The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-12
MAGUlRE is STILL CHEF.
CONTINUED from Eighth Page)

doned il or not. That the onlV creams
shut off were those in the Bay sttNet end
of The building the fire being. at that
time. in that portion OF the bulldn ne north
of River street. 50 chat the shWting off
of the streams did not, IN any Sc, affect
the progress Of the flames. We liud fur
ther that the streams were shut of IN
consequence of the report OF Foremaa
Murphy that the fire was under contro.
We find that the fire on TINS occasion
was confined 10 the Savannah Grocery
Company building. while upon former
occasion. under the previous admithstrd-
tion under more favorable rircums lances.
are in the same company building was
not checked. but consumed the entire
block. In view of this We commend the
fire department for its slzlfu. and intrepid
work upon this occasion.
PLANTERS RICE MILL FIRE.
The mismanagement specified here was
that 1.-The grauary could have been saved
if abe water had been diverted to it from
Q doomed building"
We find that the granary was situated
fifty feet from the Planters rice mill, on
the opposite side OF River street. The
granary was a wooden structure covered
with corrugated iron. The heat in the
space between the mill and the granary
was SC, intense that no living creature
could h ave remained there and lived. The
Upper rice mill. at a distance Of $50 feet
caught All IRE from the SiieEI meat. 4 re-
men emp Logged to throw water on the gram
airy for he purpose OF coolins il, were
overcome by the heat of the Planters rice
mill fire All, but two Of the streams
not thrown on the granary, were Employ
ed on the pDer rice mill and outbuidines
the Brush Electric Light Companys
works and the chaff room and outbulId-
ings Of the PLANTERS rice mill.
Had the clief diverted all the streams
from the doomed building the Planters
Rice mill would have burned more fierce
ly the men would have been driven cut
of River street sooner, and the dest1Nc-
ton of the gra nary accomplished more
certainly, while IN addition the Upper rice
mill, as well as the electric light works
would in all probability, have been de-
stroyed. In which event a general con-
firagration must have followed.
A. B. HULL a. co. FIRE.
The specifications Of Encouragement of
this fire were:
l. That Chief Mcguire lost valuable
time climbing the ladder Of the aerial
truck and ordered the men to break the
i'd thing when it would not work.
q That Chief Mcguire undertook to
make Fireman Mckay enter d window,
such entrance being impossible.
g. That Chief Mcguire ordered Fireman
John C. Henderson to mount a ladder
over the backs of two fremen to go into a
burning building.
From the evidence 1t appears:
l. That Chief Mcguire assembled the
ladder for the purpose of attaching a por-
tion of the apparatus, which Assistant
Foreman A. J. Herman did not know, or
pretended not to know, how to attach, and
that no unnecessary time was lost, nor
any disregard for the city's property dis
played. and if the chief made use of any
profanity at all, it was for the purpose
of urging the men TO greater efforts, and
that the urging had the effect Of raising
the ladder to the required hight.
3 That Fireman Mckay had placed his
ladder against one Of the shutters of a
window, and assembled to place a stream
In the window He was about TO descend
to replace the ladder, without trying to
put the stream in the window, when the
chief told him not to come down without
trying. As soon as it was manifest that
Fireman Mckay could not con-
venlently reach the window from
the point at which the ladder
was placed, the chief ordered him to come
down and place the ladder in q proper po-
eition, which he did.
8. That Chief Mcguire ordered Fire
man John c. Henderson to go into the
building to assist a disabled comrade.
There was no obstruction on the ladder.
Henderson was guilty of INSTRUMENTATION
in disobeying the chief, and guilty of
cowardice in refusing to go to the relief
OF his comrade.
KIRKLAND FIRE.
The nismanagement specified here was
that Chief Mcguire refused to allow AS
sistant Foreman A. J.. Herman to ascend
a ladder with stream at a time when
the fire could have been extinguished by
Kiernan's so doing.
We find that the building was practically
in ruins when Herman volunteered to go
up. The walls had been cracked by an
explosion 50 severe as to shatter the win
dows in buildings on the opposite side
OF the street. 1t would have been both
dangerous and useless to have sent Kier-
nan up into the third story of the build
ing while the fire was raging in the story
below, and at a time when nothing less
than deluge could have stayed the prog
ress OF the flames.
SMITH FIRE.
The only specifications developed by the
evidence Of the prosecution was that the
chief erred in refusing to allow A. ],
Herman to go up on a ladder TO throw
water into the building through a win
dow on the Bay street side
We find that the walls were cracked In
dangerous manner at the point Herman
wanted to go up. The aerial truck was
placed in such position at the time that
Kiernan could have attained the same end
by going up its ladder. Owing to the
boxes and goods, it would have been use
less Tor Kiernan to put a stream
IN the window, and we find that the CHIEF
did right In refusing to let him &c up In
the manner requested, and in putting him
at more useful work.
CHRIST CHURCH FIRE.
The specifications of error upon the part
OF the chief. were that the fire should
nave been fought from the inside, and
from the Drayton street window, instead
OF from the windows on the Congress and
st Julian street sides.
We find that the fire. originating in the
organ loft, penetrated the. ceiling at an in
ciplent stage, and spread between the roof
and ceiling. Attempts were made at the
beginning TO fight the fire from the inside
OF the building, but the firemen were re-
pulsed by the heat and smoke. To have
Fought 1t from the Drayton street window.
1t would have been necessary to throw the
water l20 feet TO an elevation Of 40 feet IN
order to have reached the fire at ils orr
gin. il was beyond the capacity of any
nose In use in the fire department to stand
the pressure necessary to throw an effec-
1--WE stream this distance, and an atfomDt