The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-10-25

PROBE IS NOT IN VAIN
FOR INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE,
GETTING SOME POINTERS.
WILL RECOMMEND REVISION
OF ELECTRICAL ORDINANCE
The blame attaches to no one.

The blame attaches to no one
Such Is the verdict Of the special
committee named to investigate tbs
fire in the School Board quarters OF
the City Hall. which occurred .au-
gust 80, doing damage roughly csti-
mated at $1,000.
However, the committees feels tina,
the probe, which was conducted and
concluded last night, was not in vain
For 1t proposes to make some rec
concentrations to Council through he
Committee on Electricity that will
bring about some Improvement, at
least, in the present system of wiring
The city.
ommend that underground wiring he
extended wherever and whenever
practica BILE.
The committee came to this par
ticular conclusion after being i'm
pressed more than ever with the fact
hat 1t was largely because wires are
strung overhead that the fire occur
red i'll the City Hall. 1t was shown
hat the flames resulted from the
crossing Of d phone and electric wire
on Clay street between Twenty fourth
and Twenty-6fth streets, the electric
spark having passed over the special
phone wire in the School Board rooms
through the switchboard
Insulation Is Bad.
1t was also brought out that the
Insulation in the school quarters was
very bad, causing the fire to start.
and spread more rapidly than it
would perhaps otherwise have done.
1t was shown that the conduit lead
ing from the room was tire-eaten for
ssty
also shown that the room was filled
to large extent with rubbish and
other waste material and plumber
which furnished ready fuel for the
flames.
Consulting Engineer Trafford stated
on the stand: 1T is true that we
furnished the match. but who fur
nish the combustibies. Who put
those things there? Whose business
vas it to have them removed 2?
City Electrician Thompson, who
also has the title of superintendent
Of fire alarm and telegraph. intimated
that it was Building Inspector Beck 8
duty to look after such things. and
he knew that Mr.. Beck did remove
some OF the things after the fire.
This was about as near as Mr. Beck
came to being drawn into the probe,
Mr.. Trafford and Mr.. Thompson and
their respective departments
Due to Jealousies.
Mr.. Radcliffe. one of The investi-
eating committeeman. appeared to
sum up the situation when he aid
it looked as If the whole trouble
was lot OF petty jealousies betwee
these two officials, though of course
this remark had nothing to do with
the actual cause of the fire and the
for it.
With Chairman Huber and three
out of the four remaining members
of the committee on nand, namely
Messrs. Bowman, Radcliffe and Mel
ton. the investigation was set in mo-
ton by the testimony of Superin-
tendent Thompson and several of his
all of whom testified
that Mr.. Trafford's department had
been warned against stringing eiec-
trio wires too close to those of the
police and fire alarm. This had hap
pened Mr.. Thompson insisted. sew
eral times during the early part OF
the year. although Mr.. Tranord
claimed that he had never been noti-
fed OF any specific cases which had
to be remedied. 1t flnally developed
that Assistant Superintendent Ran
n,
had notified Mr.. Trafford's inspectors
In person. and in this way faulty
stringlng had been remedied.
Suggests Ordinance Change.
Mr.. Tranord, In the course of an
extended statement to the committee.
mildly suggested that the city ordi-
nance governing electrical and other
wiring should be- revised from its
present antiQuated shape into an or
dinance that would he more in keep
ing with modern times Mr.. Robert
Lecky. Jr., member of the Board of
Fire Commissioners. made the same
suggestion to the committee. in a brief
statement. in which he set forth that
the Fire Board was always ready and
willing to help in such matters.
incidentally Mr.. Lecky took occa-
sion to remark that he was surprised
that the committee had seen f:t 10
ignore the Fire Board in the inves-
tigation. Later Chairman Huber. in
calling on Mr.. Lecky to shed what
ever light he could. explained that
he and MT. Leeky had been on the
best of terms for years, and he de-
sired it understood that he and Mr..
I4ecky we're still on the best OF terms.
and he hoped the pleasant relations
would continue. Personally, he was
ready to apologize for any afYront
that might have been given
Toward the close of the hearing.
which lasted for more than three
hours. Mr.. II. G. Schmidt. electrical
engineer of the Richmond and Hen
rico Railway, and some OF his as
were called by MIR. TYaffprd
They testified in substance that in
stringing Richmond and Henrico
wires. which were also on TIE same
cross-arms as those that started the
fire, they had exercised all due pre-
and had left nothing undone
to insure safety.
The electric wire which caused the
trouble was strung by Storms 4 Co.
the concern which threw up It's Job
later. with the result that the city
had to complete the work This was
brought out in the testimony of Mr..
Trafford.
FREE. TRIP FOR TWO