The San Francisco call., 1907-02-16
GRAND JURY To CLOSE
THE FIRETRAP THEATERS
Investigates Violation Of
Laws by Sam Davis
and Others

The Indifference to the safety OF pa
irons and defiance of the building ordi-
nances, shown most fiagrantIy by the
management of the Davis Theater in
McAllister street, near Fillmore and in
a lesser degree by the managements Of
many other playhouses in the city, were
the subjects yesterday of an investiga-
tion by the Grand Jury. That body is
determined to make the theaters either
comply with the requirements of the
law or force the Board Of Public Works
to close them.
It developed that Mayor Schmitz was
directly responsible for the existence Of
such iretraps as the Davis Theater and
the other places maintained in violation
of the building ordinances. Supervisor
Sam Davis, owner of the Davis Theater,
helped to enact the very laws that he
has so boldly violated.
The ordinances require that all thea
ter buildings shall be fireproof, class A
structures, and it is expected that the
jury will recommend that the Board of
Works exert its prerogatives and close
all the houses that are dangerous. The
only theaters in town which conform
to the ordinances are the American, the
Orpheum and the Colonial. The Colo
nial fails in few particulars to meet
the requirements of the ordinances
The representatives of the Board of
Works, who testified yesterday. put the
blame for the deathtraps on Mayor
SchmitZ, who, ii was explained, had is
sued special permits for them. 1t was
4 also asserted that the policeman on the
beat in each instance had been derelict
in his duty in failing to report viola
tions of the building laws. The wit
nesses examined were Fire Marshal
Charles Towe; Louis Levy, secretary of
the Board of Public Works; John P.
Horgan, chief of the bureau OF inspec-
tion of the Board Of Works, and Chief
P. Shaughnessy of the Fire Department
President George Duffey of the Board
of works and Commissioners Ed Aigel-
finger and Thomas Egan were in at
/ tendance at the meeting. but were not
called upon to testify. The Grand Jury
will hear their explanations next Tues
day.
Towe testified to the many violations
of the building ordinances in the mat
ter Of wooden buildings within the fire
limits, as well as in the construction of
theaters that are hretraps. "Since the
fire have not taken my wife to a thea
ter, knowing the constant danger to the
lives Of those who attend" declared
the Fire Marshal
Levy and Horgan both testified that
the Board of Public Works had paid no
attention to the construction of build
ings erected in violation of the ordi-
nance. There was no record of the fire.
trap theaters in the files of the board.
Chief Shaughnessy strongly condemned
/ the theater buildings of the city. He
was commended by the Jurors for the
work that he has done in re-establish-
4 ing the efficiency of the Fire Depart
ment.
The Grand Jury adopted resolution
to be transmitted to the Board Of Su-
Z ,,e,r-s oo-e asking for the repeal of the
ordinance prohibiting passengers on the
United Railroads system from riding
on the outside of cars. The jurors
agreed that the ordinance was solely
to the advantage of the car company.
which might use it as defense In case