the Office of Price Administration for the purpose of registering for War Ration Book No. 2 on Wednesday, February 24, 1943, from 3 p. m. to 9 p. m., and on Thursday, February 25, 1943, from 9 a. m. to 9 p. m.; that, according to their information, knowledge, and belief, Mr. N. V. Dyer, superintendent of school, and Mr. George Sublette, principal of the school, closed and locked the school building at some time between 9:30 and 10 o'clock p. m. Thursday night before the building was destroyed a few hours later, and at approximately 5:10 a. m.; that the building had been completely relinquished to the Office of Price Administration for this purpose, and no school or classes had been held in the building for 2 days, and the building was in no way in charge of, nor in the custody or control of the school officials during the registration of said ration books; that the building destroyed was the newest addition to the high-school campus, and was not a fire hazard, being a one-story brick-veneered building, which cost approximately $33,000, and that the equipment destroyed, consisting of school desks, stoves, machines, the band and other musical instruments, the library, and other valuable assets, could not be replaced at this time for $10,000. Deponents say, based upon information they have received from architects and contractors, it would take approximately $60,000 under present conditions to restore the building to its former condition. In other words, the loss to the Summerville School District is $60,000 in addition to the $20,000 which the insurance company paid for the building and $2,000 for the equipment. In other words, according to deponent's information, it would cost between $80,000 and $85,000 to restore the building complete with the equipment therein, due to present prices of materials and equipment, as well as labor; that they have received insurance in the sum of $20,000 for the building, and $2,000 for the equipment. Deponents further say that they do not see how any person could have observed during the fire that there was any indication that this fire started in, at, or near the science room, as it was one of the places to burn longest, and was in the back part of the building and nearer the furnace room, and the other portion of the building was destroyed first; that they do not know whether the science room was used by the Office of Price Administration or not, but the main hall was used all of its length by registrants in going to various classrooms where they registered and received their books, and all other areas traversed by people in entering and leaving the building there were numerous cigar and cigarette stubs, which were thrown down by people while in the building, and while deponents cannot positively say exactly what caused this fire, they are certain in their information, knowledge, and belief that it was not destroyed due to any electrical disturbance, from the science room or boiler room, for the reasons given in the affidavit of Fred B. Elrod and Earl Beatty, electrical engineers, and it is to be assumed that the building would still be standing and ready for use if the Office of Price Administration had not used it for the purposes herein before stated; that the building had not been used for any educational or other school activities for the period relinquished to the Office of Price Administration, and the fire could not have originated from causes in connection with school activities, and there is only one assumption to be had in this connection, and that is that the fire originated from the use by the Office of Price Administration of the high school premises, as there was no other apparent agency of any kind or character that could have caused the fire. Deponents are informed that information has been advanced to the Office of Price Administration, Washington, D. C., that the agreed value of the building destroyed by fire is reported to be $32,206, and the agreed value of the equipment is reported to be $8,717; that these figures were never agreed to by the undersigned, nor did they know of anyone agreeing to same, but say that the loss of the building and fixtures and other valuable assets therein is between $80,000 and $85,000, and that $22,000 has been paid by the insurance company. LEON J. GAMBLE,_Chairman. Sworn to and subscribed before me this 4th day of June 1943. [SEAL] W. C. HARDY, J. P. GEORGIA, Chattooga County: Before me, an officer of said State duly authorized by law to administer oaths, personally appeared N. V. Dyer, who, first being duly sworn, deposes and says that he is the superintendent of the Summerville public schools of Summerville, Ga.; that the Office of Price Administration used the high-school building which was destroyed by fire on the morning of February 26, 1943, for the purpose of registering for War Ration Book 2; that no classes or school activities were had in this building on Wednesday, February 24, 1943, from 3 p. m. to 9 p. m. nor during the day February 25, 1943, from 9 a. m. to 9 p. m., and that deponent, together with other members of the faculty and individuals who had been solicited to help in this undertaking were busily engaged in