, 1873-03-29
THE FIRE ORDNANCE;
Tho Council Committee VIII Report
Against tho Proposed Modification
,,t::@ or ns Provisions.

hit: 'Rqslay and Other Largo Property. Owners
n Oppose Any Tlnkering with tho "a
:. Lawas It Stands. : :,
-, ..-i.-t,-
Tho Council Committoo on Firo md Water mot
in tho City Clerks oflco yesterday afternoon to
| conallor roforencoa. Aid. Mcaonniss aud
Minor wore present, tho former occupying tho
| chair. In addition, tlloro worc aoveral North
| Biao proporty-ownors, who had boon invitod to
nttond III ordor to loar their vlows upon prop
| osltion to contract tho fro limits In that por-
| tion Of the city.
The potitlon OF ownere Of lots botwoen Inli-
mn stroot aud Chicago nvonuo, wost OF Wcl1s,
| aud tho intcrsocting atrcots, praying that that
| part Of tho North Division DO exempt from tho
provisions Of tho 1ro ordinance, WIS takou up.
| Mr. Edward 3. Dwyor. who represented tho
| petitioners, claimed tint tho petition had heen
| changed. II WAS tho intention also to exempt
| tho property botweon Chicago and North nvc-
Mites, aud ho Ind procured tho signatures Of
| two or three hundred people who favored tho
project Who struck out "botwoon Chicago and
North avenues, west of Wells stroct,," no did not
| know. Tllo property In that district was not
valuable enough to warrant tho erection of brick
| buildings. There woro tnnny frame houses
there now, besides nlaning-mills, distillorios,
aud machine-slops, and not moro than por
cent could bo realized on an Investment. Tho
lots wore not worth ovor 81, 800 npieco, md m
owner could not borrow sufficient funds on lot
| to put up brick dwelling.
Ala. AIcQonnias nnil Ro llad boon over tho
| ground, and found thnt mnny lnrgo and capon-
Hiyo brick buildings 1lal boon erected In tho dig-
! trict. -.
N1r. Hosting thought tliero woro moro names
on tho petition than tl1oro woro lots between In
diana street and Ohicago avonuo, md Wolls
| Atroet aud the rivnr.
Mr.. Dwyer could account for tlat. Many Of the
namea were those of proporty-ownors north Of
Chicago avenue.
Mr.. Hesing did not think tho fro limits ought
to 10 =, changed it. would bo an injury and not
was valuable enough to warrant tho erection Of
q brick house.. Noarly oil tho streets in tho
,la.s diasrlct woro graded aud vailed, and but
,1ttlo ltI m9noy would DO required t9 pave
would invost It, in that locality. Tho people
thoro had exalted idens, and imagined II tlloy
put up o brick house they must mako it elabo-
fae and hnys marble ma4tolpicfea md OK
which could bo erected for nearly tho same
amount required to construct q franc building,
were needed, mud, II put np ho had no DOUBT
thnt tenants could DO easily secured, and ut 1cast
4 Ia pcr cont realized upon tho Investment. 1Io
would not lay out money tEere If tho protection
afforded by tho fro ordinance wore removed
Mr. Winston supposed it was tho easiest thing
10 tho world to got persons to sign their namsH
| to petition to hang o,,e's grandmother, Or any,
body elBo. Ncarly nll persons would sign my
document brought to them. Petitions woro no
| Indication Of the sentiment Of tho property
ownoda:' M M !, Ho was opposed to tho contraction Of
especially on the Nortl. Sido, whoro ho rositlod
| Should tho district nnn,ed bo exempted, more
damage would DO tlono than resulted from tho
great iiro tBolf. There wero now in tho North
| rfY1 rf Hf@H
.tenements, which retarded its growth
and tito ndranco in value Of property.
The North siao WIS particularly adapted
t. era residences m c ms ha invested s9o
ordinance, and cIaisnod vested rights nnder the
Inv, and thut tho Committee ltal 10 right to
cha!ngo it. ,protcstodngainst tho proposition,
rs It was m outrage agatngt a,l who Ind invested
Aid. Carney said ho lad procured many aignn-
t.lros , to the petition, aud MI wero owners Of
NJ 1t could possibly bo made. It was not just to
tho poor mon, who paid taxcs MS we'll m tho rich
to inhibit them from erecting place whorein to
| live. No respectable people would 1--we thore OH
| account of tho fnctorios and mills. .,
Mr. Datos tilonght as long rs tho erection Of
| wooden building was pnrnittcd tho property
would continue stagnant. 1Io deRirod to noe tho
firo-lin,iH extended, and beloved, within five
A1r. Adams protested oar1,ost1y against making
my change. His firm had invested between
s3250,000 and s350000 in tint district, mud if
ehanties Yoro erected around t],er factory thor
credit would DO impaired. Capitalists would not
loan money III Chicaso if tinaor-boSes woro to
be erected.
AID. Ca17loy wss personally opposed to tho
wislea Of lis constituents.
nIr. Ewing did not think third of tho prop
erty-osyners in the district desired tho cllaiigo.
It would be Ill net Of bnl fifth on tho part Of
the Council to make any alterations in tue fire
lilnitu. f.,
!, The Committee agreed to report adversely.
The petition asking that tho property hetwoen
Canal And Throop and Two1ftl and Sixteenth
atreota bo exempt 10 fur as to. por1nit tho ercc-
tion OF QUO and ono and haif story cottages,
was noxt takon mp.
AID. CloWry said tho streets in that district
wore narrow and urHowored, aud the otB not
worth more thnn S800 Tho owners worc heayi-
" tnxod, and ought to bo permitted to erect
houses, that they might be ablo to pay their
taxoa.
AID. ArcGonniss remarked that tho larger por-
tion Of tho property within tho fire limits was
not severed. If shantios wero erected in
tho district named, tho South Division was in
Aid Clowry co,,nidorcd tho planing-mills moro
dangerous than littlo cottages,
Aid. Powell was In fayorof whiting tho locality
and aeeing whother relief could be afforded. He
hoped tho Committee would nttoul tho meeting
Of tile select Committee to inquire into tho Hs,l-
joct to-day, and expross their views.
Tho Committee decided to report adversely,
and then adjourned.
THE NEW "J0URNAL" BUILDING.