# William J. Brown, night operator, fire-alarm telegraph office (Court House)
# Testimony before the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners, session of Thursday 23 Nov. 1871 (day 1), as reported in the Chicago Tribune of 1871-11-24, page 6
# Source: Library of Congress, Chronicling America (lccn sn82014064): https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn82014064/1871-11-24/ed-1/?sp=6 ; OCR text https://tile.loc.gov/text-services/word-coordinates-service?segment=/service/ndnp/dlc/batch_dlc_clark_ver03/data/sn82014064/no_reel/1871112401/0006.xml&format=alto_xml&full_text=1
# Page-OCR lines 564-612; uncorrected OCR; written 2026-09-14T06:28:05Z.
# STATUS: NEWSPAPER REPORT (reported speech with some direct quotation) -- not the stenographic transcript. Bales cites his testimony at Inquiry vol. [1], p. 1. NB the Tribune notes that on this first day no shorthand writer could be procured and Commissioner Brown took the evidence in longhand.

William J. Brown, operator in tho fire-alarm
oilier, tesUfied that ho was on duty in tho
fire-alarm ufllco, in tho Court House, on tho
night of the BUi of October. Mr. Schaffer, the
watchman iu tho lower, notified him, about half
past o o'clock, that there was a tiro and told him
;to strike Box No. DU. Ho scat that box over tho
wires to the engine houses, nnd then looked out
of the ofiicc window facing south and saw tho re
flection in the sky. In a short time tho watch
man called him again, and said ho had been mis
taken—that the firo was not so far off as he had
thought when ho gave him Box No. 3*5, which
is located on the corner of Unlstod street
and Cunulport avenue. As tho hoxwua on tho
Uno of the lire. Brown thought tho tlremon would
not be misled, su he did not strike u nearer box.
If he did to, confusion might ensue. About ten
minutes after the tire alarm ho struck a second,
giving tho tamo box, a few seconds afterwards
several boxes were turned in, and thinking they
were for tho same conflagration, he did not pay
any attention b» them, as a second alarm nod
been given. Obreraing from the window that the
tiro was increasing, he sounded a third ularm, hut
did not cati«o the Court House tall to he rang.
He was relieved by Mr. Fuller, about quarter
after 12 o'clock,nn.Tlolt the oflk-o. Ho went to
tho corner of Randolph and Canal streets, and,
alter nmnirmip there a few moment*, started
down Canal to Madison street, lie crossed tho
bridge and went south on Market street and saw
that a number of shanties near tho Gas Works
were on fln'. Tho Gas Works were not Ignited up
to that Hrue. Ho saw one steamer
at work near fho corner of Monroe and
Market streets, the pipenuu having Iholr boss
load into an alley near Furwoll's warehouse and
Pl*Jhig on some wooden buildings which were
ablaze. Jlo. sun* another cosine, the Coventry, he
thought, whilo he was going Through tho bionics
to get to Madison street, ilo could not toil
whether sho wne working or not. When ho
reached Infinite street, ncurModbon.hosawlhat
,'thereurof the Otlrntal Block was all on firo.
Tho air was full of cinders and burning material,
and he made his way t<» tbo Court lion?*, where
ho remained until the watchmen were driven out
of live cupola, and the oftlsc was on Art*.