this governmental project during such hours almost constantly and incessantly, very little time being taken off to eat or for recesses. Deponent says that during the day February 25, 1943, that great throngs of individuals entered this high school building for the aforesaid purpose, and went from various rooms to various rooms as directed by those in charge for the purpose of registration; that the halls of the building were lined with people awaiting their turn to be waited upon; that deponent quit his duties on several occasions and went to various individuals who were smoking in the halls, classrooms, and other rooms in the building, which were being used for the aforesaid purpose, and urged and directed that they not smoke in the building, that it was dangerous; that he did all that he could, not having any police protection, in an endeavor to render whatever service he and the members of his force could in the governmental undertaking, and that despite this request made by deponent, both men, women, and boys were smoking in the building, and throwing their cigar and cigarette stubs on the floors of the halls and classrooms, and other parts of the building, which the people of necessity had to enter and leave, and that there were waste-paper baskets and other disposal cans in the building which were used for school purposes, in which there was paper and other materials that would ignite from cigar stubs, cigarette stubs, and persons emptying their pipes therein; that at 9:30 p. m. on the night of February 25, 1943, deponent and those who had assisted in the registration mentioned above locked the schoolhouse, and departed for their respective homes, and that the building in which this registration had taken place was destroyed by fire approximately 7 hours later. Deponent further deposes and says that an inference has been drawn in some way and manner by some person or persons that this fire may have originated from the science room, and in this connection deponent says that there was only a very small amount of chemicals therein, and such as they had were in glass cans with metal tops, which could not have caused the building in question to have been destroyed by fire, and that it had not been insisted that this laboratory or science room had been used for the purpose of rationing War Ration Book 2. Deponent says that throngs of people entered and left the building during the last day, and until approximately 9:30 that night, and that they smoked continuously in the building, and those that indulged in smoking carelessly threw their cigarette and cigar stubs wherever they pleased, and this would in many instances be near waste-paper baskets or disposal baskets in the hall where individuals were standing in line and awaiting their turn to be registered; that while deponent cannot positively state that this building was destroyed from this carelessness, he verily believes same to be the direct cause, which belief is corroborated by the fact that the portion wherein the boiler room, science room, chemical laboratory, and that section of the building in this area burned longest, which would indicate to any normal mind that that part of the building burning last was not the origin of the fire, but that the fire originated in some other extremity of the building, to wit: In the area which was being used by the Office of Price Administration for rationing purposes. Deponent says that it is natural to assume and say that had the Office of Price Administration not used the building in question that it would still be standing as erected, unless some person had been guilty of willfully setting fire to same, as every scientific investigation that has been made since shows that the building was not destroyed by defective electrical wiring, appliances, or connections, nor from the science room, boiler room, or laboratory, which leaves the only conclusion that it was destroyed by cigarette stubs or cigar stubs being thrown into one of these wastebaskets or cans which took a long time to ignite; that the Office of Price Administration seems to be laboring under the impression that certain observations were made during the fire, which would indicate that the fire originated in or near the science room; that the science room was not used, but the main hall outside thereof was used by registrants in going to the rooms where they received their ration books, and all evidences which the officials have been able to ascertain points to the one conclusion that the building was destroyed by some person carelessly throwing a lighted cigar or cigarette into one of the wastepaper baskets or cans, and had not the Office of Price Administration been using the building this would not have occurred. Deponent further says that he has made an investigation in an effort to determine what it will cost to restore this building, fixtures, and equipment therein, in addition to the $22,000 insurance, which has been paid, and is of the opinion, based upon reliable individuals, including contractors, electricians, and materialmen that it will take in the neighborhood of $60,000 more to replace the building and equipment. In other words, the total