Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-08-24
The City Council Inaugurates al
investigation Of its Condition
OFFICERS MEET WITH COUNCIL
The Investigation Results in the Council Ar
irving at the Conclusion That Better
Fire Fighting Force is Needed
Plan to Organize More
Companies.

FOR nearly TWO hours Thursday the
City Council discussed with the
officers of the Martinsburg Fire De-
partment the decline of that orgapiza-
tion and the best manner of restoring
it to the high standard of efficiency
which it once emf Dyed.
When the meeting was first called to
order Mayor pro tenn Kline was in
the chair, but before the Council be-
gan the discussion of the Fire Depart
ment Mayor Henshaw appeared and
took the chair.
The meeting was held in the Fire
mems Hall, on account of the Coun-
Gil Chamber not being large enough to
accommodate the Council and all of the
officers of the Fire Department, who
were summoned to the meeting. The
following Councilmen were present:
Jno. w. Martin, A. Staubly, Conrad
Cline, ID. @. Westenhaver, Jacob
Eyersole. Martin Brown, w. r.
Kline, Joseph Lloyd and j. Nj. Heck
/ The Mayor opened the discussion
about the Fire Department by stating
that there was deficiency in the fire
| fighting force somewhere and whether
| the fault of the deficiency was with
the Council or with the Fire Depart
ment it must be remedied. He spoke
of the actions of the Fire Depart
ment of recent date and concluded by
stating that after all he had seen and
heard he had reached the conclusion
that there should be an investigation
and for that purpose fire had notified
the officers to appear at the special
meeting of the Council.
| Councilman Kline, who is Chief
Marshal of the Fire Department, spoke
in behalf of the fremen. He stated
that at the last meeting of the Fire
Department they were somewhat
grieved at what had been said at the
Council meeting and that they had
voted to resign if the Council thought
it could do better. If you can't, .
he said, 1--WE are still tiremen.
Mr.. Kline then stated some facts re-
lative to the department. 1.-THE
membership, he said, : has dwind-
led down to So members. twelve OF
whom are property owners. The at
tendance st the meetings is always
slight, simply because we don't get
the encouragement we should have.
If you think you can do better we
will resign. We will turn over to you
all the property, etc, that we have
accumulated. We will give the new
firemen our hearty support and we as
sure you that we will not hiss and
yell rubber" at the tiremen when
they are called out by false alarm, as
some citizens do us when we respond
to false alarm.
A general discussion followed Dir.
kline's remarks.
Councilman Westenhaver reviewed
the statements that had been made at
the last meeting of the Council. In
reply to statements made by the fiye-
aen to the effect that 1t must be re-
mem bered that the tiremen were vol
unteer tiremen ard that all the
work they did was without remuner
atlon he stated that it mnst be re
membered that the COuncilmen We're
volunteer Councilman, too that con-
slderlng the amount of time the Coan.
cllanen devoted to their work. they
were paid just the same as the FIRE
men.
Assistant Marshall. Poisal followed
with lengthy flow of oratory.
After the discussion had lasted
some time, the Mayor asked the Sec
rotary of the Fire Department to read
the roll of members .of the de-
ment in order that the Council might
become fully acquainted with the
composition of the organization.
After the reading of the list of
officers and members a general dis
cussion followed. 1t was the general
90 nsensus of opinion that the depart
ment should consist of about three
separate and distinct companies, all
unoer the supervision of one chief.
Some were in favor of letting the
present organization remain as one OF
the COMPANIES and organizing new
companies. while others appeared to
be in favor of recognizing the entire
department.
Councilman Kline moved that the
question of making the fire-fighting
force more efficient be referred to the
Fire Committee, in conjunction with
the Fire Department, which motion
was unanimously carried.
Councilman Kline informed the
Council of what had been done at the
meeting of the Fire Chiefs of the
Cumberland Valley at Chambersburg
ond raa0p,r,onIod tho adpnriOp IF fhn