New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-12-02
CITY RULE INVESTIGATED.
HEALTH AND SAFE BUILDINGS.


RESEARCHES OF TIE SENATE INVESTIGATING COM
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF SUPERINTENDENT W. W.
DAMS AND PRESIDENT C. 4. CHANDLER-THE
uARGFs AGAINST COL. MERHAN DENIED.
The Senate Investigating Committee resumed
s work at the Fifth Avenue Hotel yesterday The trst
witness WAS Walter W. Adams, superintendent OF the
Department of Buildings who testified that IL was the
duty of the Department to take down unsafe buildings
and not TO allow buildings to be erected In improper
places contrary law. The supervision OF asles ana
in churches and theaters and tho providing OF
areescapes where necessary also In the province OF
the Department Last year the expenses oi the Depart
ment were 500 1000. After fire, II wall or building
was deemed unsafe by the Fire Department. notce was
given TO the Department Of Buildings the building was
then inspected and the owner Informed or us coho
tlon He had until noon OF the following day In
which to begin the removal OF the Du1hmg; II
it was not done in that time. the work was
done by the Department The work on the wall which
caused the accident at ST. Andrews Church was delayed
by the severity Of the weather. the witness Thought ha
tho work could not have been done There was
no law he said to compel the Fire Department TO give
notice Of unsafe buildings but il had been the custom 10
do So This Department made monthly report OF the
number Of unsafe buildings to the Board OF Fire Unoer
writer's During the year Al buildings had been made
safe 80 had been taken down. and III were now unsafe
There had been G63 violations OF the Building law 100
new buildings had been completed and 942 alterations
were now in progress. The providing OF breescapeS
caused much trouble. The theatcrs were now IN good
condition the means OF cgress being sufficient the doors
opened outward The witness thought that the law III
REGARD TO unsafe buildings defective. There was less
building in progress now than ia 1916 Dut inc "oih VI
the Department was not diminished.
Prof Charles F. Chandler President of the Board OF
Health was next called He said that the appropriation
for this year was $2220O0; S32s,OOO was asked Tor
next year. but only S2l3,O0D was Allowed Inc Boaru
had to register all deaths marriages. 'hG pifSs. M
nrrlnit- were granted by the Board The kdistfci ~
spectors reported unsafe houses Yards tenchthts etc
core and was impossible for them 10 make more ilan
one visit during We The employees ~ the Depart
Not more than one-half OF The houses in the
city were in good sanitary condition, ana
these distributed among tue better t rs
well the poorer classes OF residences lae nunUer
o diseases were caused by sewer gases ana poor Nch
ton. Tie Board now had IL yacc.nat0r3-a niimDer
which Prof Chandler regarded as TOO saIl or N
OF the city There had been 5000 smallpox patients on
Blackwcs Island ana 900 deaths fiom that disease.
The expenses O the smallpox ho5l1ta IOl ZAP. ca,
so 600 and OF vaccination $4,000 The dcatlte al
present was II in 1000 in London it WAS = IN 600
IL WAS larger I'm New-IOfk than IN some other cues,
because the records Of deaths were anost Absolutely
correct; numbers OF immigrants, ana me Iact lht
large numbers OF persons occupy tenement husS dSo
swcIl,1 me deathrae. The witness said That tue SAM
tarv Police was GOt subject 10 the Board OF he III anu
was OF lte benefit 10 it, vast amount % uya a9S
arose from the removal OF fifth. In 1873
ms nuisance was thoroughly abated, but the Board e1
ceeded It's appropriation for that ar ne tICuENt lnat
BOARD uf Health. There 80 slaughtc-uies IN tlc
cy many of being small. liz said there should pe
Two or three abbaOirs in place OF the small slaughter
houses AMI an Inspector IN each Diseases M meat cOud
net be detected after II was dressed There shoau DC
INK cI,es of dishonesty on the part OF Col Meehan
I'm akig commissions from Bcnot * Wood, which were
penn. a former clerk Of tie firm, were tACn iaken up
The charges denied by Col Meehan ana ny Bcholt
@ss'rtrd his charges but the hearing postponed
Inc Committee ADJOURNED uhtli ffludJ'