loss is approximately $80,000 under prices prevailing at this time. Deponent says that had the Office of Price Administration furnished those who were engaged in the 1ationing and issuance of ration books with sufficient police protection, as well as watchmen to have prohibited this careless and negligent activity taking place, that this fire loss doubtless would not have been suffered by this community. Deponent further says that he and the members of his faculty were doing all within their power to issue ration books as rapidly as possible and accommodate the large crowd of persons entitled to same, and that their attending to their espective duties in connection therewith would not permit them to be constantly going out in the hall and other rooms stepping on burning cigars and cigarettes putting them out; that he did the best he could under the circumstances, and is convinced that this is the direct cause of the building being destroyed by fire. N. V. DYER. Sworn to and subscribed before me this 8th day of June 1943. [SEAL] W. C. HARDY, Justice of the Peace, GEORGIA, Chattooga County: To Whom It May Concern: Before me, W. C. Hardy, J. P., personally appeared Agnes Hammond who, being duly sworn, deposes and says that she was in the high-school building about 2 o'clock February 25, 1943, to sign up for her Rationing Book No. 2 and that the rooms and halls were crowded with people and there was lots of cigarette and cigar smoking going on, especially in the halls where so many people were waiting their turn to sign up. AGNES HAMMOND. Sworn to and subscribed before me this 7th day of June 1943. [SEAL] Personally appeared before me, W. C. Hardy, J. P., H. L. McGinnis, who on oath says that on February 25, 1943, that he went to the Summerville High School Building that night at about 8:45 p. m. to get his wife who was helping Issue War Ration Book No. 2. He further states that while waiting in the hall that he saw cigarette stubs on the floor. This 8th day of June 1943. H. L. MCGINNIS. Sworn to and subscribed to before me this 8th day of June 1943. [SEAL] GEORGIA, Chattooga County: W. C. HARDY, J. P. Personally appeared before me, John S. Jones, clerk superior court, C. G. Gilreath, who on oath deposes and says on February 25, 1943, that he was one of the last persons to register at Summerville High School for War Ration Book No. 2 on the above date. He further says that there was a lot of waste paper that had accumulated from the day's work of the registrars of these war books, this paper was scattered over the floor by the applicants for war ration books. Some of the applicants were smoking cigarettes and cigars, and were careless about lighting and disposing of these cigarettes and cigars. This 8th day of June 1943. C. G. GILREATH. Sworn to and subscribed to before me this 8th day of June 1943. [SEAL] JNO. S. JONES, Clerk, Superior Court. GEORGIA, Chattooga County: Before me, an officer entitled by law to administer oaths, personally appeared the undersigned, being a citizen and resident of Summerville, Chattooga County, Ga., and depose and say that I was in the high-school building which was destroyed by fire on the morning of February 26, 1943; that during the late evening before the building was destroyed, and up until the schoolhouse was closed I saw various individuals smoking cigars and cigarettes in the building throw same on the floor of the classrooms and in the hallways, and that these lighted cigarettes and cigars would be thrown near waste-paper baskets, which were used in the classrooms, and disposal cans in the hallway; that there were great throngs of people in the building all during the day and until closing time; that it was apparent that Mr. N. V. Dyer, school superintendent, and his faculty were doing all they could in their power to issue ration books as rapidly as possible, and that there was no one in the building who appeared to have any interest in the careless and negligent way in which people threw lighted cigars and cigarettes on the floor of the building. GRADY F. Allen. Sworn to and subscribed before me the 8th day of June 1943. [SEAL] JNO. S. JONES, Clerk, Superior Court. GEORGIA, Chattooga County: Before me, an officer entitled by law to administer oaths, personally appeared the undersigned, being a citizen and resident of Summerville, Chattooga County, Ga., and depose and say that I was in the high-school building which was destroyed by fire on the morning of February 26, 1943; that during the late evening before the building was destroyed, I entered same to register for War Ration Book No. 2 and found the building so crowded after waiting for almost an hour that I could not get to register and went home. While in the building on February 25, the afternoon before the fire, I did notice several of the people that were waiting to be registered smoking. HUBERT W. JOHNSON. Sworn to and subscribed before me this 8th day of June 1943.