New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-01
THE FOURTH STREET DISASTER.
INSPECTOR EsTERBRooK's TESTIMONY.

INSPECTOR ESTERBROOK'S TESTIMONY.
CONFIRMATION OF TIE NQUFsf-How THE En-
ANIMATION OF BUILDINGS is CARRIED on.
In the INQUIRY into The Fourth street German
Catholic School calamity, before Coroner Levy yes
t.,dov. Henry Fischer. the jauitor. tes'iie that
school began at 645 a. IN. and clos"d at p. M
The children swept the rooms. placed the sweep
ipps IN the closets under the stairs and the witness
carried these down stairs daily and placed them In
barrels He had cleaned that morning the closet
where the fire broke out
The next witness was Inspector william
p Eyerbrook He testified that he had
about thirty suhorlna'cs. lnclndlug tWeuh
examiners of buildings IN ms employ;
Fab cxauin-t n ad a district and reporter
on arplic, ions for the atera ION Of huudng IN.
erection of new buildings and complain asa n,
bnldtrps. OF these last here were many thousan Is
ouru.lly and many o. these ANONYMOUS. lheir
were no special &C DOL examiners; one * miner IN
some cases. had to cover TWO oI llic' ul9 re-. 10
witness lf-d az time 70 select spec al chhhi
for pnbc buildiugs but fOund that he ava MOI ilNe
men enough the app lea IONS for ne" ".l u!1,.'
,y 70 TOO numerous TO allow Of this. The Flr' Corr
si,,crs made The appointments OF examiners, on
IN. recommends ion OF n Board OF EAaulheI@ "
winch the InSpec or was one. lhcte VA va w -,
lar let time for the examination OF huilhss, wv
Com aims were IN numerous that the necessary
tune for the examination OF SCHOOL bulIuluES ~
not he obtained. The witness hah compn ~. 80 ~
tins often to the Fire Conmi'h Ohcr-. VIZ" tuu
Buildng Department WA made BUREAU, 'No
and n haIf years ago, the force was cut down
TO about one-thlid oI, 9, ,vorI nxcr-hours
{ onplaints were first attended TO- ana Wheh tu'io
was spare tim. special iosfructi"ns or rue 'Nah-
mai ious Of buildings were gwen. Iho witness ~ a
general way had given Instructions Tor examining
schools bni had gwen 10 definite lnH'tucto. > l"I
sprclal ca anInationS If examiners came across y
school house requiring report INV WIZ u "a, y"
~, trport H. Sucn reports received daily hf
Inspector had TO 40 HE work formerly done DF I"uI
men and besidcs lad 10 look Over co npialnls va
| 81. Of a nd gf
could not g. around TO mako personal rNalh'hallol
whlcu should be made. he bouhdatle, OF wv
Fifth District where the schoOl was ~, l 49," ~.
Houston and lwenty-t ira sts. ana Se'"hu-a'o =;
and the East River. The witness had never visited
| any of the schools Of this district; he ga no'
| remember having received any complaints
No report from the Fourth treet school ha1 hrell
received by hlm since he had held the posi- ION Oh
Inspector lie had visited the school since the accl-
! dent and would have alterations made. In ms
opinion had he been informed, lac would nave ask
that an iron siaIrway put w IN from, OF WI -
stat way Oh each side OF tbe builo'ng aha ma Wv
! door from the classTOOms should open dlrcctly "n
| the landing Now he line of travel was 90 croOkeu
Ii was a hanpy thing that the nre dld not DreaN on
! In tne ia ement ana get headNaN. No stairway !"
| all strong would give way at the side unes' tut
| travel down II were blocked. No law WAS yio'a'e
in tue construction OF this building; the walls were
| thick enough.
The Board Of Examiners. Mr.. Eserbrook said
| consisted of two sklie' mechanics, an aren't CT
a member o. tne board oil fire UhneI "iIte's
and The inspector. Applicants were examined ~ &c
quality material nowlcdge OF plans &c ln'
| witness considered the men Ia his employ hs com
| petept; otherwise he wOuld prefer charges aRains
| them lie did not remember that no 90
| had any conversation with John hlley ,th'
examiner Of the Fifth District, regard nf
If he Examiner had reported the Fourth Street
School building all right before the accdeht 'n'
| WI ness would say the examiner was not hoio t'
grasp the situation, or, otherwlse' ne was ihco'l
| ne ent II the examiner had discovered deteci IL
the railing ne shou d have reported IT, IL was as
crelionary with the inspector whetner l% H. o,dnP
| al, ~. M gfhUOl- houses.
| men had done live times the Work thal tn'
| seveniy-elght men had done formerly. The boar,
OF Heath was OF no aid ma Oody nIgna ANY W fsJ
well-hoie for air which won spoil the planS OF th
| building. In years gone by the witness had seri
! school-hOusrs where her we're stars OF abou
the same width as in tue Fourth Street school
If would like to examine them all carefully, but h'
cou d not. tie could not tell whether his examiner
| di Their work unless he went around after them
400 niles of streets had 10 % gone by twenty
men. some men had 200 houses TO go TO- NO bnlld
ing III improper coalition could be closed "lthou
process of law. fne witness did not know how
many school buildings were III the condition oil III
fOurth Street school. - .
In rsrIy 10 a que ton by the counsel for Rilev tn
examiner Mr. Esterorook said thai h had the rcpor
of the last examination OF the First Street Schoo
M his pocket. Coroner Levy tOO< y, said 1t va
dated December, 1879, ard he would decide 10y 10
DAY whe her it vas cOmpoteni testimony.
William II. las cold clerk of the Bureau
Buildings testified that ali the public schools nae
been exam ned wi bin a ear The attorney lot IN
| Depar ment wonld bring suits against certain pr
yaie >ch Ois yesterday or to-day. or the good com
plants against DulldiIBs Wllnln TWO years MIC
had had II per cent. -
Victor w. Voorhees,. the record clerk in 1875
said TO TRIBUNE reporter hat he did not remem
| her the uatur. of he report of that year. IL wa
! maze by j. j. Duffy, tine examiner, aud tue scOpeO
! il WAS that tue building was safe ~ there wer
. | two stajrways one on each SIDE. The only aliera
ton made was that OF the main doors, so that the.
| would open onward. -,
The last solemn high mass for the dead children
was held yest~tdty morning AT the Church oi Tn
Rrdeener. Tho attendance at all OF them durin
ne wee. has large.
Examiner Beattle of the Buildings Burean. mad
a report on Monday that the Home lndustrla
school No 10. a. No. I25 Icwis-st., was not pr
yded with sufficient means of egrcss IN case Of nT,
, Two hundred children are taught III III
school. Inspector EsterbroOk yesterday sen
notice TO :. NJ. Wright OF No. 46
East lOustOn-st. or of the school buiihng, 81
T. rcctng hlm 10 provide ire-rscape, with NiatlOl
AIRY stars leau.ng TO the yard. MIR. EsterOiOo
{ has not yet prepared any no ice for alterations
the -Four, street School building where the fati
panic occurred last week Aany reports, on wnlc
The ms JcCtOr has not had time 10 act, have Dec
sent IN by examiners since the disaster.
= SuO.IIntendent jasper wlli sehd to-day a prlnte
list of e,lOhs 10 every principal connected wlt
the public schools or the ctS ASKING ior IN ormatio
in regard TO the arrangements FOR pro- sec ION again
fire The principals are required TO state now oitt
rapId dIsmis ais are practlsed the time require
the provisions Tor escape, oOth informal aud exte
y nal, and what additional provisions they wo1
T | recommend.