# Opening of the session of 2 Dec. 1871
# Testimony before the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners, session of Saturday 2 Dec. 1871 (day 9), as reported in the Chicago Tribune of 1871-12-03, page 4
# Source: Library of Congress, Chronicling America (lccn sn82014064): https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn82014064/1871-12-03/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/1871120301/0004.xml&format=alto_xml&full_text=1
# Page-OCR lines 901-919; uncorrected OCR; written 2026-09-14T06:28:05Z.
# STATUS: NEWSPAPER REPORT (reported speech with some direct quotation) -- not the stenographic transcript. 

The Police and Fire Commissioners resumed
their investigation yesterday morning. Tho first
witness was Sergeant Charles French, who gave
a general statement of his* experience on the oc
casion, without throwing any more light upon tbo
subject. Thomas Ockolby, night Superintendent
of the South Side Gas Works, was called. Ho saw
a largo brand fall upon tho tar house, and fire
immediately broke out on the South Side. The
flames spread rapidly, and so fearful was he of
the destruction of tho Eas Works that he opened
the valves to send the supply to tho North Side.
He opened* them himself. A fire engine
was playing on* the corner, and he went to tho
pipemen and asked them to play on the works*
but they refused to do so. They allowed him .to
use tho lead of hose himself. His testimony was
essentially that of Messrs Peter and Thomas
Burtis, given a day or two ago.