# First witnesses of 1 Dec. 1871 (names in segment)
# Testimony before the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners, session of Friday 1 Dec. 1871 (day 8), as reported in the Chicago Tribune of 1871-12-02, page 4
# Source: Library of Congress, Chronicling America (lccn sn82014064): https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn82014064/1871-12-02/ed-1/?sp=4 ; OCR text https://tile.loc.gov/text-services/word-coordinates-service?segment=/service/ndnp/dlc/batch_dlc_clark_ver03/data/sn82014064/no_reel/1871120201/0004.xml&format=alto_xml&full_text=1
# Page-OCR lines 1640-1680; uncorrected OCR; written 2026-09-14T06:28:05Z.
# STATUS: NEWSPAPER REPORT (reported speech with some direct quotation) -- not the stenographic transcript. 

The Board 01 Police and Fire Commissioners
yesterday resumed their inquiries into the cause
of the spread of the fire. F. T. Sweeny was the
first witness called. lie was foreman of tha
Hook and Ladder No. 1, and arrived at the seen*
of the tire in answer to the second alarm. Even
on Ids arrival he believed tho fire could have boon
stopped. He asked Assistant Marshal Schank
why Bob Williams did uot move the engines to
the north of the lire. Sohanck said he had made
the suggestion, but Williams told him to go to
h—ll.” No engines were to the north
of the lire before the third alarm
had been given. The wind was blowing very
bard when he arrived. He could not explain tho
luck of hose that prevailed. Mr. Chadwick
thought it might t>e occasioned by tho rapid
change of situation by the engines incident to tho
fixe. Swcmysaid tho engines uovedmore rapid
ly than they had reason. Several of them left a
wmm place before there was any necessity for
doing so. The Wabarsla moved from the corner
of Taylor and Clinton street; the Sherman and
Long John returned to tho same place
and protected each other. Tim Coventry moved
away from the ping on. Polk street, and the Uuud
from Bateham’s null, before there wis any occa
sion for so doing. Tho management of the list
engine was as good as could bo expected, and its
loss was on ing to no Incompetence on the part of
the foreman, us there wore no Marshals in the
neighborhood, and no head to a Hairs generally.
The lire did not move rapidly across Monroe
street, cor until it had been through the Armory.
When be readied me ties tbo.ro were four streams
plaving to the south of it. He onlv saw Williams
once; that was on tho corner of Mather ami Ca
nal streets.
The Fire Marshal then cross-examined the wit
ness. The replies tended to show tlut there was
very little affcctiou wasted between the