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About The Evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1920)
TRIDAT, UKHOUR , II THEEVENWQ HERALD, KLAMATH FALLS. OREGON FAQD TWKI.VR J k .. H4699DsBsBsasBSBSBSBsksTv!e Kk. JsSSIskSJe 4 JMSssaaLgegtV You Can Prevent MANY A FIRE BY HAVING A J.M. Success or Foamite Fire Extinguisher IN A CONVENIENT PLACE ON YOUR CAR IN THE HOME OR OFFICE We Are Factory Representatives BALDWIN HARDWARE CO. "THE HOUSE OF QUALITY" MMMMMMMMMMMMW t Cure For a fire low is an insurance policy in one of the companies represented by us. Insurance costs you so little and is such a yoriderful help that you cannot afford to be without it. Carry insurance on your clothing, furniture, building everything. Nothing too small or too big to carry insur ance and we shall be glad to write it for you. James H. Driscoll 432 Looatis Building kktjQtilftMMijktkkkiMkkkAkkkkkkkktkkMMMtkMMW&i FIRE INQUIRY REPORT SCORES CITY COUNCIL (Continued from Fas 1) and protective measures, and hare assumed the attitude that the gov ernment ot Klamath Falls la com petent to take care of Its Interests without outside Interference. , To substantiate tbo above, wo quote a paragraph from a type writ ten communication dated Januarr S3, 1920 to tho stato fir marshnll wrltton on tho official stationery of tho city attorney ot Klamath Falls and signed I. It. Strubte, mayer: "Personally I fall to under stand how tho firo marshal's office can assume Jurisdiction over a matter of this sort, as this city Is a self governing community and the peoplo elect Its officers to use their Judg ment In the government ot tho city. They should be more com petent to know who are quail flod to act as officials ot the city, than someone who prob ably ha rioter seen the city In hit life, or who does not live here." , FactlrtJea Grossly Deficient When the' Houston hotel tire broke out there were only threo persons on duty at the fire department, to-wlt: Fire Chief Keith Ambrose and two volunteer firemen. Assistant Fire Chief Mark Howard, the only other paid fireman, was away on his vaca tion. The. solo fire fighting equip ment available for combatting the blaze was a triple combination, mo tor driven tire truck the capacity of which Is 350 gallons per minute and about 3000 feet of hoso, 1C00 feet ot which was ot comparatively recent purchase. The fire chief Is alvj driver ef tho truck. Ho drove the engine to the nearest hydrant from the tiro where tho two voluntcerr alighted and strung the first ,l(no ot hoso and then drove on and strung the second and third lines alone About this time Sheriff Humphrey and one or two other citizens ar rived to render assistance. Competent witnesses. Including the man who drives the street clean ing apparatus and the night patrol man who were among the first to have been apprised of the fire, testi fied at the Inquest and at our Inquiry that It required from IS to 17 min utes to get the alarm through cen tral to the department. The night telephone operator soya that the call was received and put through with dispatch. The fire was discovered at 3:17 and the alarm was not re ceived at the department until 3:35 according to testimony. Certain It Is. that the department was late In arriving upon the scone and tbo fire had gained much hoadway. Water Pressure Falls The water pressure during the early stages of the tire was very low. Had It been adequate or up to standard Fire Chief Ambrose Is con fident that be could have confined the blase to the hotel at least and saved all of the other buildings des troyed and possibly could have saved the lives of some of the Innocent vic tims. During ihe first few minutes ot the play of the first line ot hoso there was fair pressure, all agree, but the pressure went off some say for a period ot from tea to flfteea rinutea during which interval the heat became so Intense that the fir fighters were forced to five ground. Several residents in the same block could get no water from their garden hose. One man could not get enough water In his bouse to cleanse hi false teeth. . Water system officials account for this serious deficiency in the faco of such an emergency when the first few minutes means the' winning or losing of a battle against the fire fiend as being due to the crossing of 'wires and shutting off of the cur rent to the auxiliary pumper wblcb suppUes' water directly Into the tains. It was alto admitted that om of tho three reservoirs which supplies the city was shut while un dergoing repairs. The wator mains throughout tho city are small not at nil In proportion to the growth ot tho community honco tho pressure, nt best, was not equal to tho do-mand. Conclusion and ItaromturniUUon In view ot tho foregoing facts, deduced from the evidence submit ted at the hearings. Interviews with prominent cltltons and othor Infor mation gathered during our Inves tigation, we are led to tho following conclusions and to the correction of the errors and evils as pointed out In these conclusions we most respect fully submit as our recommenda recemmenda recommenda teons: The tiro started from some un known cause In rubbish at the rear of tho Houston hotel. 