New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-15
TrNEMENr-HOUsE PLANS.

A LARGE NUMBER REJECTED-PROFEssoR CHAN
pLFR CoRRcCTs SOME NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IN
REGARD TO The NEw TENEMENT-HoUsE IN
sPECTIoN.
Since the new tenement-hOuse law went INTO
operation over two hundred and fifty plans for
buildings of that class have teen submitted to the
Board of Health. The applications are so numer-
GUS aud many of the plans are so deliberately drawn
that the Board is embarrassed by their accumula-
tion. In order to render the work more simple the
plans are photographed and a copy of each is posted
An a SCRAP book for ready reference. When plan
Is accepted Photographic copy is also placed IN the
hands of an inspector TO that the work rs carried
on in strict accordance Herewith. In case plan Is
rejected a memorandum of the fact is made, and if
the builder proceeds with the work regard
less of the action OF the Board, he is closely
watched and when his house Is ready for
occupancy he is prohibited from renting 1t for
tenement-house purposes. The strict discharge by
the Board of its duties under the law has rendered
IL necessary In some instances. Tor applicants TO
present as many as halt dozen pans before one
has been found that was in all particulars accept
Several plans were laid before Professor Chandler
and Dr. Janeway on Wednesday, and nearly all
were rejected account Of detective YentlaIIoh
and light. In case man unrolled his plan
which was TO have no air shaft lie pleaded mat
there was no room for such luxury as an AR sna1t
Professor Chandler, observing that the proposed
house was to be erected on One-huadred~and-htty-
eighth-St., replied with some emphasis: p" You must
bave.an air shaft. You have plenty OF room, ana
You ought to be ashamed to build such house as
that when Won have so much space" The plan was
promptly rejected Another plan was offered OF
house twenty-eight feet front, with an inside starr
way sixteen feet long by SIX wide, INTO Whlch
opened forty-elght bedrooms. The stairway was
covered with a skyllght, IN which there was
to be a yentilator four feet IN name-
ter This plan was rejected, although the
builder made vigorous P Pafg6S sd e aner b@e T
proposed. He said that he had built more than
700 houses in the city, and the plan proposed was
the best no had ever followed.
Professor Chandler. in speaking of the inspection
of tenement houses now I'm progress, said Ihcrc is
an evident misrepresentation on the part OF a por-
being performed Those engaged IN II have Deen
called Sanitary Inspectors, because there
They are really tenement-house surveyors.
The object Of their appointment was TO
secure, once for all, survey OF each tenement
house in the city with special reference to lis con-
stIuctIOn It's present condition IS mere incident
an the survey. 1t has been said by some that 1t
would be a great deal better II the men would eX-
anime the plumbing instead of giving the dimen-
siOns of the houses But we have another set OF
men for that particular work, aud II the present
surveyors were 20 spend Their time over the plumb
ing would not get through IN i've years. lhere
are 25 900 tenement houses TO be visited and there
forty men 70 do the work 1t Is their duty 10
report the general character Of tine houses, after
which will apply, so far as practicable, the pro-
visions of the law for the remedy Of any evils that
nav be found 10 exist. There are fifteen sanitary
INSPECTORS. The city is divided into fifteen dis
tTicts and each one has district. In addition TO
these we nave thirty policemen, consisting of
twenty-eiglt patrOmen and two roundsInen.
The city Is divided into twenty-eight
districts for the policemen, whose duty 1t
is to report to their respective TOundsmen
the temporary condition of affairs from day TO day.
There are III addition fifty physicians TO look
after the health of the people. The complaints
which are made To the effect that the present III
spectOrs are not dong what they should properly
do therefore are unreasonable. They do not eX-
anime into the plumbing of the houses because
they are not directed to do So"
On Wednesday between 10 aud II O'Clock many
of the surveyors in with their books, and re-
ported the progress made during the week. Ut.
James Assistant Sanitary superintendent, said last
evening hat with five men still TO hear from, the re
ports showed the number of houses visited up to date
10 be q 1873. Two of the five, he said, had done
GOOD work although they had not up to that time
after two days OF inspection. and of the remaining
two !Ittlc was known. All the rest We're believed
10 be dong good work. From eight to ten houses
are visited daily by each man. The work Is hard
aud tedious and of a very unpleasant character.
The men continue TO bring in a great many com
plants. At an early day an ANALYSIS will be made
of the several reports, and IN eases Where II Is tOund
that the provisions OF tine Tenemeut-bOuse law can
be applied. the subj Jet will be turned over TO the
regular inspectors, who will take the necessary
steps 20 that end.
Dr. James saws that the men work more rapidly as
they advance and gain experience. The houses that
have been visited are the largest OF the class III the
Eleventh and Seventeenth Wards but as tue men
advance, and the smaller houses uptown, which
contain from five to SIX families only, are reached,
the work will be pushed quickly forward TO com
petlon The Board hopes 20 receive the nal reports
within three months from the time the inspectors
began their work.