, 1875-11-28

repaid the world for all it may hare done fo1
him; WnL1AM B. AsroR shirked his debts to
the world, and SO died its debtor-in the es.
TEEN of none, in the contempt Of all
THE NEW BUILDING ORDINANCE.
We have at last competent building ordi-
nance, under which it IS believed Mr..
BAnEg's inspection-burenu may be able to
restrnin the fragrant violations of public safe
ty that have been endured in Chicago since
the fire Of 1871 under the patchwork ordi-
nance that has been our only protection.
The new ordinance, adopted Friday evening
last, hos been the subject Of much careful
consideration by the lending architects, build
era, and insurance agents Of the city, and its
adoption as a whole by a vote Of &c to is
the most creditable action the Council has
taken for long time. The propositions in
the Council to tinker at it were fortunately
defeated, because T. large body Of men
unfamiliar with building arc not the proper
personsto treat matter of this kind. The
best test for it is actual experience, and we
have sufficient confidence in Supt. BAILEY to
believe that he will administer it honestly,
and discover any defects it may be proved to
have in its present shape The value of the
ordinance, if it is as complete and effective Us
| is believed, is two-fold: l. The increased
protection it will afford against the danger Of
| general eonfagrations and, 2, the decreased
rates Of insurance which it will guarantee to
property-owners. With this ordinance in
practical working there is reason to believe
| that Chicago viii henceforth be regarded By
| insurance companies Us one of the safest
cities in the country, instead of one Of the
most dangerous, for the placing Of risks.
The new ordinance fully and uureservedly
reaffrms the fre-imits as co-e1tensive with
| the city limits, and requires that the wa1ls
| Of all buildings henceforth to be erected with
in the corporate limits shall be constructed
wholly Of incombustible materials, and with
foundations Of masonry. The exceptions are
in the case Of elevators, which may be built
Of wood, but must bo protected by an en-
velope of incombustible material that is rigid
and firm in itself sheds, which must have q
slanting roof, and mny not exceed twelve
feet in height, twelve feet in width, and
sixteen feet in length, and which may only be
used for storage of wood and coal; and, also,
brick buildings Of not more than twenty feet
in height may be set upon wood-sil1s, pro-
rided in the space between the sill and the
ground there shall be an intervention Of
some fre-proof material The latter e1cep
ton IS intended for those localities which a1e
without sewerage.
One of the greatest nuisances and most
-, rt& i.
OF the late ordinance has been the repairing
Of frame buildings damaged BY fire. The
present low, like the old one, provides that
damage by fire, decay, or otherwise, Of more
than so per cent Of the value Of such build
ings shall warrant the Superintendent Of
Buildings in condemning them as public nui-
sances and abating them in his own way, unless
there shall be an application for committee
of reference; in the latter case the commit
tee shall consist Of three disinterested per-
sons, one Of whom shall be chosen by
the owner Of the building, another by
the Superintendent of Buildings, and
q third to be chosen by these two. The
referee on the part Of the city was formerly
chosen by the Mayor, who was likely to be
deceived; but since Supt- BAILEY will
henoeforth have the choice it is hoped
that he may be more fortunate in his selec-
tions. He should proceed under this pro-
vision against many public nuisancea in the
city that have been damaged more than SO
per cent by decay; and the line should be
strictly drawn IN every case Of fire. It is
this provision more than any other which, If
rigidly applied, will enable the authorities to
improve the condition Of certain inAammable
districts near the centre Of the city which are
q constant menace to its safety.
Another valuable feature Of the new or
dinance il the stricter definition Of the re-
quirements in regard to the projections and
ornaue 7tation Of buildings. It is provided
that all stoops, steps, balconies, verandas,
porches, bay-windows, towers, ohservatories,
dormer windows, etc, shall be wholly con-
gtructed Of incombustible material, with a
few exceptions in the case Of first and second
stories and dwelling houses, for which other
rules are provided. It is also required that
all cornices, cutters, caves, and parapets shall
be made Of inoombustihle material The
same is true OF roofs, except that compost
tion-roofs shall not be excluded; but the
regulations in regard to the latter require q |
covering Of dry gravel, and, when they have
mean height Of Il feet, also an mcombusti- |
BILE protection under tho weather-coverlng.
ALI Mansard and Gothic roofs must be so
constructed as to exclude wood entirely.
Additional protection is afforded by many |
other requirements Of the ordinance, among
them the following: Every roof must be &C.
cessih1e either by scuttle or iron steps run
ming up the outside walls. AL buildings |
more than 56 feet high, and covering an area
exceeding 5000 superficial feet, must be pro-
vided with 2t-inch metallic stand-pipe n-
tending above the roof, aud with hose-coup-
ings conforming to the size and pattern used
BIZ the Eira Qepaxtmeut, AL signs ct height [