The herald., 1897-10-22
Firemen Won't Have Their
Engines Inspected
OPINIONS OF THE OFFICIALS
COUNCILMEN FAVOR ENFORCE
MENT OF THE ORDINANCE
Board of Public Works Makes An In
spection Trip-City Hall Notes
and News

In spite of the fact that the city hall
peace on earth and good will toward
men," with a noticeable absence of COM
mittees of any kind, an earthquake was
rumbling in official circles which must
skirmish which was reported as having
occurred Wednesday between the board
of engineers and the fire commissioners
is only 1.-THE of what shall come after
wards, for. as an official very appro-
priately remarked yesterday, "the end
Is not yet"
The outcome of the dispute can only
be described in the answer to the
Grecian philosophers question as to
what happens when an irresistible force
comes in contact with an immovable
body, resulting IN something having to
go. The situation apparently remains
f1rmer stand which each side has taken
on the strength of their ideas.
Assistant Fire Chief Smith yesterday
morning stated that he had given orders
to the engineers employed by the depart
ment not to allow themselves to be in
spected by the board and to take no
notice of anything that might be said
to them on the subject other than to re-
fer the board to their chief. The de-
partment and commissioners had de-
termined that they would not be dictated
to by any outsiders, and they were pre-
pared to maintain the stand that they
had taken. Besides" said the assistant
chief, "the ordinnace has only been
passed for US to be subjected to ths
dictates of some men who don't know
the first thing about fire engines Take
our men in the department now. Every
one is faithful and trusted employe
and understands his business perfectly
we'll. Each engineer knows his engine
and its peculiarities just as we'll as he
knows his own friends, and why crowd
of technical dude engineers should come
in and want to teach them how to run
their machines is beyond all power Of
human intelligence to understand. AS
long as can help it, those fellows will
never meddle with us, and think that
my sentiments are in full accordance
with Chief Moores''
Councilmen Baker and Toll are en-
phatically in favor of the enforcement
Of the ordinance just as it stands. Why
the fire department. should be allowe ed to
violate city ordinance any more than
any other corporation is certainly new
order of things SO far as justice and
public protection are concerned. and
from the opinions Of the other council
men, although none were inclined to say
absolutely as to what should be, done at
this early stage Of the dispute, it cer-
tainly appears as though it was the fire
commissioners and mayor against the
board of engineers, backed by the entire
council Legal opinion, which is not,
however, official, gives the palm of vic.
tory to the boiler inspector and the
board Of engineers, inasmuch as there
appears to be no ambiguity about the
ordinance. which distinctly embraces
the fire department as to both its en-
gineers and boilers.
Chief Moore was also very emphatic
as to the position which he had already
taken and the course he intended to
follow, as far as it lay in his power, and
until the board Of engineers meets again
matters will probably remain much as
they are.
Despite the fact that it has been stated
by several officials that the board is a
technical one, and its examination would
be OF little use to determine a mans
ability, every member of the board has
served his apprenticeship in the ma
chine shops, and Chairman Frank Rad
emacher, at the age Of twenty-one, while
in the employ Of the Lansing machine
shops, at Lansing, Mich, was consid-
cred an expert in the line of fire engine
building and machinery of that class
Although a representation as to
final settlement Of the dispute can
hardly be considered infsllible, yet every
indication points to the enforcement of
the ordinance as it stands, whether the
department is, or is net, willing.
A fact in connection with the dis
pute, which Is of interest inasmuch as
it explains in way the action of Mayor
Snyder in taking such decided stand
against the enforcement of the boiler
inspection ordinance, is that ordinance
No. 1902, new series, in which ordin-
ance No. 1902 is amended by the omis
sion of the word stationary" before
the word engines" thereby including
fire department machinery, was passed
over double veto of the mayor him
self. This fact has given rise to some
comment on the part of officials who are
inclined. to believe that the present
stand of the mayor and commissioners
is merely a continuance of their dislik..
for the ordinance, evinced by the veto OF
seventeen days ago