New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-21
. INSPECTION OF BUILDINGS.
TWO WELL-ARRANGED THEATRES.

he would only make two or jhIec seSratt ~
| improving the CONDITION of the theatre. sheridan
Shook accompanied the chief on ms tour Oh ilspeJt-
ton and lie said when the examination was ihF1u4h
| thai he had visited places III inc huiluns Mti'n
| he had not seen since the theatre was erected
| Under the auditorium which was ti9 n!sl piacF
inspected are eleven dressng-roomS anu IU' lctI VI
| hose which can be worked from he street man,
| tank in the INNER part OF the building ana pump
! Under the stage Is vacant place loImeIly useu
| for storage The chief proposed 10 separate i'ls
space from the musicians room ny q "!ch WIN; !"
| that smoke could not get from tic stage w thg
auditorium. In an independent 6u!idins separate"
from the theatre by two brick walls are te c'TI'n"
| fer sion and the room for storing OH scenery
! Hence nearly all the iGtammable maieHal used W
| theatres is stored IN separate bui!unE lHeit III"
also five dressing rooms IN thl9 OuiluihE' """ '"o
| sits from the stage. The prooccuium aIcH IS an
iron giIdcT. and above il Is wall ~ Lr'hch uIe
clay about four incnCs thick, which completely Sup
aracS the stage from the ail"It1IlIih is ,l M -
separation is recommended by the flre DeaI,nyht,
but is only carried cut AZ few theatres Iue Cu!'1
found fault with the paint shop on 'uo ,uN' .tr
above the stage. lie intends TO recommend tiat the
room adjoining the pain, shop, now "ctnPltt of t'G
! scene panter he dispensed with 50 that the wall
| can be built mp solIGly The space between tEc
| ceiling Of the auditorium and the root was loiMefF
the carpenter shop but II Is not used n1N' tAcePV as
| "A means OF reaching the roof. -,
One of the Observation-Disclosures which he chief will
make is that sllyliGht be placed in the centre on
the roof of the stage He proposes to have II 6uit
about eight feet wide, twenty-five cct i0iS ana ia
feet high The top OF the Skyli1ht VIII uc OF IN
and the sides, which Will be OF glass, VIII re III
yldrd INFO sections IL will he 80 arranged that
each section can be worked from the stage lOor,
! that i'm case of a fire The skyght can DC Male 10
serve the purposes OF a tiue. TINS, II Is lu"uHHt'
will ObNate all danger OF lire on the s,aSG SiII:
ing 10 the auditorium. The exits III inc DulItiHs
| were commented by the chief rom the celar
there two exits, from the stage Tour rom we
parquet three, from the balcony and dress cItI'
fOur and from the gallery five. One OF the EXITS
from the gallery is bridge leading 10 inc rool "i
the hotel i'll broadway rms 1901 Is anouS Len H..
street Mr. Shook suggested that rcrlEalent
stairway lie built connecting the TWO ROOFS. "iIt
these few improvcm Chief Brcsnau thought iuat
the theatre would be As sale as could ne mace.
The Grand Opera House, at Iwcny -tmId-st. ana
Ephth-aYc. was inspected on Monday ny ChtI
Gcquel, of the Fifth Battalion OF ne fHe btEHt-
ment have examined this building more than
thirteen times" said the chief to one Of The nan
ayers and think =, know Go, eyc Try ibs
audience is concerned, It - one OF
the best built theatres in the city. But one OF
two aults can b. found with the structure l hnd
the same fault with this building mat IS seen III
every other theatre in New-York. Your pToscenluih
arch is not Of iron and there is no brick wall above IL
TO separate the stage from he auditorium. III oiuei
rcsrrcts think the buildings perfectly safe one.
Your means for eXtingulshng ire should IL occur
are All uirIhIc ana if the one alteration that suC
cost should l,a made the building would receive
the highest commendtticn Of the department.
