The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-07-28

Young before the State Firemen's AS
ISOLATION at Winston on June 18th:
Mr.. President and Gentlemen of the
n. c. State Fifemen's Association.
| thark you, Mr.. President and your
associates, for the privilege of appear
ing before you today and the honor
you have done me in inviting me to
talk to you about matters of mutual in
terest to us. I Will not trespass UPON
your time III expressing my apprecia-
ton of Our association and its mem
DerS II of the work done by the fire.
men of the state of North Carolina.
There is no more honorable or unset
fish work done by anybody of men. [
will not take up our time in compli-
menting you and expressing my appre-
cation of you as has been done by the
other speakers preceding me but will
dismiss this part of the subject by
saying to you | sincerely feel and enter
into the many nice compliments that
have been so we'll expressed by the
other speakers and believe they have
hot said all that might well ana prop
erly be said in commentator of you
and yOur work.
FIRE MARSHAL LAW.
When the insurance department was
formed in 1899 there was also passed
q law known in other states as the
Fire Marshal Law. This law made
the insurance commissioner eX-OfficiO
the fire marshal of the state, aud laid
upon him the responsibility of looking
into all suspicious fires. This law re-
Quired the chiefs of the fire depart
ments in all cities and towns where
such an office existed to make a re-
port to the insurance commissioner of
every fire occurring in his city and
also made it the duty of the SheriffS Of
each county to report to the commits
siOner all fires occurring within their
counties outside of incorporated cities
and towns. | refer to the law as set
out in chapter 50 of the Public Laws
of 1890. This law has been amended
and improved from time to time III
the success of the commissioner under
it in having convicted and sentenced
to the penitentiary OF to the roads nifty
odd men is largely due to the interest
taken in this law and it's execution by
the firemen and sheriffs in the state.
CHIEF OF FIRE DEPARTMENT..
When the execution of this law was
undertaken it was found that a large
lumber of the cities n towns in the
state had no chief of fire department
and that no such officer was provided
for in their charters or ordinances. To
remedy this defect and to show the ap-
probation in which the work Of this
office was held by the ~law-making body
the legislature of 1901 enacted chapter
677 of the Public Laws of 1901, Great
H. e Co. 1nnn rt
ment'' and defining the duties Of said
officer. 1t was made the duty OF the
governing board in every city and town
to elect such officer, to fix his term OF
office, to prescribe his duties, obliga-
tiOns and compensation, and IL was
also provided that where the charters
or ordinances of the cities and towns
in the state did not prescribe the du-
ties of the chief of fire department
that the duties would be as is set out
in the following extract from the law:
at shall be the duty of the chief of
fire department in addition to the du-
ties prescribed in chapter So, Pubic
Laws of 1899, to preserve and care for
the fire apparatus, to have charge OF
the fighting and putting out OF all hres,
to make annual reports to their city or
town governments, to seek out II
have corrected all places and conditions
dangerous to the safety of the city
from fire, to look after buildings De
ing erected with Il view to their saIety
from fires and to do II perform sucn
other duties is may be prescribed by
the governing boards of the several Cit
les and towns
The provisions in regard to the duty
of this officer as referred to in this law
as set out in the Fire Marshal Law,
chapter IS, Laws 80, were as folloWs'
1T shall be the duty OF the 1nsur
ance commissioner to require In all IN
cOrpOrated cities and towns OIL the
state that the said officers shall make
in their respective cities ana owns ah-
uuaI insDections of the buildings i'll
said cities and towns and quarterly IN
spections of all premises Wlthlh the
fire limits and report in detail the re-
suits of their inspection to the 1nsur-
ance commissioner upon blanks 1uf-
nished by him. Whenever II OIL eaiu
officers shall find i'll any Duliuihs or
upon any premises Iha'e-
rial or inf1ammable conditions Il
Gus to the safety Of such oulidlhs OF
premises they shall order the saiue 10
be removed or remedled, ana such VI
der shall be forthwith complleu WIN
by the owner or occupant OF SAID
building or premises: Provided, now
ever, that if the said owner or occu-
pant shall deem himself aSSrleved oy
such order he may, within twenty
four hours, appeal to the Insurance
commissioner, and the cause OF the
complaint shall be at once investlsat,
ed by the direction of the latter, ii
unless by his authority the order OF
the officer above mentioned is revoked
such order shall remain in force
he forthwith complied with by sald
owner or occupant. The insurance
commissioner, fire chief, or fire COM
mittee, as aforesaid, shall make an
immediate investigation as to the pres
pnce of combustible material Or the