Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-10-26
ORDINANCES WILL
UNDERGO CHANGE
Ohio Building Fire Causes the
City Commissioners to
Strengthen Laws.

Tulsa's biggest fire, which cost th'
lives of two firemen and resulted II
property damage estimated at $500,
600 will result in sweeping changes
in building ordinances in this city
and will usher in an era of law en-
forcement in this respect which vii
have as its aim the elimination Of suci
hazards forever in this city. such wa
the declaration Of city officials yes
tefday. when asked II the mayor anC
board of city commissioners woult
order surveyor the fire-swept ais
trict at their usual Friday meeting TO-
day.
Have IOrcsccn Need.
For many months, there has beer
no question in the minds Of Mayor j
H. simmons and the board of commits
sioners that Tulsa was lax in the pro
lection thrown about property owner
in the way of building regulations ant
fire protection. Efforts to increase
the efficiency OF the law, and to elimi'
nate hazards, however, have met witt
violent opposition from some property
owners and builders, and even injunc-
tions and restraining orders have beer
rosorted to that the constitutionalitS
of the city ordinances might be Chal-
lenged.
Now that the city has lost two OF
its most valuable fire fighters and the
city has suffered loss of more thar
100000 in investment, the time has
come to act, and the city officials are
ready TO make a last effort to save the
people from a repetition of Tuesday
mornings conflagration.
I'VE have been met at every turn,
declared Mayor simmons yesterday
afternoon. "by property owners whc
were not willing to protect their own
interests, or those of adjacent prop
erty when we sought to enforce reGu-
lations which we thot proper for such
protection. The courts have been ap-
pealed to and we have found our
hands tied with inJunctions when we
made efforts to enforce these ordi-
nances"
Builders Objected.
The mayor would offer no solution
for the problem which confronts prop
erty owners and tenants in sections
whore roominG houses and hotels are
operated above garages. The fact that
one fire in such a place might cost
scores Of lives and thousands of dol
ldTS Ill property was wen hnOWn 10
the mayor, he declared, but efforts to
abate such hazards had met with in
functions which had acted TO tie the
hands of the officials seeking to en-
force the law.
The safeguarding of property and
lives from fire is not to be overlook ed
in the future, Mayor Simmons de-
clared, and the new charter which is
being framed, and the ordinances
which are to follow along these lines
will deal with this problem without
the use of gloves. The establishing OF
such hazards will be treated as a nui-
sance. and every facility in the hands
of the officials will be used to rid the
city of them. Additional equipment
for the fire department. and the prob
able establishing of new new stations,
will follow Tuesday mornings fire,
which showed well that the equipment
and department, at its present stage,
was not capable of guarding a city of
this size.
The exact time for the funeral of
Ben Hanes, one OF the two firemen
killed in the fire, has not been de-
cident according to relatives last night
These arrangements will be made
upon the arrival in the city of other
relatives who have been summoned,
and after it has been decided whether
q public funeral shall be held, as was
suggested by the student body of the
night classes at Central high school.
Mrs. Ada Walton, mother of Hanes,
who resides at POI South Frankfort,
tho weakened from the shock brought
her with the news of her sons death.
Is improved. as are his sisters and
brother who have been with the
mother since the death of their
brother. Among the other members
of Hanes' immediate family who re-
side in Tulsa, there are: Mrs b. f..
Blankenship, 523 South Cincinnati;
Mrs. Edward l.. Fox. 1902 South Bos-
ton; Mrs. w. A. Magnes, POI South
Frankfort, and Miss Priscilla Hanes,
POI South Frankfort, all sisters, and
Floyd f. Hanes, POI South Frank
fort. a brother.
The funeral arrangements for Ross
Shepard, the other fireman killed
in the wreck of the stairway in the
Mayo building, have not been COM
pleted and until out town relatives
arrive, no time will he set for these
services. tho 1t is probable that they
will\be held with those over the body
of Hanes in the event n public flu
neral is decided upon. The body of
Hanes has been placed in charge of
his mother, sisters and brother who
will announce the time of the flu
neral.
INIIn n uuurr nrNINnN 40