'Tho tiro department Is utterly lacking and sorely deficient In me chanical and othor flro-tlghtlng ap paratus and oqulpment and the man power Is far too tow for a community ot tho site. (As a result of tho flro somo extra men have boon put on tho flro fighting force nt losst tem porarily.) The water system, especially the mains In tho business section, Is wholly Inadequate as was' evidenced by tho failure of the pressure when put to tho crucial test. Tho nmlns nro theso originally Installed for tho small town of n few hundred people and their capacity la not at all In keeping with the Industrial and pop ulation growth of the city. The tiro alarm aystom Is not In keeping with the community ot Kla math Falls and Its rapidly develop ing proportions and responsibili ties. The city la deplorably lacking In fire prevention and protective ordi nances and sadly In need of legisla tion to cure the evils which mist at present and have been permitted to eiUt for mora than a year past, and to clothe the flro chief with ample In spection and curatlvo authority with out being handicapped and hindered by petty political and factional strife and Jealousies. "Homebody In lbMiponlble" The officials who shape the politi cal destiny ot Klsmath Falls from the mayor down are men of sterling worth and unimpeachable character, so far as tho results ot our Investiga tion disclosed. Tho great troublo seomn to be that they nro too easygoing- of tho "It never has hoppen ed and. therefore, It novor will hap pen" sort. They feel and appreciate their duties and responsibilities keen ly: their motives are unquestioned and their openly avowed ambition to clean, up and rlej their proud city of Its deadly menaces may bo sin cere, but they seem to lack the cour ago ot tbelr convictions. They shrink from hurting anyone's business or feelings and their courago crumbles and falls before the least criticism or oppolstlon until they have coma, by force of habit, to choose the course of least resistance. Tho cltlxenshfp of Klamath Falls, too, Is of the highest order of God fearing and Clod-loving peoplo. Thoro Is not a man or woman endowed with ordinary powors or observation and reasoning but Is and had been aware of the dangerous conditions that have threatened their community and home-life for many months. They, like the peoples of other com munities, are so thoroughly Imbued with the lore of peace, harmony and prosperity that they dread the dis cordant agitation fora betterment of civic conditions. Most everyone Is "too busy making money" and hav ing a good time to lend ear to tho calamitous harplngs for clvle re forms. "Retrenchment in govern mental affairs" along tha line of cut ting down budgets and lowering taxes Is far more muilcal and bar aonlous. Chief of fire department Ambrose Is particularly qualified for tho posi tion ot chief and Is greatly Interest ed in firs prevention and Inspection work, and If given the 100 oe-of ratlon of the city officials It Is only reasonable to presume that the firs waste in Klamath Falls could be re duced at least 60 and possibly mjore. Too Marh "l'lnK The Tlurk" The mayor "passes the buck" to the council and the council passes It, on to the people. Klamath Falls, however, has learned her lesson in the hard school of experience, heart rending and regretable though It has boon, of frightful cost .of lethargic Indifference and dallying with serious tablea of civic tasKoretsMt 1om provontlve and protective lines, and we feel euro at least wo sluceruty hope that thoso precious lives hare not been sacrificed In vain. Wo do not fool competent or call ed upon to ptaco tho blamn for this turrlblo calamity. Nobody Is willing to assume the blame or responsibili ty for tbo disaster personally nor to point tho finger of accusation toward any Individual or group of porsons yet, In tho language of one of the leading mombera of the Klamath Falls clergy who delivered an elo quent sermon upon thu occasion ot the public and Joint memorial ser vices, held In respect to the victims whose Innocent lives wore sacrificed upon tho altar ot carolessnoss said: "Homeono Is responsible tor this tragedy, Itesponslble to Ood, to tho nation, for the loss ot Its citizen, to the state aud VSBS9ffiS9e?!99Se99SBSBF!aSSSBSSSaBSB to the city, and, most of all to the relatives ot those victims. Wo aro dtsgrarod In the eyes of tha whole slate. Wo ore brand ed as a community whoro the law Is not enforced and wo aro sunk low In our nolglibnr's es teem, let us udnilt our humil iation frankly and corroct It by sincere reform." Wo submit herewith tho transcripts ot testimony produced at the coron er's Inquest, prior to our arrival upon the scene, and that elicited at pur own hearing (112 pages-transcript of testimony) In support of the foregoing findings and In Justifica tion ot the conclusions. Itespectfutty yours, II, If. I'OMKUOY, Chief Deputy Fire Marshal. OIMIKUT W, AI.I.KN, Asa't. Deputy Fire Marshal SSSBSBSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSggl ss s i iissmssssssss A Suggestion For that chilly bedroom or bathroom try a Radiant Electric Heater We carry a complete line of Westinghouae, Rutenber and Majestic Radiant Heaters. They can be attached t to any lamp socket, and are '&?: S-A-F-E Link River Electric Co. Seventh and Klamath Phone 171 Incidentally don't neglect Have a Pyrene Fire Extinguisher in your Ford Car or Truck. Also have one in your Garage. FORD Car or Truck (- v' 'w it 11 S H For Sal by j DANNER-PATTY MOTOR CO. 123 So. ft St I VIMf miilMMIIM HMsm J