000 feet of hose at house No. ,. /