The Detroit times., 1917-03-13

rany. admitted that he had known
OF the sagginS OF the third Moor.
IL had existed from the time his
company moved into the building
he said. That was ave years ago,
The place burned on the nfth ami
,crsaTy OF the company in he
Woodward-ave. building Mr.. Has
fenbusch said that 80 far as be
knew no building Inspector mad
been thru the place. tho be frequent
Is saw fremen In f.
Assistant Prosecutor Speed, Who
Iaade the examinations. frequently
asked members OF the IRE depart.
ment who testified whether the de-
partment experienced any delay.
They all replied in the negative.
Speed had 20 examine his broth
er. John Speed. accountant for the
Fields company. The brother told
OF the sagging IA the door and OF
the machinery kept there.
J. T. Mayhem, contractor. who
built platform for r. n Fyte a
Company. which occupied the fourth
and hfth floors. explained 20 the
coroner and the jury that the plat
form did not rest on the floor. the
weight Of Il being sustained by
steel Eirders placed two feet above
the floor
Charles r. Carmody. photograph
er for the police department, pre-
sented six views OF the hre-wrecked
building. which were introduced as
evidence The picture showed the
splintered joists.
Oliver ~ GARNER. local manager
for the Otis Elevator company, tes-
tiled his hrm had installed an ele-
vator in the Fields building in 1907.
Speaking OF the machinery found
in the bottom OF the elevator shaft.
Mr.. Gardner said the overhead
equipment tn the shaft would weigh
about 500 pounds. The weight Of
the car and the CONFERENCE.-The
would weight about $4,000 pounds,
he said
Would il be safe TO install an
elevator OF that weight in a build
ing OF this kind asked Assistant
Prosecutor Speed
That depends on the supports
at the top OF the shaft" said Gard
ner. ~and / don't know what kind
OF supports were used here.
Chief James C. Broderiek, OF the
Ere department. for 50 years a fire
man, testified II took no longer than
usual 10 get the hoses az work. II
there was a short delay, said the
chief, IL was caused by the falling
OF the ladder on which Lieuts
Thompson and Brown were work.
ing
Juror Misch asked Chief Brod.
erick II he was with the men who
tried vainly 10 batter their way thru
the door leading from the third TO
the fourth floor. He answered In
the negative.
Have you ever received any To-
port that the building was unsafe -
asked Speed.
mo. never"
lis II customary for captains Of
companies 20 make diagrams OF biz
buildings In their DISTRICTS"
Yes, they make sketches Of the
fioor plans. bat they keep them in
their quarters
Was a sketch made OF this build
ing"
Il don't know. They should have
done ~. one man OF engine No.
should have known the layout Of
the floors
Someone should have known
that the doorway on the third noor
was nailed. shouldn't he7"
Yes, / think the captain OF No
did know. but he wasn't az thai
Ere"
III someone knew OF the nailed
doorway. shouldn't be have reported
to you. so you could remedy the
situation"
We have nothing 20 say about
that We find out what we can. and
do the best 20 protect ourselves"
Lieut.. Alex Thompson, one OF the
men who fell from the ladder In
the Fields IRE. believed no diagram
had been made OF the Fields struc
ture. He said the department could
mot get diagrams 81 AL the down
town buildings and concerned itself
only with the larger ones.
Thompson said he wanted 10 gel
a line Of hose into the building be
fore a general alarm was sounded
80 that he might put out the fire
before some other company got "a
work Npd robbed his company Of
the credit for extinsuishing ths
blaze.
There's some competition among
The companies downtown" he re
marked
Thompson said he tried tina fr'
doors and they were unlocked
"You must have left them oper
or the Ere would not have got int
the Fyfe building" said Juro1
Miseh.