Chief Claims '56 Stole Equipment From Fire Truck

Cambridge Fire Chief John F. Collins yesterday charged freshmen with stealing equipment from a truck in the Yard and hinted that undergraduates have been turning in a flock of false alarms in the past few weeks.

Collins claimed that residents of Hollis and other Yardlings who gathered when a sprinkler blew off on Hollis' top floor four weeks ago, stole a fire axe, a helmet valued at $16, and a tiller seat.

Councillor Edward J. Sullivan claims he saw "boys crawling all over the trucks and some of them tried to rip out the radio."

Attacks Yard Cops

Collins also lashed out at the University police. "They did nothing to protect our men," he said. "I asked Byne to do something about the thefts, but got no satisfaction from him." Collins referred to Charles H. Prue, administrative assistant to the Department of Buildings and Grounds, who was unavailable for comment last night.

According to Collins. Pyne asked maids and ponders in the Yard to report say of the stolen articles seen in the rooms. "Nobody would be foolish enough to have them out in platu sight," Collins said.

Collins added that he suspected under-graduates of turning in many of the unprecedented number of false alarms in the past ten weeks. He warned that a $60 fine and jail sentences up to six months might be levied ou chenders. The fire department is now taking recordings of all phone calls to an chief to identify the callers and the telephone company by working with the department in tracing the calls.