The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-30
HOW IT WAS MANAGED
Aldermen Are Investigating the
Hale House Fire.
THE FACTS IN THE CASE
Both thief Flannery and Mayor Har-
rington Take . Hand in the Cues
tioning and Both Gentlemen
Take the Stand as Witnesses.

The councilmanic Investigation Of the
Hale house fire ordered by the council
at the special session last Thursday
evening in response to a communion
ton from Chief Flannery of the fire de-
partment was commenced yesterday
afternoon in the council chamber. Aid
ermen Rowan, Melcher and Davey, the
special committee appointed to make
the investigation, were all present. to-
gether with the mayor and Chief Flan-
merry. Alderman Rowan presided as
chairman. The public took no interest
in the investigation, or at least ap-
peared not to, as there were no specta-
tors present. Chief Flannery was be-
fore the committee as a witness, and
was closely questioned by the mayor,
VINO was himself a witness later in the
proceedings. Both the mayor and Chief
Flannery took a hand in the examina-
ton or the witnesses who appeared to
TESTIFY. The investigation was not COM
pleted and will be resumed Sunday
evening at 1880.
Al the opening of the Investigation
Charles Doyle. a boy Of II or IS, was
the first witness. He said that between
. and 4 O'Clock Monday morning he
was AXE by his mother, who
SAID the Hale house was afire. He
lives in East Broadway alley near the
Hale house site. Dressing. he ran over
to the boarding house n flames were
then coming out of the building. He
did not dress fully and could not have
been more than two or three minutes
getting there. One of the fire wagons
was at the fire when he got there. He
went back home to get more clothes
on and came back Immediately, and
by that time the building was in
The whole time from the time
his mother woke him could not have
been more than five minutes. When
he arrived back at the fire the second
time the whole fire department was
there.
Jerry Quinlan of 1O1 Covert street,
one block east of the Hale house, tes-
titled that he was rooming at the Hale
house at the time of the fire. When he
was awakened by the first cries of fire
the halls were filled with smoke and
men were running wildly up and down
them. He and his partner went back
into their room. which was on the west
side Of the building. shut the door and
waited at the window till the fremen
put up a adder and took them out.
ID you know how long it was from
the time the alarm was given till the
house was all on fire?' asked Chief
Flannery.
The witness said the house must have
been all on fire inside of 10 minutes.
He said that 1t would have been inn
possible for him to have reached the
stairs and said that he had made up
his mind IL was n case of commit sui
eide il the firemen did not save them.
In esponse to a question from Chief
Flannery. the witness said he did not
think there was any need for any one
to nave jumped, as he believed the fire.
men would have saved everybody. The
hremen were on the scene when he
got to the window and got it up.
Jerry A. Clifford, proprietor of the
Mint saloon. testified that he was at
the Hale house fire. The fire was we'll
under way and the firemen were play
ing water on the building when he ar
rived, a short time after the first
alarm. The witness had been called as
IL was understood he was among the
first on the scene. and he was dis
missed when II was learned he was
not.
Policeman Thomas Walsh was on
duty on West Broadway the morning
of the fire. He heard the first alarm
n saw the department turn out and
was ordered by Captain Dawson to go
to the fire and assist. He went as
quickly as possible and on reaching the
fire the whole southeast corner was on
fire and smoke and flames were issuing
from the roof of the middle of the
building. 1t took him about two min
utes to reach the fire. Upon arriving
there, the firemen were taking men out
of the windows or the ladders. and he
assisted. Witness saw men jump from
windows, but saw no fire in their i'm
mediate vicinity. In response to ques-
lions from a member of the committee.
the witness repeated that he got to the
fire very quickly after the alarm and
tho fro bod made oraot nrnurae. xrl.a-
he arrived.
Chief John F. Flannery Of the fire de-
partment was then called. He said:
Il should judge IL was about five min
utes after 3 o'clock the morning OF the
21st, that we got an alarm from box "a.
My buggy came after me and we drove
straight to the Hale house as fast as
possible. When I got there there was
a great deal of smoke n I saw that
the first thing to be done was to get
the people out. The extension ladder
was already up and we put the others
up as quickly as possible. Men were
packed in the hall at the front door
and we chopped open the door and let
them out. Not more than three min
utes after I got there / went upstairs
and the smoke was so dense that the
men couldn't find the stairs. I think
had we directed our attention to saving
the building we would have lost both
the inmates and building. The fire was
going up the air shaft at the time. ard
IL was not five nut after I got
there that the flames were going out
of the building so that with the limited
number of men I had ] decided IL was
best to try to save the men," Asked by
Chairman Rowan IL he did not have
men enough to man the hose, Mr.. Flan-
merry said he had. but not enough to
man both hose and ladders. and asked
IL he would not nave had enough men
to do the work by using a few volun-
teers. he said the volunteers could not
work the ladder.
Chief Flannery explained that a sec
ond alarm came from box s. at Main
and Mercury. and he sent the chemical.
manned by the assistant chief and a
fireman. but they returned and said
the alarm was for the same fire. An
other alarm vas turned In from box Il.
also for the same fire. and both were
turned in by policemen who subse-