The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-31

Time of hands .....u..... 103 IL III 81
Total ..............,............s. SIG, 1892 40
Alderman Charlton, chairman of the
special committee appointed for the
purpose of investigating the charges of
incompetency, etc, against Fire Chief Ma
guire, submitted the following report:
To the Mayor and Aldermen of the City
of Savannah:
At thGHmeeting Of council held on June
80, 1897, there was referred to this COM
mittee communication from his honor
the mayor inclosing letter from Messrs.
John c.. Whitner, Charles E. Dox and w.
r. Chaplin to the fire commissioners Of
Savannah, tA1der date Of June TO- 1897 with
instructions to this committee to investi-
gate the charges preferred in the latter
communication against the present chief
of the fire department and report its find
ings to council. AS your committee is
advised the fire commissioners up to the
date of the mayors letter had made no in
Vestigation and had declined to do so I'M
less the charges against the chief were
made more specific. The mayor, consider
ing that grave and specific charges were
contained in said letter, referred the mat
ter to council, which, in turn, referred
Ii to this committee In the discharge of
its duties your committee met on July l,
1897, and considered the said communion
tons.
II found no difficulty in ascertainlng
that upon the face Of the letter addressed
to the fire commissioners appeared the
most serious charges against the fire
chief. II was apparent that at his door
was laid responsibility for the disastrous
fires which have recently ragged in this
city; that he was not experienced; that
he lacked judgment; was not of demon
strated fitness;" was not a good discl-
plinarian;" had no knowledge of meehan,
les. and "a g1pQpgEful pbtaf NJ
the fire department. These are charges
serious and numerous enough to attract
the attention of any body concerned with
the selection and retention Of a fire chief
and of every citizen who has material in
terests at stake in the city Of Savannah
Your committee determined. as the
charges had been made public, that the
investigation should be held with open
doors.
To this end II instructed the chairman
70 announce In the official gazette that a
meeting Of the committee would be held
on July Z, 1897. at p. m, and that all
persons having information to give either
as 70 the competency or incompetency ~
the hre chief were at liberty 10 hand In
their names as witnesses to the clerk OF
council. This notice appeared In the is
sue OF July and each day thereafter up
to and including July Z. on the last
named date the committee assembled and
the chairman inquired II the fire chief
was present in person or by attorney. To
this no response was made and Il was
inquired further n any citizen present
desired 70 be specially heard. Mr.. C. r.
frendergast, claiming that special attack
had been made upon him as the instigator
OF the charges against the fire chief de-
sired 70 be represented by an attorney.
To this the committee acceded and
throughout the investigation which fol-
lowed received the benefit Of the profess
sional experience OF Mr. George W.
Beckett In the examination OF Witnesses
and the orderly presentation Of the testi-
mony. The committee WAS IN public scs-
sion on July 7. 3. 10 and IL, and now. at
the conclusion OF its labors presents 20
your honorable body the testimony taken
and the committees findings thereon.
Adopting an order Of Investigation
more logical IN It's sequesce than that OUT
lined IN the letter OF Mr.. Whitner and
others your committee presents the fol-
lowing conclusions Of fact from the evil
donce submitted as 10 the inoxperlence.
the uniitness, and the ineompctency Of tho
IRE chief
First. as 10 Inexperience So far "a
your committee has been able to ascertain
Mr. Maguirc's first connection with che
fire service was when he Joined the Waiver
company, part Of the old volunteer syH-
TEN. He seems never 10 have actively
worked at hres and ~ the end OF few
years, was made secretary ana exempted
from other duties. or the many expert
encod iremon who testified not one could
say that be- had ever known Mr.. Mcguire
GO work az a fire, although they were
unanimous IN remembering that he was
given 10 much talking.
Including hremen Of thrty-niue years
standing ana Justly accounted among the
best Savannah has ever had. some % them
now serving under him and some Of them
oudcavornr. as the testimony abunlnntly
shows. 20 say no more upon the subject
than could be- drawn out Of them by re-
pcated and insistent questionings, ana all