The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-02
1T HAD BEEN INVESTIGATED,
AND THE REFLECTION ON CHIEF
JACKSON FOUND TO BE UN-
WARRANTED.
BUT THAT WASN'T SATISFACTORY,
So the Assembly Committee on Fire
Department Wants to Exploit
1t Now.


to investigate as to the cause of the
burning of the Schultz block in De-
cember, 1896 Present at the session
were Messrs. Thompson, Dix and Rear
don, of the committee; President Free
man and Commissioners Prendergast
and Mitsch. of the fire board: Chief
Jackson, Secretary Hall and dozen
or more gentlemen interested in the
matter.
The so-called investigation COM
menced by Assembly man Thompson
reading the communication which was
sent to the assembly the tenants Of
the building June last. 1t developed
that the assembly committee had re-
ferred the matter to the board Of fire
commissioners June % for a report.
The board had Immediately made an
investigation and, together with its re-
port, sent back letters from Chief Jack
son. Capt. Wright, of the fire depart
ment, and Building Inspector Kingsley,
touching on the question as to the
cause of the burning Of the Schultz
block.
Under date of June %, the board of
fire commissioners sent to the assembly
committee letters from Chief Jackson,
Kingsley. In addition to the letters
the board of fire commissioners submit
ted a report as to the cause Of the
fire. The commissioners, in the report,
stated that, after an investigation in
which unusual care was exercised, the
board was of the opinion that the wall
connecting the Schultz block with the
Ryan annex was defective, and its fall
ing was the sole and only cause Of the
destruction Of the building. The board
stated that the matter had been salts
factorily explained to DR.. Dewey and
w. O. Denegue. Correspondence and
personal explanations followed. Mr.
Denegue expressed himself as entirely
satisfied. that he had been misinform-
ed, and that he did not desire an in
vestigation. The entire force of the
city was at work. The fire wall that
connected the block with the annex
was defective. 1t crumbled at the very
time that the entire force was needed
to save the Hale block and the Ryan
hotel. The wall was an eight-inch one
and defective. 1t fell, and with the re-
suit known. The firemen were not to
blame. From the investigation made
every man of this committee is salts
fed beyond a doubt that no fire oc-
Cured in the Schultz block until af
ter the wall fell, and that the firemen
were entirely free from any blame
whatever That they did their duty,
and did it nobly and well, and that the
defective condition of the fire wall was
alone the cause of the destruction of
the Schultz block, the members of the
board were convinced
Chief Jackson in his letter said:
Had the wall remained in place the
fire would not have spread beyond the
wall of the annex. Nothing could save
the Schultz building after the wall fell.
1t is stated in the petition Of the for
mer tenants that the fire first broke out
III the elevator shaft. Let me say now
that l know that it did not. Such a
theory is unreasonable l went up the
stairs of the Schultz block to the top
story not more than four or five minu
ties prior to the falling Of the wall.
The stairs encircle the elevator, and [
know to a moral certainty that no
where in that building was there any
fire before the wall fell also there was
no smoke in the building"
c. E. Wright, captain Of Hook and
Ladder Company No. 5, under date of
June 23 reported that he and his men
were working from the upper windows
OF the hale DOCK. Inc sue WlhuoWs
of the Schultz block ten or twelve feet
away were constantly visible. The
falling of the wall between the Ryan
annex and Schultz block was the sole
cause Of the fire in the Schultz block.
Nothing could save 1t after the wall
fell. The fire did not originate at the
foot of the elevator shaft as the I'M
burned lath would prove.
William Kingsley, building inspector,
dot of q
burning of the Schultz block was
caused by the falling of the party wall
between the Ryan annex and the block.
The wall of the Schultz block in his
opinion was not Of sufficient thickness,
and had 1t been the block would not
have burned.
The letters and the report of the
board Of fire commissioners in the mat
ter were returned from the city clerks
Office July 13, accompanied by a note
which stated that the report was not
what was desired by the committee on
fire department. On the back of the
protest handed in by the tenants of
a statement to the effect that the
communication was referred to the
board of fire commissioners to investi-
gate and notify the members of the
committee on fire department of the
aldermen and assembly and the signers
of the petition as to the time of the
meeting in order that they might all
be present.
BY reason of the board of fire COM
missioners failing to notify the mem
bers of the committee and the gentle
men who occupied the building at the
time of the fire of the time of their in
yestigation the trouble which neces-
STATED the present investigation is said
to have arisen. Chairman Thompson
followed the reading of the fire board
report with g. letter from Charles +.
Denny under date of Oct. 30. '97, stat
ing that a Joint meeting of the fire
board and the common council was
promised the tenants of the Schultz
block burned Dec. 49, 1896. Mr.. Denny.
in his letter, stated that the tenants
had waited patiently for the investi-
cation and as three months had elapsed
the delay was not understood. 1t was
owing to this letter. Mr. Thompson
stated, that the investigation was call
ed for. DR.. D. Pool informed the COM
mittee that 50 far as he was concern
ed the statements in the papers that
the investigation was brought up for
the purpose of inJuring Chief Jackson
was untrue He was a tenant of the
building at the time of the fire and
from eye witnesses had learned that
no attempt was made to prevent the
burning of the block until it was too
late.
DR.. c. F. Denny corroborated DR..
Pool in the statement that there was
no intention of doing Chief Jackson any
Injustice or injuring him in any way
h was tenant in the block at the time
of the fire, but did not know about the
fire until the next morning. He had
been informed the building had been
burning long time before any water
was put on it; what he and the other
tenants desired to ascertain was why