The San Francisco call., 1906-05-27
CHIMNEY
SITUATION
IS SERIOUS
Dr.. Ragan Says Sick
People Suffer From
Lack Of Heat.
Health Official Demands
That Inspection Be
Dispatched,
Maestretti Ayers His Men
Are Rushing Work
Rapidly.

DR.. Ragan, the health officer, yes
regular meeting of the board in re-
gard to the present chimney situation.
DR.. Ragan said the health of the peo-
pie is in jeopardy because of the cold
ness and dampness in the houses and
that sick people are suffering from
the Board of Public Works take steps
at once to inspect the chimneys of
houses where sickness is found. He
urged tina, all chimneys be inspected
without further delay. for on this
score, he said, largely depends the
health of the entire community.
The Health Board has Joined hands
with the many householders in their
cry for the immediate inspection of
all chimneys. The recent rainy spell
able to get along without fires in their
houses. The hardships were not felt
so keenly while the climatic conditions
remained normal, but as soon as the
rain began to fall and the wind to
blow its usual summer gales the pri-
vations at once made themselves felt.
MAESTRETTTS EXPLANATION.
President Frank A. Maestretti of
the Board of Public Works still in
sists that the city is doing all in its
power to have the chimneys put in
perfect order and inspected without
delay. He says the ordinary person
does not realize what task the board
has on its hands and that it is coming
in for much unjust criticism.
Twenty additional inspectors were
put to work yesterday" said Macs
tretti I'VE find it hard indeed to Sc
cure competent men to do this class of
work We cannot take chances with
every ordinary mechanic, for this
work must be done right or not at all.
''As has already been announced,
the city is now divided into fifteen dis
tricts, with ten men to each district.
These inspectors are aided by fifteen
men from the board of underwriters,
who not only see that the work is
properly done, but also get in them
selves and help the men out. All told
there are now 1S5 men at work
throughout the city. We would have
even more at work. but we cannot Sc
cure men who are competent.
II desire to warn all householders
to have their chinneys properly re-
paired. The work of inspecting the
f1ues has been interfered with greatly
for the simple reason that the CHM
neys have not been properly fixed up.
A large percentage of f1ues has been
found to be in this condition. Our
men Immediately condemn all such
f1ues and tell the householder to have
them repaired properly. There are
many unscrupulous contractors now at
work here who are really taking
money under false pretenses as well
as delaying the work of this board in
making its inspections. We are not
responsible for this condition of af-
fairs. though many would hold us so.
MUCH TO CONTEND WITH.
"Then. again, many people are
clamoring to have their chimneys in
speeted though they never go to the
trouble of having them repaired first.
The inspectors go to these houses and
paired. We have warned all house.
holders to have the necessary repairs
made before calling on this board to
have an official inspection made.
Then, again, we are confronted
with the difficulty of finding people
who are responsible for the condition
of their chimneys. The ordinary man
who rents a house refuses to go to the
expense of making the necessary re-
pairs. We have had many long and
tedious searches for landlords, and in
most instances failed to locate them.
Several told us they had no money to
have their chimneys fixed up at the
present time, SO the work of inspec-
ton could not proceed. but in the
meantime the householder would be
clamoring for action.
The work of repairing the CHM
neys Is much slower than the work of
inspecting them. l will venture to
say that at the present time not one
half of the chimneys in the unburned
section of the city have been repaired
Until this work is done we are pow
erless to aid the people, for it is their
fault and not ours"