The Ely miner., 1943-06-17
GAS ORDINANCE
TO BE Drawn UP
Fire Marshal Warns City to
Eliminate Alley Paper
Fire Hazard.


control gasoline storage tanks and will
be considered by the city council at it's
next regular meeting
The council ordered the city attorney
and fire chief to prepare the ordinance
after a conference with L Erickson and
R. j. Martineau, deputy state fire mar
shals, Tuesday night.
Erickson warned the council that it
should correct an alley waste paper
hazard he found in the city, and de-
clared that things like this" will lose
Ely its Is per cent reduction in fire
insurance rates which went into effect
here, and throughout northern Min
nesota, last March.
Erickson said he found a six-foot
stack of paper boxes and refuse in an
alley in the business district, which
if ignited might take a whole block
along with it."
Erickson said he and Martineau had
inpected the bulk gasoline tanks at the
many letters, petitions and long dis
tance telephone calls received by the
state fire marshal complaining of the
fire hazard created by the tanks.
He recommended:
l. The area under the tanks be
graveled, and issued an order to the
tank owners that this be carried out.
g That safety valves be installed on
all tanks, and reported that some of
the tanks were not equipped with the
valves.
8. That concrete dixie with capac-
ity 10 per cent greater than the tank
be erected around each tank.
4. That an area be set aside for the
erection of any new tanks.
He emphasized that state law did not |
give the fire marshal authority to or
der that these measures be carried out, |
with the exception of the graveling, |
and that they must be put into effect |
by city ordinance.
It was brought out at the meeting |
that E1y's ordinance, enacted about a |
year ago, requiring that all new tanks |
be erected one mile outside the city 1
limits is meaningless, because the city |
has no jurisdiction over property out
side its limits
1t was also established that none of |
the bulk tank owners had ever secured |
permission from the city to erect the |
present tanks.
'"The council then can order the |
tanks out tomorrow" Erickson said.
Erickson said he foresaw the growth |
of Ely as resort center after the war,
and that the council should take &C
ton now in controlling fire hazards |
which might accompany this growth. |
He said that the lack of proper |
safety valves on C1oquet's bulk gaso-
line tanks caused them to explode !
when the grass fire under them heated
and expanded the gasoline therein.
The visiting fire marshals also or
dered the city to make certain doors |
and frames at the detention hospital |
fireproof.
Upon the request of Alderman Will
liam R. Harri, the city clerk was in
structed to see if federal funds would
DG dVdlldDl6 lOT LIE 1lIlpIOtOillCllG VI /
Ely's county-owned landing field. He
also recommended that the council |
consider the purchase of garbage in
but no formal action was
taken on this suggestion.
The bid of s4.90 per hour for power
shovel and operator submitted by Tom
Richards was accepted by the council.
Gianotti & Sershen bid S675 per hour.
What Alderman Joseph Klun, Jr,
called duck pond" on James street
was referred to the city engineer for
correction The engineer was also ask
ed to report on the measures necessary /
to correct the low spots in the cutters
in the east end of town, upon the re-
quest of Alderman Joseph Koschak.
Alderman Koschak also asked that
the garage foreman submit an estimate
on the cost of converting the garbage /
truck to a box-type truck so that it
could be used for other purposes. 1t
is employed only half day on garbage |
collection, he pointed out.