HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 1915-08-23 Minutes. Itc‘order Irki Oh y i 80 ' 0
'It i6 J. A. McDonald . A:00nr040°-' , r .
MOved-by H. O.Raliston, eleeonded by J. A. McDonald that Councilman lefty' Woods'
Chairman of the meeting. Motion oarried. ='
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Chairman Hefty announced that at this meeting the complaint made against the fire
0 Department by Frank Keene, whose residence was destroyed by fire on Sunday August,15th
be investigated and the testimony of witnesses heard. 0 Mr. Keenels complain appeared ,
In the Miami Metropolis of Tuesday, August 17th and I will ask the Olerk to read Mr. Keenets
Ictatement0 whereupon the Clerk read a copy of the MIami Metropolis Over the .signature of
; frank A. Keens
,
, Pre-i'erVt.'.**104V'''IPO!Wql.'40.M00101PORPAPAt.,*';.-,r,
Captain 001emai of the Central Wire statuses t
Of Oble chase.
Councilman Hefty: In answer to this cart o1e+ it pintos to t .e li* i*tre ties '0t
City and the Fire Department, it fei upo me, ihe'COMMItteeMOMO in &Attie' e ,
Fire Department to matte investigation of this oomPleint. har 'not aft
the Department for any expiatiation and will *usp.fd Itiddelmeat until: it .ie;.,..
lained; however, it was my unpleasant duty tO 1 a e of the` pool*
terested who have anything to say against the Department and, .I hew* eeoarta
some evidence which I will read myself.
Councilman Ralston: have you the names of the Firemen who were there? Maas all the
Department there?
Councilman Hefty: Only the Northside Department responded to"the Sall.
Councilman Ralston: Was the Chief there?
Hefty: Mr. Coleman,was the Chief there?
Coleman: Assistant Chief ,Adorford, Luit. Small, Firemen Causey, Saith tend
Sebring were first to arrive,
Romfh:' What Department was that?
Coleman: The Northside Department. Chief Chase- and. Driver arrived three or
four minutes later., having to come from down torn.
Romfh: None of the Department down town turned out except the Chief and
driver?
Coleman: That is all.
Hefty: We have the testimony of Mrs. Caswell who lives southwest of the.
scene of the fire and she states she saw the apparatus passing and
only the rear of the Keene house was afire. She seems to think
that most of the house coatld have been saved inasmuch as such small
headway had been made. We also have the evidence of irr. Cloud.
Ralston: Was this evidence given to you?
Hefty: It was. Mr. Cloud says that when the apparatus arrived only the
kitchen was afire and he asked one of the firemen why they did not
use the ohemioal and he replied that it was out of order. He
also says that after the Department was on the scene the firemen had
fifteen or twenty minutes to save the furniture; that the firemen
seemed to be at a total loss as to what to do; that there was a lack
of headwork and the Chief arrived after the house was praotioally
destroyed. Mr. Hires lives immediately to the west of the house
and eays that only the rear was on fire when he arrived and the
Department was already on the scene and says there was ample time to
save everything in the house as there was plenty of volunteers; the
Department did nothing. Mrs. Conklin says she gave buckets to
the firemen,as they were not equipped with buckets, to check the
flames in an out building. She says the Department left brush
burning and the neighbors had to ,go and put out the fire after the
department had left some brush and loge burring and endangering
other property. A gentleman who lives at Buena Vista says that
he was going by the house probably two minutes before the Department
arrived and his hat blew off. He was in a oar and his hat blew
into the yard immediately. in front of the house. He 'stopped the
oar and proceeded about 100 yards and met the fire department oom-
ing and says there was absolutely no smoke from the house at the time'
or he would have seen it. He looked all around and thought, the
Department had quite a show to make some kind of a saving of the
property. Mrs. Keene says there was a garden hose attaohed to the
hydrant at the time and also says the Department reached the house
when the fire was in the extreme west end of the building; the
alarm was turned in to the central station. There was a strong wind
from the east blowing the fire away frog:. the main part of the house;
that the nozzle of the hose of the Chemical engine was placed against
the front window fifty feet away from where the fire was and that the
fireman with the nozzle called to turn on the chemical and that the man
replied that the engine was not workifIg and that the firemen made no
effort to save anything; did not ask if there was anyone in the house,'
if there was any insurance, or if it was .her desire to save anything,'
the only question Baked was as to how the fire started, She alelo
states that there was nothing saved from the front porch. C.
Piero. says that he saw the department pees his hone, got on his
blcyole and reached the house before the aepartment arrived (evident-
ly the department not in a hurry); that there was no smoke visabls
and that the department inquired where the fire was. He states
that he rushed up to the front porch and was ordered by the firemen
not to do so. We also have the testimony of a gentlemen who was
in the Fire Department and says he overheard the oo::versation on the
telephone with Mrs. Keene and she stated she feared the stove would
explode; that the fireman who took the•mesaage seemed to be in-
different and rather laughed about it and finally mentioned it to
one of the other men and after a minute or so turned in the alarm
to the Northeide station and then called the Chief and when the Chief
Dame he sent a man on motorcycle instead of sending the Department.
Romth: Who was the fireman?
Coleman: Hoyt.