\ [SEAL] JNO. S. JONES, Clerk Superior Court. GEORGIA, Chattooga County. To Whom It May Concern: This is to certify that I was in the Summerville High School Building at 9 p. m. on February 25 and registered for War Ration Book No. 2. The building was very crowded at this late hour and I noticed a number of the applicants in the halls and adjoining rooms smoking cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. I live within 100 yards of the school building and was awakened about 5:15 a. m. on the morning of February 26 and found the building on fire. On arriving at the scene of the fire I found flames coming from one of the rooms used in the registering for War Ration Book No. 2. At that time the fire did not appear to be burning in any other part of the building. E. C. PESTERFIELD, Sworn to and subscribed before me this 8th day of June 1943. [SEAL] JNO. S. JONES, Clerk Superior Court. GEORGIA, Chattooga County: Personally appeared before the undersigned attesting witness Earl Beatty, who, first being duly sworn, deposes and says that he was the inspector and representative for the Southeastern Underwriters in the Summerville district in said State and county for 6 or 8 years; that he does not recall the exact years, but says that he did the electrical wiring in the schoolhouse building, which was destroyed by fire in the early hours of the morning of February 26, 1943; that he is at present working for W. C. Teas Electrical Co., and is in charge of the electric wiring of the Rome General Hospital at Rome, Ga., a governmental project. Deponent says that, when the building in question was erected, that the building was properly wired in every respect, and the electrical equipment was as good as could be purchased; that in his opinion, based upon his knowledge of electrical wiring and instruments, that the building was not ignited by defective wiring or electrical equipment, and that, unless some person placed nails or pennies in the fuses, that there would not have been any possibility of this building having been ignited and destroyed by electricity, and says that therefore from his personal examination since the fire that it is his belief and judgment that the building was ignited from some other cause other than from electrical causes, for the reason that an examination of the fuse box and six electric stoves and other electrical equipment indicate in no way that this fire originated from any electrical cause. Sworn to and subscribed before me this 31st day of May 1943. [SEAL] GEORGIA, Chattooga County: EARL BEATTY. W. C. HARDY, J. P. Personally appeared before the undersigned attesting witness Fred B. Elrod, who, first being duly sworn, deposes and says that he is an electrical inspector for the United States Engineering Department, and has recently been stationed at Venice, Fla., on a governmental project; that his residence is Summerville, Ga. said county; that he is a member of the board of trustees for the Summerville school district of said county. Deponent says that he is an electrical engineer, and has had 25 years continuous experience in the handling of electrical appliances, apparatus, and equipment, and in the installation of same in almost every conceivable kind of structure. Deponent says that he had just completed a governmental project at Avon Park, Fla., and had returned to his home in Summerville, Ga., for a few days rest, and, during that period of time, the local high-school building was being used for the registration for War Ration Book II on Wednesday, February 24, 1943, from 3 to 9 p. m. and on Thursday, February 25, from 9 a. m. to 9 p. m.; that the superintendent of the local school system, Mr. N. V. Dyer, knowing of this deponent's visitation to his home, asked him to repair the ceiling lights in two rooms in an adjoining building to the one destroyed by fire, which deponent did, and, in doing so, deponent says that it was necessary for him to trace the circuits of the building which was destroyed by fire, as well as the other building just north, which was not destroyed by fire, and that deponent made a strict observation of the wiring of both buildings, and found that there were no shorts, no loose circuits or loose connections, and everything tested clear from an electrical standpoint, and to be in perfect condition; that deponent repaired the lights in the two rooms which the superintendent of schools asked him to repair, and thought no more of same; that this work and examination took place the day before the building was destroyed at an early hour the next morning, and deponent says of his own peronal knowledge, and from his experience as aforesaid, that the building which was destroyed by fire was not and could not have been ignited by electricity, or from defective wiring, loose connections, or from any other electrical cause. Deponent further says that, after the building in question had been destroyed by fire, which this deponent observed for the last few minutes before the flames subsided, he made this additional observation: That the fuse boxes, six electrio stoves, and all other electrical equipment in the building which had just burned were found to be in the following condition: Switches were off on all stoves, and the fuses were all good in the boxes, and every observation made by this deponent, as well as other electricians, showed that the building was not ignited from any electrical cause or disturbance whatever. |