The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-02-22

FRAME BUILDINGS WITHIN THE CRY LIMITS
We had occasion recently to call attention to
the fact that a number Of frame buildings were
in the process Of repair and enlargement in
various parts of the city, and in connection
urged that the Fire Wardens should report all
such cases to the Council of the Fire Depart
ment, in order that the legal penalties might
be imposed on the offending parties, and the
pIotracted existence Of these dangerous edi-
fees within the city limits be put stop to for
the future.
We find, however. upon inquiry, that in this
matter, at least, the Fire Wardens are not 30
much to blame as the law under which they
work; which, while it expressly forbids the
construction Of frame or wooden dwellings,
permits such modification of the premises as
nulliies the spirit of the act. and allows the
builder to reconstruct the house throughout,
and thus perpetuates the existence, within the
city limits, of class of edifces that place life
in jeopardy and reduce the value of property
in their vicinity.
Daniel O'Connell said he could drive coach
and six through any act of Parliament ever
passed, and if any builder failed to run two
large omnibuses abreast over and through the
following provisions of the act relating to the
subject Of improper buildings, he certainly
could not be deemed smart
Sec. IA If any brick 'front.' frame wooden dwelling
houte ready erected within the FIRE limits the
extended by this act may hereafter be extended
shall require roofing it shall and may be lawful for
the proprietor proplstors thereof raise the same
for the purpose Of making Fat roof thereon provided
that roofing shall be made Of copper slate tin
md dvrQifl hOnaQ
when raised shall not exceed thirty five feet in height
from the level Of the sidewalk to the peak highest part
thereof
Sec. 20. No wooden frame building Whatever, whe
ther the same may have brick front or otherwise with
may hereafter be extended, shall be raised enlarged
built upon removed from one lot to another witain
the tire Limits Of the said city as the same are
however, that brick front frame dwelling houses and
wooden dwelling houses only may be raised under the
circumstances and in the manner specially provided for
in the fourteenth section Of this act
From this it will be seen that the building
may be raised an additional story under plea
of repairing the roof, and further, permission
is given to repair the dwelling, which may
mean anything from Tightening single to
reconstructing the house throughout.
1t is undeniable that frame houses are dan
gerous to person and property in case of a
confagration, and the intent of the law for
BIDDING their erection in the city is good one,
and should be SO amended as to make it effec-
tual. As this is q matter which interests the
Fire Department more particularly, as the fines
collected 60 to swell it's fund, we call upon
their representative board to take this matter
in hand, and draw up an act revising the fire
laws and those relating to the construction of
buildings in the city, and urge its adoption by
the State Legislature. With such an endorse
ment it would pass without opposition. The
reform demanded is thorough one, and
should embrace the reconstruction of the Board
of Fire Wardens, who are notoriously remiss
in their duties more from . want of responsi-
bility than from any other cause-also the
appointment of board Of practical builders,
who are disiAterested, to report upon all edi-
fees in the process of construction in the city,
with view to their being built in q more SUBJ
stantial manner then they are at present; for
it is notorious that there are over six hundred
houses in the city in which, should q fire occur,
every inmate would perish. We have had too
many disasters of this kind occur of late years
to render it necessary for us to particularize
such cases in proof.
Let the representatives of the Fire Depart
ment, then, draft such law as we have pro-
posed, and the press and public viii not be
backward in calling on the State Legislature
x,acs u fovth,u;%h