The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-14
THE OTHER SIDE HEARD FROM.
FIRE COMMISSION LISTENS TO EVIL
DENCE FOR THE DEFENSE.

n
the Chief TO BE Intoxicated and
Considers Him TO Re IA Good Fire
man - More Evidence to BE Hcnrd
For the Prosecution, But All ehe
Witnesses Summoned Did Not APP
pear Yesterday-A Recess Taken
Until Tuesday.
The evidence in the fire commission in
vestigatlon took a turn yesterday after
noon. Several of the witnesses summoned
for the prosecution having failed to re-
spond for various causes he was COM
PEELED to cease the Introduction of evidence
temporarily and Mr.. Lawrence agreed to
begin with the evidence for the defense.
Mr.. Lawrence only put up one witness,
Foreman J. T. Campos of No. J. who prov
ed very strong witness for Chief Ma
guire Mr.. Campos was questioned at
length upon the management of fires by
the chief, as to his personal habits and
his alleged political acts upon all Of which
his evidence was strongly in favor of the
chief.
Mr.. Campos testified that he had been
in the service seven years. He was APP
pointed foreman June 16, 1896. He had been
assistant foreman and an acting assist
ant foreman for about four years pre-
viously He did not consider it an I'M
usual thing for man to vomit after be-
ing exposed to the smoke of a fire. He
had on one occasion helped pull man
out Of the hold of a burning vessel, who
vomited blood. When suffering with bad
colds the smoke was very liable to cause
men to vomit. He was not present at the
Hull fire Sept. %, being i'll at the time.
He had known Chief Mcguire about six
teen years He had never known him to
be under the influence of liquor He was
present when Foreman Murphy of chemi-
cal No ! called on the chief after the
Smith, Dixon fire to get him to order coup
lings for the chemical engine. He testified
positively that the chief was sober on that
occasion He heard him dictate the letter
for the couplings and also for couplings
for the combination chemical at No.
station.
The witness said there was a comblna-
ton chemical at headquarters. The pres
sure used was 1870 pounds. The pressure
formerly used on Mr. Murphys engine
No. was 40 pounds. The couplings for
the two engines were the same and were
ordered by the chief at the same time
The couplings for No. l were rejected
by Mr.. Murphy but those for the combi-
nation chemical were sim in use No men
were away from his station at the time
of the city election. one man was sick
The relief was stopped at his house on
election day This happens frequently.
81 have it stopped to-day" he said.
There are a couple of men on special
duty at another house, and two men sus-
pended Once or twice the relief has been
stopped for storms, the fire alarm system
being crippled
The witness said he knew nothing of the
chief using his position in the interests
of the Citizens Club. He had never known
him to appoint men for political reasons
or to discharge them. II anything he had
shown favoritism to the other side. Mr..
Murphy of the chemical had always APP
peared to be a favorite. He could
get things witness could not
get The men in his charge had always
been allowed to vote as they pleased so
far as he knew.
Mr.. Lawrence desired to introduce evil
dence TO show politics in the fire depart
ment under former administrations, which
was objected to by Mr.. Adams as irrele-
want and consuming time unnecessarily.
The commission agreed with Mr.. Adams
The witness was asked his opinion of the
force as compared with il under Mr.. Pu-
der's administration, If the men were phys
icaly and Intellectually equal to those in
the service then. He said he thought they
were. If there We're any difference il was
in favor of the present force.
The witness was asked as to Mr.. Kier-
mans duty a fireman man in Mr.
Kiernans position, he said has little op-
portunity to get practical experience in
lighting fire at close quarters. Since the
witness had been connected with the de-
partment MIR. Herman had not had such
experience as would fit him to Judge how
TO handle a fire.
As to the Planters rice mill fire. the
witness said the upper rice mill was i'm
danger all the time, and did finally catch
nre az the scuttle. He put the blaze out
with the hand cXtinguisher Witness de-
ecribed the fire and the handling of his
company there. The building was in
flames when they arrived. The granary
was a wooden building. covered with cor
rugated iron. The iron became red-hot be-
fore the flames burst out. His men got
door and fought the fire from behind
that. They remained fighting the fire I'M
I'll II became too hot to stand il any long
err
It was not practicable to have fought
the fire from the corner of the adjacent
building or 20 have kept force OF men
between the mill and the granary to save
the latter
The fire was fought in proper manner
so far as he could judge. Had the whole
force been set to work to protect the
granary the electric light works and other
property on Indian street would have been
destroyed. Any large building given up
70 burn the witness said, the heat would
become so intense that everybody would
be driven away and the fire communicated
90 adjacent property. Had the mill build
ing been left TO burn the heat would have
been 50 great that the men would have
been driven away and the granary de-
stroyed anyway. IL was necessary to keep
a few streams on the main fire 60 keep Il
cooled down
il was impossible for the engines to have
gotten 10 the river front, he said. 1T Is a
very risky thing TO put an engine on the
river front any way, as the city Is liable
20 lose an engine n the fire should get
beyond control" said Mr. Campos.
The pressure gave out after they had
been working ou the fire "A short while.
HIS engine was on a small main. Fore
men Mcfarland and Strobcrt both had
streams on the granary. Whom compelled
20 leave the alley way they went 20 tho
upper rice mill yard When ne first got
70 the fire he went into the granary Thc
smoke was so dense there thar IL was
impossible for a man 10 live there any
length OF time The aerial ladder could
not have been used in the allpvtyav IL