Waterbury Democrat., 1902-09-20
GOING ID THAT LAST FIRE.
Acting Chief o'Brien Obliged
 to Ride on the Steamer

In the Meantime the Chiefs Team
 Was Scurrying Across Town for
 Third Assistant Walker-The Inci-
 dent Has Created Considerable Talk
 In and Out of the Department
 An incident occurred at the Leaven- worth street engine house during, the past week which is likely to be brought to the attention of the board of pub- lie safety and in case it is it will give that body something to. talk about for a time and in this way the police of fcers may have an opportunity to get a rest. Chief Snagg is having yaca- tion and First Assistant Engineer O'Brien is at the helm, or ought to be at least, but it seems there is some question about that, the chief being re- ported to have outlined a plan of ac- tion to govern the department during his absence which puts the first assist ant engineer playing second fiddle and makes the third assistant the man of the hour.
 Sunday afternoon the department was called to a fire on North Elm street. First Assistant Engineer O'Brien was in the house and as soon as the gong sounded he made a rush for the chiefs team, expecting fo be driven to the fire, but Driver Holmes informed him that he would have to vacate his seat and ride on the steamer with the others as he wanted the team to go after Third Assistant
 Walker. MT OBrien obeyed and man. aged to scramble onto the apparatus While the chiefs team headed towards Brooklyn. The fire amounted to nothing and in a few minutes after the alarm all were back at their old places in the house. Nothing was said about the matter at the time, but it was such an unusual proceeding the men couldn't help noticing it and naturally they talked about it and soon it became common property. A Democrat reporter heard it the next day, but not being able to verify it he let it pass thinking that probably, there might have been some nlisun- derstanding about it. Last night the reporter happened to meet half dozen men who keep in touch with fire matters and the way they handled the subject was caution. Some of them claimed that if Chief Snagg had left any such order before going away that he had no business to do any thing of the kind and others pitched into First Assistant OBrien for not asserting his rights and using the team of what the driver might have said One man wanted to know why the team was not sent after Sec ond Assistant Byrnes instead of Third Assistant Walker, and another inquired who was running the fire department, 
 A Democrat reporter met MT O'Brfen on Bank street this morning and asked him what there was in the story. The assistant engineer was chatting with Michael Carroll at the time and acted as if he didn't care to have the conyer satiOn interrupted. The reporter was anxious to know something authorita- tive on the matter and informed Mr O'Brien what he had heard, but the fire fighter refused to affirm or deny the story and dismissed the scribe with the remark that he had nothing to say for publication. The reporter didn't intrude further upon the first assist ants time.
 One of the. firemen spoke of the mat ter later ill the day 70 the reporter. He wanted to know if he thought O'Brien's snub'' would be brought to the attention of the board oN public safety, and added that he was of the opinion that if a big fire occurred dur ing the absence of the chief, the militia would have to be called out to deter mine who was in command It is generally understood that when the head of a department is absent the officer next to him is responsible. but it seems thinks work the other way in the Waterbury fire department Some of the firemen as well as the police off. cers think the board of public safety is in need of a prompter and hopes somebody will get after them with sharp stick
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