Hefty: Continuing the statement of the gentleman who was in the Department,
he says that after the message was transmitted to .the Chief he dis-
a man on motoroyole and of et a minute or two the alarm was turned
in to the north Side Station and the Chief sent a man on motorcycle
instead of sending the department. We have quite a few others who;
have promised to be here.
Peroy Threadgill: I went to the fire but the department had left before I reached the
I saw Mr. Keene leave the Church and when I arrived I saw a lady
carrying water in buokets, putting out a fire. She was about all
in; her olathoa were soaking wet and I helped her oa►rry water in
buckets and we put out stumps fifteen feet of the garage. There
was a oar in the garage and it these trees and stumps had not been
putt out the garage would have burned and possibly the next house as
there was a strong wind ft the east. It was probably about a
half hour after the de ; ., 1sft that I reached tbs firs. If
.may had net oarri, water the whole Brags would have bu
; + t aso+ ►, Mr. Ritter who live* in the nest
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diWOMM tit while we Mere tarryingthietater.
Mr. Ritter: ' I was up there but when I got there the house ***001010110 110.
lady and I saw stumps burning bit WAS vetting firwt0 Us -haft 2'dontt
kdoAlot knot? what bad been Marie betore,„- 1eet Mr..The Ill -thl
know. . I do not know how moth Water.they had orried,Whan ilet-thereli
there was a pretty hot fire but it wag all amblits.. the 114 was 4'
throwing water an the fire where the house was and I told her there wag i
no use but she seemed to be afraid the firs would -blase outandoatels the
garage.
Romfh: Was the Department there then? ,
Ritter: No sir.
Hefty: We want to confine this hearing to those who know something *bout it and'
if there is any one who knows anything we would like to hear from $*m.
i am intermitted in the Fire Department bemuse Zan an honorary member
and have been for a number of years. I have been requested td tome here
to injeot some little information I may have as to possibilities. 1
t, believe that you will find that pOseibilities will enter into thil very
largely. I would like to ask for the fire department to tall on Mr.
Keene and all those interested first before the evident's of the Department
is tailed for. Mr. Gallat here is to give testimony for the department
but I do not think it time to call on him.
a
'Raab: I think the Council is competent to handle this investigation without
!i suggeZtime from outsiders.
Hefty: Of oouree we want to hear from any one who has any knowledge of the firs
either for or against the department.
McDonald: I would like to inquire if the Mayor has any information.
'Ihioror Watson: I do not know that I have any information. I was out there and talked
to the department on Waddell Street and of what information I oould from
them; that was one afternoon since the firebut that is all the informat-
ion I have - just what I obtained from the department. I would like
to ask Mr. Ritter a question: Did I understand you to say that the
department was not there when this water was being oarried?
Ritter: After I went up the second time. I was there about the time the
house was destroyed and went back about an hour after and the department
was not there. They were there the first time working on the garage or
barn.
Dan Hardie: i would like to ask that Mr. Keene would give his testimony and if he
has anything he has seen himself. If not, we have Mr. Morford here
and would like to have him make a statement.
Hefty: The Department will be heard from. As I understand it Mr. Keene has
no evidence at all. He was not at the fire and arrived after the de-
partment had :Left and the house burned down. The evidence eubmittek
was by Mrs. Keane.
Dan Hardie: In order to hurry the matter along, Zr. Morford here, who is assistant
'chief up there and who has been in the department for fifteen years, I
would like for you to interview him noa.
Romfh: I think the Council is able to conduot this investigation without di-
rections from the outside.
Hefty: Mr. Hardie, I will see that a fair investigation is conducted and I say
this without any discourtesy.
Dan Hardie: As a member of the department I am making this plea and not as an out-
sider.
Romfh: 1 still think the Council able to conduct the bearing.
Keene: Pid you read the testimony of jars. Shuok, Mr. Cloud and Mrs. Conrad?
Hefty: I did. Mrs. Shuck stated that the d-partment got there before the flames
were in tie front of the house.
.Keene: These three persons were observant of the fire from the beginning. i'lre
Shuok lives one block from the house and was in an up -stair room near
a window combing her hair and had an unobstructed view. She was attract-
ed by the fire engine, looked out and saw what she thought was smoke
from the rear of the house but it was not prominent enough for her to
connect it with the house at the time. She saw the department stop
in front and the man sitting on the wagon who called my mother who was
tryinC to save sous pictures. My mother ran down the steps toward the
Department, the second time they called her and asked her where to go.
The Council continued the taking of testimony, hearing the statement of Mr. Hires.
Assistant chile Morford made a statement explaining that the chemical wagon was in work-
ing order but that when he arrived and made an examination he saw immediately that it
would be useless to attempt to extinguish the fire with chemicals, it having reaohed &
stage utterly beyond control without water.
Firemen Hoyt, Small and other members of the florth Miami Lepartment Eave their
testimony, Mr. Singleton, Mr. Willis, Frank Gallat and a young man who was inthe auto
with Mr. Gallat also made a statement. Mr. Hallman who lives in Miramar testified and
an affidavit by Mrs. Haywood was read by Chatrman Hefty.
Mr. Keene, the oomplainant, stated that he would like to present some further
evidence in the way of statements from eye witnesses and others and aeked that the
Meeting be continued night, August 24th.
Moved by H. G. Ralston, seconded by Romfh that Council adjourn until August 24th.
motion carried.
Dan Hardie:
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I (cotinued,
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