New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-01
CHIEF AND HAYES CLASH |
ISSUE COUNTER ORDERS.
ben Promoted Recently Get Uneasy
as to Status.

Orders and counter orders issued last night by
Chief Croker of the Fire Department and Nicholas
j. Hayes. the Fire Commissioner, whose term OF
Office expires to-day at revealed the apparent
fact that there is less feeling between the
two officials. They also leave many of the fremen
promoted by Commissioner Hayes on Saturday in a
state of painful doubt to whether their much
coveted advancenents are promotions. after all.
The first intination that there trouble be-
tween the retiring Commissioner and Chief Croker,
or any possible conflict of authority. with an
order issued by Chief Croker which reached the
fremen about o'clock last night.
This order instructed all hrenen detail at the
Bureau of Combustbles. Bureau OF Fire Appliances
and other bureaus of the department, about forty
all told to report TO the various frehouses, from
which they had been detailed, this morning. Some
of these f1remen were not even sent back to their
old house but ordered to houses where they
total strangers and the order of the chief Gre
ated whole lot Of unpleasant surprise
The fact that 1t had been issued did not take
long to reach Commissioner Hayes's ears, evident
", for by o'clock within hour, the deputy
chiefs of the department had received order.
with instructions to that it at once trans
mitted through the battalion chiefs to the men
whom il affected. 1t read:
The order relative to all details being. revoked,
NICHOLAS J. HAYES, Commissioner
In a short time the Commissioners order disap-
proving OF Croker's act reached the chief. BY 10
O'Clock the deputy chiefs received an order from
Croker instructing them to issue orders that all
orders or papers in connection with orders, re-
ceived bv the members of the department within a
day or two be returned to him Croker by O'Clock
this morning
This order of the chiefs was transmitted without
loss of time over the telephone TO the various fire
houses and caused ten times more CONSERVATION
among the hremen than had the original order re-
voking all details
WHAT THE FIREMEN THOUGHT
strictly interpreted the last order, in the opinion
Of MANY of the fremen, means that all OF the men
nron1oted bv Commissioner Hayes on Saturday
must return to Croker orders and papers they
have received in connection with the promotions
With these out of their possession, unless they get
them back again, the men promoted are, accord
ing to several members OF the department alraio
they will stand in the position OF not HeaNiHS De4
promoted at all -. .loso of
three battalion chiefs to the deputy GheLn, +hen
csptains to become battalion chiefs and more .aaa
3 Score of promotions from the ranks to assistant
Manv Of these appontees. although none of them
would tejl st night, are up a tree as to Wlat
70 do regarding Chief Crokers last order, ana SOME
of them are inclined TO hold on TO their proiio'loh
Even the men ordered from desirable details PACK
to duty at the irehouses are some OF f+ +ba+
inclined to obey that order IN view OF Se
They or their friends point out that these 1a lif
fers 70 detail duty were originally mace by Csel
Croker with the approval of the ConInlssioheI LoI
according to the rules of the department tIey cl
be made only with the approval OF the coiliiiio
They assert that if details can be made only Wlth
such approval they cannot be revoked WlIlout a.
tionaI salary the duties are much less oheEous
than fire fighting.