Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-03-08
FIREMAN'S
WORK WAS
WELL DONE
COMMITTEE YESTERDAY AFTER.
NOON MADE THOROUGH INVRS.
MGATION- RECOMMENDS MORE
MEN AN DBETTER EQUIPMENT.

The investigation to determine the
the qualifications of the members of
the fire department Of this city took
place at the council chamber In the
city hall yesterday in the afternoon.
The investigation was conducted by
Councilman ]. d. Waring and W. w.
Hill on the part OF the council and
r. A. Welch, w. H. Dancy and A. d.
Smith represented the citizens.
The investigation opened with a
statement from Mr.. Waring to the ef-
feet that the purpose in calling the
investigation was to ascertain as to
whether the FIRE department was
thoroughly equipped as regards men
and apparatus. He said that he
wanted every one who knew any
facts regarding the fire at the house
of 7. B. Jackson, on Center street,
which occurred at about 7:45 Sun
day evening, to tell what they knew
about the fire and that 1t was facts
alone that the committee wanted.
He was not trying to shield any in
competency nor was he trying to un-
Justly condemn any person in the
fire department until he had been
proven incompetent or inefficient.
City Attorney Rollln X. Page acted
as interrogater and brought out ap-
parently all the facts with relation to
the fire in question.
Fire Chief Mark H. Savage was
first called to make his statement,
which he reluctantly did for the rea-
son, as he stated, that he felt that
as he was accused OF misconduct
that It was the accusers that should
first make the charges known. II
was finally agreed that the chief
should be permitted to make a state
ment at the end of the investigation II
he so desired and he proceeded. He
stated the method of conducting the
department as regards the system of
fire alarms and other matters regard
ing the department. He said among
other things, that there are four full
ly paid men In Department No. /, be-
sides himself, and seven call men.
BY "call men" Is meant hosemen who
receive $40 a month and are permit
ted to come and go as they please SO
long as they stay within the city
limits. The witnesses called were
Geo. E. Terwilliger, w. s. Low, Joel
Hewitt F. A. Weloh, Mayor Lach-
mund, VIM. Ivan, Peter Graber, and
w. H. Dancy. The investigation
showed that the fire at the jackson
house occurred at a time when the
fire chief was at his home on Mill
street, six blocks south of the fire
and did not know of the fire until a
neighbor boy came to the house and
told HIM He proceeded Immediately
to the fire and reached It within one
minute after receiving such word
When fire alarm Is given, II comes
In the shape OF a message by tele-
phone. to the fire station and when
they answer the phone, the informant
states where the fire is located and
then by a wire connected with the
boiler room, II the Spauldlng logging
and the rooms occupied by
The department an alarm is sounded.
which Informs the man In charge at
The mill Of what signal to give. In
he case Sunday evening, 1t hap
pened that there was no one in the
boiler room to receive the message
over the wire and no whistle was
blown, so that II was hard TO get
word to the different hosemen scat |
cred about the city. There was q |
ltle delay in getting to the fire oc-
,asloned by the fact that the driver
II the hose-cart that evening was
lot used to the team and the horses
refused to 60 when within short |
distance OF the fire. There was some
evidence to show that the delay in
getting a stream OF water on the flre
vas unnecessary, but the most Of the
showed that under all the
iifilcultles with which the depart
nent had to contend, that the FIRE
boys did first class work at the fire |
referred to.
r. A. Weloh, Of the citizens com
nlttee, saw the FIRE and volunteered
IFS testimony. He went to consider
lble length to point out some Of the |
weak spots In the fire department
such as the lack OF sufficient men
md lack of fire alarm system and |
)ther features that are brought out
N the committees report Mr. Dan
~ also saw the fire and gave his
opinion Of the case.
w. s. Low being an old fireman |