Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-09-28
FIRE MARSHAL ROE TO TAKE
PROMPT ACTION FOLLOWING
INSPECTION.
SOME FIRE MENAcEs
MUST GO; HE SAYS
Business District Is Inspected and Fire
Marshal Prepares TO Serve Notice
ca Owner. to Remove Buildings or
Make Repairs az Direeted-Wiil
Submit Ordinance.

| district that are notorious IL .
hazard are to be removed. Owners are
/ to be notified at once to remove.
Owners of score or more Of other
buildings that are fire hazards, but
! which can be fire PROCEED by repairing,
are to be served with notice to repair
them at once. Other owners who are
| maintaining fire hazards on their
| business property are to be notified to
remove such hazards.
That is the summary Of an inspection
| Of business property made Thursday
afternoon by state Fire Marshal Ole O.
| Roe and members of the city council
and Fire Chief A. T. Anderson.
Serve Notice on Many.
The inspection was the direct result
Of the lumber yard and church fire last
Saturday. Before returning to Des
Moines in the evening Fire Marshal
| Roe said TO the T.-R.:
u shall al once serve notice on the
owners OF twenty-five or thirty build
iuss and premises that fire hazards
| maintained by them must be either
removed. fire PROCEED, or cleaned up.
There are some buildings that must
go. There Is no question about it:
they are too much a menace to sur
rounding property, to be allowed TO
exist where they are. There are others
that can bv repaired or rebuilt so as
TO De fire proof which. if so repaired
can be allowed to stand There are
many business premises thai contain
combustible materials that must be
cleaned up and kept clean
The names and addresses OF owners
and properties filling a long list were
taken by Fire Marshal Roe for the
purpose of serving notice on them.
Feed Sheds Must Go.
y have ample authority under the
state laws 20 force the removal OF
buildings that are a fire hazard said
Marshal Roe, but it is not my intention
TO use my authority arbitrarily. But
there are certain cases here that must
be dealt with summary, and II It Is
necessary TO do so shall use the full
power the Law gives me"
The feed sheds al the corner Of
Church and Center streets were one OF
the fire hazards that aMTshal Roe said
must be removed.
The repairing done 10 these bu!l6-
ings, IN order TO prevent them from
being removed two years ago" said ne,
made them practically no more ire
proof than they We're before.
Another fire hazard Marshal Roe
Indicated would have TO be removed is
the old frame guiding AT 100 East
Church street. owned BIZ Schmelz and
flied nearly 10 the roof with second
hand household goods owned by George
Pitcher.
Elicit Can Not Rebuild.
Il was the opinion Of Fire Marshal
Roe and members o. the city council
that Rev. o. D. Elicit would not be
allowed 10 rebuild in its present form
his badly burned building at West
Church street. It was also their
opinion that the Atkinson estate would
not be allowed TO remodel without fire.
proottnz the damage outhuildings OF
the residence property al West
Church street.
It Is quite probable that out OF the
fire experience Of last week viii grow
more stringent city regulations govern
ing FIRE risks IN the business section
Marshal Roe is to submit TO the council
An ordinance covering this subject and
providing for periodical inspection Of
property TO prevent risks.
More on Removal Order.
Marshal Roe brought with MIN ths
correspondence that passed between
him. G. 9. Woocmansee Councilman
Ed T. Austin, then superintendent Of
public safety. and Fire Chief l. T.
Kirby, then head Of the fire department.
regarding the removal Of the feed sheds
at Center and Church streets which
were 1nen owned Dy woodmansee. The
correspondence traces the result of the
investigation TO its finish and shows
that after at first objecting TO APPROX
ing the proposal made by woodmansee
that he repair the buildings to prevent
them being removed, as ordered by the
fire marshal, Councilman Austin later
recommended in substance that Wood
mansee be allowed to repair the build
ings as the loss by removal would be
a serious one To this Recommendation
Fire Marshal Roe replied that. while
he believed that the patching up Of
the buildings would still continue the
fire menace, he would not interpose
objection to an arrangement for repairs
provided it was satisfactory to the
city Chief Kirby, early in the
correspondence, also objected to Wood
mansee being allowed to repair the.
buildings. Under the arrangement
Austin suggested Woodmansee was
oI1ouad m renair the buildings