The Washington times., 1914-07-28
SCHWERDTFEGER To
SEE PENSION BOARD
Acting Chief Sullivan Grants
Request on Fireman's Reply
TO Retirement Order.

Opportunity to show that he is en-
tiled to a pension will be given William
4. Schwerdtfeger, private of No En-
rsne Company, and one of the men In
ured in the fire at the American Five
,nd-Ten-Cent Store, December "A. Fol-
owing the receipt Of Schwerdt-
|egers reply to a letter directing him 70
show cause why he should not be retired
without trial and pension, Acting Chlei
4. ]. Sullivan, announces that a pension
board will be appointed.
Schwerdrfeger will be permitted TO in
troduce witnesses and testimony con-
cerning his army service, and members
of the board of police and fire surgeons
who recommended his retirement. will
appear.
Schwerdtfeger. in his answer, con-
tends that he is still fit for active
duty in the Fire Department, but asks
that, If he is retired, he be given the
benefit of the pension fund.
Cites His Injury.
schwerdtfeger. in reference to his in
iuries received in the fire at the Ameri'
can Five-and-Ten-Cent Store says:
On December "a, 1913, shortly after
l:80 in the morning, with my COM
pany, l responded TO the call to the
fire in the 5-and-1O-Cent Store struc-
ture, Seventh street, near d, north
west. / was one of the five men
pinioned under the fallen portion
of that structure, where, according
TO my recollection, / remained for
approximately four hours. My head
was caught between two floor
ANd r1-oG Mi a6
was subjected to the volume OF
smoke and yet, despite the fact that
il is now said that l was physically
incapable of doing fireman's duty,
did not lose consciousness. The
suffering of those four hours, and
the thereafter effects. can be imag-
ined but rot described. When res
cue came, l was taken to the Elmer
geTISy Hospital and. on the follow
ing day, Christmas, 1913, was taken
10 my home. to which l was con-
fined for a period of eleven days. l
confess that since that time I have
not felt as physically fit as before.
Fought Calf Fire.
Nevertheless. as the departments
records will show, 1 was with the
company when, in the early part ot
January, 1914, the big fire occurred
al the feed warehouse OF William
Gait & Co.: TO that fire drove the
hose wagon of engine No. 6; when
the line Of hose was laid out, the
signal to let the water come given,
my three horses turned over to the
engine driver, turned to duty with
the hose line and for a day and a
half thereafter, along ide of my
fellow firemen. fought that fire:
during the Gait fire l was on the.
surrounding roofs much Of the time;
When the pipe line with which l
was working was taken away and
placed on the water tower. ! con-
tinued to aid in the fight, helping
with other pipe lines.
At no time during that fire, despite
my weakened condition, as the re-
suit of the 5 and 10 cent store fire
experience, di6 fail to render full
service, or was / subjected to an
attack of any kind.
The records of the department
will show that not very long after
the Calf fire the BedeIl Mattress
Works fire, near Seventh and D
streets northwest, occurred; at the
time Of this call l was not on duty,
but shortly thereafter reported at
the same to Captain Lanahan ready
for whatever service that might
have been required.
l mentiop my injuries in the Five
and Ten Cent Store are and these
two subsequent incidents, but 1
might 90 back, were there any
necessity for II, to all the fires in
which No. Company has been en-
gagged since the 2Sth day OF July.
1910. and find in my service al them
complete but respectful refutation
Of the charge that my being in the
Fire Department has been a source
of danger to either myself or my as
sociates. The actual facts certainly
outweigh opinion and speculation.
Schwerdtfeger is represented b,
Attorney F. J. Hogan