| Show DEVISE STILL CHIEF notion to Dismiss Fails on a Tic Vote MfcSSRS NOBLE AND COHN SUSTAIN DEVINE OTHERS FOE DISMISSAL > An Executive Session in Which the and Issues Were Warmly Debated the Chiefs Competency Argued All Agree That the Department Should Have More Men James Devine will continue as chief of Salt Lakes fire department so far In as the charges of incompetency handling the ScottAuerbach fire are concerned The tire and police board so decided last night when an effort to oust the chief failed on a tie vote Noble at the last moment going over to Cohn in defense of the chief The final vote on the matter was tak after the mem en in executive session afer bers for an hour or more had discussed dis-cussed er the evidence brought out in the investigation I was a spirited session ses-sion too The members no doubt expected ex-pected that it would be for every body even Clerk Felt was excluded from the room Further than that the clerk was instructed to be on the lookout for anyone that might attempt at-tempt eavesdropping So far as that i Is concerned the board might have discussed the subject in open session for a very complete report of the secret se-cret proceedings follow The board had expected to call some witnesses and Assistant Chief Donovan Dono-van and Fireman Morton were on hand to take the stand The members however after holding whispered consultations con-sultations decided that it would not l deallh r j be advisable to call members of the i department i would only stir up strife and discord EXECUTIVE SESSION I L I move you now Mr Chairman I that we go into executive session said Dininny i I carried the room was cleared and the session was on The preliminaries were opened by Dininny who at some length discussed the evidence adduced to show that Devine was a thoroughly incompetent man He was followed by Grant who also discussed the manner of fighting the ScottAuerbach fire Cohn joined in and there was a general discussion all around Then came the surprise of the evenIng even-Ing Noble who has been credite3 with opposing the chief all along sided In with Cohn He was probably not so earnest in his defense of the chief as was the former but i was very evident that he would not sanction a 1 removal Nobles position nettled Din inny and Grant and the discussion grew more tropical A deadlock was now apparent and each side warmed up in the debate on the merits and demerits of the case I seems to me began Dininny that from the evidence we have heard Devine does not enjoy the confidence of his men I hos also been plainly shown he ha no discipline an essential essen-tial department qualification for the head of a fire COWARDICE CHARGED AND DENIED DE-NIED I have seen three or four fires myself I my-self interposed Grant in an emphatic em-phatic tone Devine seldom gets I around where the fire is himself He I is afraid and shows very decided symp I I toms of cowardice The men know I this and have no confidence in him He loses his head too easy There is no question in my mind but if hed run a hose into the second I or third floor in the start the fire would never have spread into the Auerbach I building The flames could have been kept from coining through the archway I arch-way The chief i appears had entirely I en-tirely lost his head and did not know either where to begin or stop I At this point Cohn broke in L Well gentlemen as to the coward ice 01 me cnier I am unable to speak at this time We know full well that the department Is not large enough for a city of this size and I fall to see where any evidence has been produced to show the chief incompetent Now gentlemen I am honest about my contentions con-tentions when I say Devine has saved the citr millions of dollars from fire loss I have no doubt about you three gentlemen being sincere in the position you take but I can say I can not for thelife of me see in what respect Mr Devine has been shown incompetent incompe-tent The chief is a sober man an honest man and a man to whose name no scandal is attached He has served the city faithfully I know serve many men in the department who should not be there There are two or three thoroughly bad men who should be kicked out There are some i good men and among these I would Include Sullivan McCarthy Bywater t and others They are good firemen and would be a credit to any city As to the chief showing signs of a cowardice I do not believe it concluded con-cluded Cohn hl I thought him to be a I coward I should not favor his retention reten-tion Cohns speech evidently had a dampening a damp-ening effect on the other members for i was some moments before another word was uttered The silence was finally broken by Grant There ha been no evidence to show shrw tat 2 hose could not have been put throuch n room about 30 feet back from the front and the fire successfully fought from the front of the building A hose could also have been run through George M Scotts I Geore Scots office but i was never attempted There has been no evidence to show that even windows in the front of the building were broken until the fire had consumed I con-sumed the entire structure It was piam mat me aepartment had plenty place of hose but i was not put in the right NOBLES VIEWS Noble said there was a great difference differ-ence of opinion as to how the fire should have been handled I was a question whether it should have been fought from the front or the rear and even experts at this time would be unable to agree on the correct manner of going go-ing about It Noble then spoke about Hiss Smiths rescue and could not see that the chief was to blame in any manner for not getting her off the roof any sooner 0 So fa as I am able to ascertain continued he the chief took no particular > par-ticular stand at the fire he seemed ff to be everywhere I have seen fires in 1 Chicago and the chief never leaves the < i front of the building And a far as l that is concerned the assistant chief 7 ha about as much authority a the I r t chief and his duties are equally as responsible II A discussion as to the place or origin of the fire then followed when Noble again broke in I 01 have talked with Major Downey Colonel Donnellan and other prominent i citizens and they all seemed to be pretty well satisfied with the way the fire was handled I have no feeling in the matter for or against the chief I W I saw both the Opera House fire and the Dlnwoodey fire and neither were any better handled all things considered eredMr Mr Noble then said the firemenhad fremerlad I too lone hours and could notllo as fy good work on that account a might be I expected A policeman wdrks eight hours a day he said and rests 16 while a k fireman has to work 24 hours when occasion I oc-casion demands it Eighteen men are not sufficient for a fire department in 3 city of this Ize Yes there Is no question about there being more men needed in the I department rejoined Dininny I The latter then cast his eyes upon a picture of a smoke protector hanging on the wall Say Mr Noble dont you think those doors between the two buildings could have been closed had the firemen like that men had a smoke protector lke Noble nodded his assent and added that the department had no apparatus I I for fighting smoke f htng Would you then have the chief dismissed I dis-missed on account of lack of apparatus with which to fight a fire edged In Cohn Noble who was now doing most of the talking spoke about the discord existing in the department I was nothing new he said I had always been so and had always been a matter mat-ter of public comment WAS THE TRIBUNE IN IT I By the way said Noble I have I heard the Tribune has a hand in this fight fightYes replied Dininny I heard Pat Lannan had fixed it with Judge Mc I Kay so that neither of the two chiefs would be fired At this point Grant sprung the following fol-lowing resolution which he read Whereas This board after an extended ex-tended and thorough investigation haying hay-ing become convinced that Mr James Devine the chief of the fire department of Salt Lake City is totally incompetent I incompe-tent to nroperly manage the said department I de-partment and that the good of the tse dl service I nl be subserved by hft dismissal I dis-missal from said department therefore 1 be It iResolved j I Resolved Three members of the I board concurring that the said James Devinp chief of the fire department of Salt Lake City be and he is hereby J dismissed from said department said dismissal to take effect at once f What will you do with the resolution I resolu-tion asked Chairman Noble I second it said Dininny Grant then asked How do YOU wish to vote on it by ayes and nays in executive or open session There was no reply to this but the roll was called Dininny voted ayeand eo did Grant No said Cohn very emphatically And rilvvote no said Noble LOST ON A TIE The resolution was declared lost on ate a-te vote Clerk Felt was called in to make the necessary record and the session i ses-sion broke up Noble Dininny and i j Grant walked out together while Cohn I dropped behind and went over to Chief Devine for a chat When Chief Devine was called upon by a Herald man and made aware of the result he declared he had nothing Ito I-to say except that the verdict would meet with the approval of a large majority I jority of the taxpayers |
