The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-19

Iron Co.,. S4.b4.
Referred 70 Committee on Supplies.
James II. Loper, $2l.15; Thos. g. Hunter,
Referred to Committee on Horses and
y. & & s. { $3.50; T g05.. s IN !, 4; =
and Sc: Thomas Leather, $3.50; Amer
Fire Engine, Co. $l5.s5; Manchester Loco
Referred to Committee on Apparatus
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Miller 4 Bertholf, sl2s n slls.se; Vile
REPORTS OF SPECIAL Committees.
From Committee of the Whole:-
Jersey City, January 10, 1895.
To the Board of Fire Commissioners
Gentlemen-Your Committee of the
Who'll begs leave to submit the following
report of the Investigation held to ascer-
tain the truth of the statements made in
the public prints rejecting upon the con-
duct OF the members Of this department
on the occasion of the fire on Germania
avenue January 2, 1888. in which six lives
were lost. 1t was alleged
First-That the Department was unduly
slow in responding to the alarm.
Second-That some of the 'firemen were
under the influence of liquor.
Tkird-That they did not know how to
perform Their. duty when they reached the
Fourth-That they refused to attempt to
save the lives of the people in the burned
building when appealed to.
The Board considered these allegations
to be of too serious a nature to paSSun-
noticed. Although no complaint had been
made to it by any citizen, 1t felt that the
good name of the department was at
stake, and an earnest effort was made to
secure all information in any way bear
ing Upon the matter in order that the
statements might be disproved, or, if
true, tina the member or members guilty
of misconduct, e~ndangering the lives and
property of our citizens, should be justly
punished.
1t weas learned that Mr.. George Pugge
of 181 Zabriskie street was responsible for
the circulation of some of these state
ments, and he was invited to appear be-
fore the oBard on January Z, 1898, and
testify as to his knowledge thereto. He
appeared and testified that he arrived at
the fire a few minutes after the alarm
had been sent in; that Mt was fifteen or
twenty minute after before the engines
reached the fire. Mr.. Pugge resides right
He stated he did not know the hour the
alarm had been sent in, he had no watch
and id not time the arrival of the fire
men. He was sure, ne said, that 1t was
at least fifteen minut before they re-
sponded.
He estimated it by the time it took him
after being aroused by the cry of fire to
get dressed and go to the ire and Dach
to his house for garden hose and return.
He said the firemen did not appear TO
know what to do when they arrived; they
did not in his opinion show good judgment
in getting to work; they ran up and down
like a lot of imbeciles, he stated, and ap-
peared to be daZed.
When asked why he made no effort to
save the people in the house, before the
firemen arrivd. h said he did not know
there was any one in the house; he sup
posed they had all gotten out. and any
way he did not intend to risk his life to
save others.
He said that when he first arrived at
the fire he tried to get in the rear, but the
fire was so fierce and the smoke SO dense
he could not inter-. H stated that the en-
gineS stopped on top of the hill several
blocks away, and that the fremen walked
down to the box to locate he fire. He
said Mr.. Long and others would swear
tina the engines remained on top OF the
hill five or six minutes before proceeding
to the fire. He saw iremen standing sew
eral blocks away from the fire for fully
six minutes. He admitted he was excited
and could not tell the names of n fire
men he saw, except Chief Kern, whom ne
saw at the ire
He stated that it was impossible for the
people in the house to have been saved
when the Department rached the ar; that
thy must nave been dead at that time;
that twas impossible to reach that part
of the house where there wer bodies on
account of fire and smoke.
He said he saw the truck on Hutton
street, about fifty feet from the fire. He
asked some of the fremen to raise a
ladder to the second story, he said they
asked him how to get it up. He admitted
however, that no good would nave re-
suited even II they had acted upon ms
suggestion, either towards distinguishing
the flames or saving life. Did not hear
Harry Reich appeal to any of the ire
men to save his (Reich parents. The
principal complaint he had to make, ne
said. was that the firemen were slow in
getting to the fire and did not know how
to perform their duties.
He gave the names of the following
persons, who, he said, would corroborate
his statements, viz. MIR. A. Lang, ST.,
Mr.. A. Lang, Jr., Mr.. VIM. Reuter-, Mr..
George Knowles, Mr.. David Knowles,
Mr.. B. Diller, Mr.. Gustav 10th, Harry
Reich.
The above named were requested to
appear before the Board on January IA
to give their testimony.
Mr.. Gustav Reuter- appeared and testi-
fed that he resided next door to the
burned building and when first awakened
thought it was his own house on hre;
he hurriedly dressed and ran to the alarm
box, 200 feet away, to give the alarm; the
alarm was sent in just as he reached
there; he Immediately ran back to the
fire. The engines arrived promptly with
in three or four minute after; there was
some trouble, he thought, with frozen
hydrants, but nevertheless the hremen
Immediately stretched in their hose.
The chemical engine got to work at
once. Was positive, h said, that the fire.
men arrived within four minutes after
the alarm had been sent in. He stated
he saw ten or fifteen firemen about the
fire even while the hydrants were being
thawed out. He and his brother were
among the first to arrive at the ire and
remained there all of the time. he did
not see any of the fremen, who appeared
to be under the influenc of liquor, or who
wre not doing full duty. He saw Harry
Reich at the fire and he (Reich) appeared
to be very much excited.
Did not hear any appeal made by Harry
Reich or any one else to the firemen to
save the people in the house. In his opin-
ion, 1t was impossible for the Department
to have saved them, for they must nave
been dead, he said, before the alarm was
sent in. He tried on first getting to the
fire to enter teh premiSS, but it was i'm
possible on account of the flames and
smoke to do SO.
Assistant Engineer Denmead testified
tina the alarm came in all of the houses
of the department correctly. He was on
duty at headquarters, and was not re-
CURED to respond to station 81.
Within forty minutes after the alarm
Chief Conway's house that the Chief had
returned and was injured, to send the
Department surgeon up at once.
Hearing the rumors the next day, re-
hecting upon the Department, he made a
thorough investigation.
He visited every company which res
pended to station 81 and ascertained they
had reached the fire within four minutes
after receiving the alarm.
Engines I. II. u and IA and truck an
swered to the alarm.
Engines and IL struck frozen hydrants,
but notwithstanding they immediately
stretched in to the fire.
Engine II attached to a hydrant that
was in good working order and had a
stream on the fire without delay. Chem
ical Engine II got to work Immediately.
He stated that he also visited the scene
= = : - tft~@E . - ~ 3 mi If had neon