Evening star., 1947-08-15
Board Is Urged
To Repriinand
Or Fine James
Trioi Hearing Ends
With Beard PIeu Not to
Remove Fire Cuptuin

WIN SSAt ~ wv t<Vt w
Remove Fire Captain
A four day Fire Department trial
board hearing into charges against
suspended Capt. William v. James
closed today with a plea by Assistant
Corporation Counsel Edward A.
Beard that Capt. James be fined or
Teprimanded rather than removed.
Mr.. Beard asked that the board
do nothing that would weaken
Capt. James potential service to the
District.
I'VE owe this to the District tax
payers" he said, because he has
been trained for more than 20 years
at the taxpayers expense"
Defense Attorney Renah Camalier
terming the charges growing out Of
an explosion at No. 18 engine house
July II strange and unprecedented
in the department" asked the board
not tu punish Capt. James "for
something his superiors condoned.
Called Common Practice"
"Let the chips fall on the guilty
and it won't be Capt. James," he
said. Don't let Capt. James be the
goat in this matter"
The three-member boards find
ings will be sent within a week, via
the departments chief engineer, to
the District Commissioners, who
have power to complete action in
the matter. The only appeal in such
cases is to the Commissioners.
Capt. James acted wrongfully
when he ordered the use of gasoline
and oil to clean and coat a boiler at
the engine house, Mr.. Beard said.
Four firemen were injured in the re-
sultant explosion and Capt. James
was suspended and the charges
brought before the board.
"Only when common practice be-
comes dangerous is it restricted or
prohibited, Mr.. Camalier said in
pointing out that the department
now has prohibited the use of oil
thinned with gasoline in maintain
ing boilers in engine houses.
AtLdCkS 1cSSAuuUuys
1.-THE department woke up after
this accident" he said This is
Just a case of closing the barn door
after that old nag common prac-
tice' has gone"
Ten chiefs and captains testified
that the gas-oil mixture ordered by
Capt. James to clean or coat boiler
before the explosion was used gen.
orally in the, department, he said,
adding that 1.-The Government is try
ing to prove that Capt. James is
guilty because he did something
every one was doing"
Mr.. Camalier attacked the testi-
mony of Fire Marshal Raymond c.
Roberts and Deputy Chiefs Frank
G. Berry and J. A. Mayhem at some
length and declared that friends
of Capt. James who testified for
him are friends of the fire depart
ment who do not want to see any
dissension in the department"
Character Not Questioned.
"How can it be that man with
more than 20 years training as a
fireman could not know the dam
gerous propensities of gasoline?" Mr..
Beard said. This was not any un-
avoidable accident. He took the
horrible chance, endangering the
lives of four men"
Capt. James character is not
questioned by the prosecution, Mr..
Beard said.
He pointed out that there had
been conflicting testimony about the
common practice" of using the gas
oil mixture which Capt. James tes-
titled he followed.
Even so," he said, "a common
practice would not justify him. In
formation was available as to the
dangers of gasoline vapors which
any child could understand"
Cites Department Order.
He pointed out that the depart
ment had issued an order prohibit
ing the refueling of apparatus in
doors because of the danger from
gasoline vapors. The vapors from
the mixture at No. 18 house July IL
are believed to have exploded upon
contact with fire in stove nearby
The board recessed yesterday, af-
ter receiving testimony from veteran
firemen who disagreed as to the
propriety of Capt. James order.
Defense testimony by seven fire.
men, each with experience OF 20
wears or more, was to the effect
that Capt. James had used good
Judgment. Deputy Chiefs Berry and
Mayhew, however, told the board,
as had Fire Marshall Roberts pre-
yiously, that in their opinion Capt.
James did not use good Judgment
and thereby jeopardized the lives
Of his men.
Chief Berry is now acting head
of the department in the absence
of Chief Murphy, who is on vaca-
ton.
Crankcase Oil Suggested.
Can't. James ordered the use OF
the gas-oil mixture in the absence
of crankcase oil, which the boiler
INSPECTORS had suggested. He tes-
titled that it was common prac-
tice" in the department to use
the mixture, and his defense wit
nesses corroborated him. But,
Chiefs Berry and Mayhem, each
with more than 40 years experience,
said they had never heard OF 1t
being used.
The final witness yesterday was
I ]. Dalstrom, superintendent OF
machinery, who said he had never
received a request for crankcase
oil for boiler use from any captain
before July II.
Viroinia Man Awarded