The lobDyln from, OF the auditorium Is 10 feet
by 60 feet III size. The stairway leading 10 he
fist balcony is II feet wide Ihers are iIree
feet doors from the pdrqucttc to the lobby ana RON
the latter TO the street there are e1l'9 IN
EiChth-Gye. and Twcnty-third-st. In the !
parauct there three windows Cd each Siae Wh,h
omen to allows leading to the street From the
FIRST balcony there are three 7ieet doors leading to
the lobby and one window on the right leading
to the roof of an extension to he building. from
the upper gallery there are four doors % icct
wide, 10 the lobby, and three stalrwayS
furnish exits from the lobby to the street. The
81 ge is sevrntyOne feet wide and seycntytWo tecI
deep. On each SIDE are perforated pipes "iHrh con
meet with the street main. In all there are e!ghJ
pipes through which water can be supplied III an IL
slant to any part of the stage There Is separate
binding for the storage 81 scenery at the side OF the
theatre and in another building is the carpenter
shop. Above the stage are two IOiic, Inc
hrs is used by the painter VINO sand that ois were
not used in the scenery. In the upper rigging lot
little is 10 be except the pes used III ADJUST
ing the curtains aud scenery There Is no ScpJTd-
ton between the top OF the stag, ana the gnni o.
run. There are two skyhght over the
stage which can be opened IN case OF IRE.
Chief Gicquei visited the cellar oi the theatre,
which Is fitted up with IRE engine ana huEQteas
of feet OF hose without warning he asked The
zee how Quickly water could be had in any part OF
| the building. As soon az the gong sounded WOTkmen
rushed from all parts of the building 10 the cellar,
| thinking that there was a IRE, and III less tnah
thirty seconds two streams Of water were ready for
use.
A LARGE BROADWAY BUILDING UNSAFE
The Buildings Bureau YESTERDAY declared unsafe
tine building Nos. 90. II and - broadway, Of
which the CHARTER Oak Life Insurance Company IS
the owner. and tie Manhattan Railway Company
the PRINCIPAL lessee. The building IS SIX stories high
and extends along Ecctorst. from Broadway TO
New CLurch-st. There are nearly hundred offices
in the building and the number OF occupant, l5
probably not less than 500 The building u also
used as a means OF entrance 10 the Rector Street
Station Of the sixth Avenue Elevated Railway, ana
Is crowded every morning and evening with pan-
senggls passing through. The principal occupants
| Of the building besides the Elevated Railway Com
pany which occupies the greater part Of the second
and third floors for its executive Offices are the
Union Trust lOmpany, occupying uie IcctoI-sl
front on the first lOOr tie National Steamship
Line in the basement, ana the WiIkcsbaTc Coal
Company. The report made by Inspector John
EsterbroO 10 the Buildings Bureau states that tho
front of the building in Broadway has settled ami
bulged. The rear wall IN New Church-St. has
3ulged IN and out III the upper stories and has
settled. The southern dcwails ~ the central part
have bulged and settled, and the rear Of No. 80
has settled. I'm the broWn-stone iiont many stones
are loose and detective. lhC building ls constantly
Welding and falling over on the Rcct0r-st side.
The changes thought necessary 10y the Inspector to
make the binding safe are 20 put in proper abUt.
ments the Rector-st. front below the curb level
or counter forts the inside of the mont across
the building from the cellar foundation to the roof
at proper distances; to take down the westerly
wall IN New ChurChst. aud rebuild IT, 10 take ont
all the defective stones IN the front and put IN
ones: to take down and rebuild The 5.eW aI5 Of the
sOutheIly section OF the wall facing the court area;
to take down and rebuild n part of the rear wall of
No. 90 TO tie IN and strap tie walls and rleTs on
the first and upper storos IN RectOIst with anchors
with nutcd bolts the out de, The ties aud ,Tap
TO be carried at right angles through the walls, 10 uc
continuous from side to side, aud where the Stars
aud elevators intervene to be kept III line with as
httle deviation as possible.
Henry C. Clcnch who has charge Of the real estate
department OF the Charter OaR Lie Insurance Com
pany, said yesterday That the builuing had been
repaired a lew weeks ago ut the request Of the
Manhattan Railway Company. several hundred
dollars had been expended IL putting in anchors
across the building. Cracks had been found IN the
walls and the railway company had complained
and insisted on the repairs being made. General
Manager Ham, OF the Manhattan Elevated Rail
way said that ne was very glad that tho Buildings
Bureau had taken action in tho matter. The
building. he said, had been reported unsafe two
years ago. The company had been unwilling 10 nay
the full rent unless the building strengthened,
and had asked T.. II. Kendall, an architect, 90 cX-
ammo the building. lie had done SO. and Oh his
report the walls had been anchored Nir Kendall,
who has Office in the building, said that he dId
not consider il safe. The building hc thought was
in a very bad condition. Tho repairs that had 5erl
suggested by him had been made and had IN
crcnsad The saiarN OF lhe hnLlng LnL 10 mLnL aIII