The San Francisco call., 1907-03-31
WORKS BOARD SHOULD
CLOSE THE F|RETRAP
OF bOODLER DAVIS
Given Full Authority to Act
by Ordinance Relating
to Buildings
NOTICE PAVES WAY
Manager of the Crematory
Playhouse Continues to
Openly Defy Law
NOTICE PAVES WAY

The Board OF Public Works can, If
it chooses, and by the law is bound
Immediately to take the proper steps
to secure the punishment of $11,250
Sam Davis for conducting, in defiance
of all law, his fretrap show house.
BY it's own act the Board of Public
Works has effectually cleared the at
mosphere of the alleged legal doubts.
which have resulted in tiresome shift
ing of responsibility for the Illegal
maintenance of the Davis crematory
under the guise of a "theater." Section
S51 of the building ordinance provides
that:
1t is hereby made the duty of the
Board of Public Works, whenever it
has knowledge of any violation of this
ordinance, to give notice thereof to the
owner, or, If he cannot be found, to the
occupant of the premises where the
violation occursy and If after two weeks
the cause of complaint is not removed
TO have the penalty provided I'm this
ordinance enforced.
The penalty provided by the ordi-
nance is fine OF not more than $500
or Imprisonment for not more than six
months, or both fine and Imprisonment
for each day the ordinance is violated.
The Board of Public Works by it's
secretary sent Davis on March is the
following notice:
1.-THE Board of Fire Wardens has
notified this board that the Davis The
ater is not equipped with axes, hooks,
casks, hose buckets or asbestos cur
tains. The board directs that you i'm
mediately install the above appliances"
The boodler manager has not COM
piled with the order of the Board of
Public Works. He has placed on either
sidewall of his coffinlike auditorium a
rack on which is folded a length of
rubber fire hose. This hose is not con-
nected with the water mains, nor even
with the wall plugs, which are en-
tirely innocent of water. The two
lengths of unconnected hose comprise
the length and breadth of the very
small bluff at protection of his patrons
wrung from the grasping underling
and partner of Schmitz and Ruef.
The $11,250 Supervisor has not in
stalled a stand pipe or placed buckets,
axes and hooks. He has not provided
an asbestos curtain. He boasts that
his firetrap is now just what it was
when he opened it under a personal
permit given him by his partner, Mayor
Schmitz.
The City Attorney and District At
torney are agreed that any citizen can
invoke the criminal law and secure the
punishment of the boodler manager
every time he permits performance
to be given in the trap, which, if not
closed, will sooner or later furnish the
funeral pyre of his audience. 1t is
no longer up to private citizens to take
the initiative in wiping out this blot
and menace. BY its formal notice
dated March Is and acknowledged on
the following day by Dayis the Board
of Public Works has taken the step
necessary to clear up the legal fogs
around the situation. The language
of the ordinance is simple. direct man
datory. All the public servants direct
ly or indirectly responsible for the safe
conduct of places of amusement have
been ostensibly cropping for light that
would lead to the punishment of Davis
and the closing of his fire box. Whether
the board builded better than it knew
when it served Davis with formal
notice is of no particular Importance.
Two weeks have elapsed. Davis has
not obeyed the boards order. The
commissioners charged with the pro-
lection of the public and the enforce
ment of the law have no alternative.
The people are entitled to protection.
The Board of Public Works can by in
voSing the criminal law, by the simple
performance of its sworn duty, insure
that protection.