Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-03-13
DEPUTIES START
FIRE INSPECTION
Examination OF Buildings in This City
to Eliminate Defects in the
Hands of Score OF Experts.
TO MAKE REPORT AT MEETING
List OF Hazards Found in City viii Be
Read at Public Session at the
Rock Island Club.

Inspection TO eliminate fire hazard
from buildings in the city of Rock Is
land was today started by a score of
state deputy fire marshals. Summary
of their findings will be announced in
a report TO be read at a mass meeting
of citizens TO be held at the Rock Is
land club tomorrow night.
Theatres, business houses, schools,
churches and all public buildings will
be examined, defects noted and re-
ported TO the owner, agent or tenant,
as the character of the remedy will
demand, and in several weeks inspec-
tors will return here to recheck the
building 10 determine If the hazard
has been eliminated.
II no sufficient reason can be given
for failure TO remedy a defect COM
plant will be filed, and the owner,
tenant or agent, as the case may be,
will be tried and if convicted can be
fined a sum of between $40 and $50
for each day that the repairs are not
made.
The penalty connected with failure
to correct defect is only used to in
crease fire prevention when all other
means fail ". S. Hopes, first deputy
marshal, today said:
I'VE find that we do not have to re-
sort TO the law very frequently in Or
der to remedy defects We work with
a spirit of good will with the owners
or tenants and after we point out to
them the returns few repairs will
bring and when they learn that our
inspection is authorized and official,
they Immediately cooperate. The work
heretofore has been in the hands of
the State Fire Prevention association
and the underwriters board They
could only point out the hazards and
asked that they be removed. We can
demand their elimination"
Inspection today was made of build
ings in the territory between First
and Third avenues and between Six
tenth and Twentieth streets. Each
inspector specializes in one class OF
building.
Homes Not Visited.
Factories and private dwellings are
the only buildings exempt from in
s1ectior. The factories are examined
by special Investigators of the under
writer's board annually, while because
OF the immense task it would entail
examination of private homes is not
taken up. Hazards in private dwell
ings are not as great and the value OF
property involved is smaller, so that
the inspection of homes is consid-
cred less important.
Deputy Hopes and 10 assistants
arrived in the city last night. The
others are Deputies Holland, Ryan
Harper, Norton. Price, Greedy, DCrl
Berger and Gallivan. Ten more ar,
rived this afternoon to assist
State Fire Marshal Walter II. Ben
nett and Assistant State Deputy Fire
Marshal F. R. Morgridge will arriv,
tonight. Superintendent If Inspection
S. K. Legried arrived this afternoon
Our examination &C theatres, par
utularly movie houses, and hotels
where people pay for service and for
the privilege f remaining, is espec-
Tally rigid. We make il point % MAXI
very careful inspection OF these
.laCos because life, ...cE is far more
valuable than properly IS involved
We have found in othe. cities that
even the most cautious theatre own,
ers have overlooked many defects in
their buildings Deputy Hopes said.
Wants Churches Open.
Commissioner j. H. Liedtke today