The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-04-08
FRAUD IN BUILDING.
ssas 81 che Trieks ~ which spsou,.ssvs
0uildsrs 1npese On Teuants


ss.s 81 tAs Tricks ~ which spseu,.,,vs
nsilasrs 1npsse On Tenants.
There are blocks Of bulldogs In New
York that would DO pulled down II the presopt
building laws were applied to then" n veteran
builder said There are other blocks that
have been erected In the very chea pes Rman.
ner and on the very verge OF unlawful methods
that will have only an ephemeral existence.
Thoy haye been put up under constant protest
from the Department Of Buildings and in some
cases. by sharp watching for opportunities
when inspectors were not within sight. they
have been built In direct violation OF law. II
is an easy thing to get ready for laying tho
beams Of q house and then seize q chance
to slip them into the walls without particular
regard TO whero they strike the fues. In tho
case Of a recent fre In an apartment house up
town 1t was discovered that one Of the beams
Of the house had its end directly In the fluc If
the furnace. 1t had been charrlng for more
than q year. and when the Are broke out 1t wa,
so concealed as to batlle those who were look.
ing for tho cause.
Speculative building Is the curse OF tho city
to-day. While on the ono hand we have sons
OF the most solid and perfectly built houses In
the world-houses that will last for agcs-thcra
arc very many that are toppling shells and
finder boxes. These houses are put up merely
for show. They have all the receptions that
can possibly be devised to make house mp.
pear what 1t is not. Wherever a penny can bs
saved II 10 saved. In every place out of sight
the work Is. sighted. The fraud begins with
stones. put we'll down into The Sfound. II.
Of tho stone yard. and throws i together in III,
most unwork manlke way. The mortar is pool
sah Hss ssus .d ss al ' ss s sssn. linz
out OF It. The workmen arc urged
make e The n MqrF puSS anti am ;ruo care
permitted to let the work get firm and hard n,
Ss that MAKE viii sa non as
neglected. The beams are The cast-off Of the
wm S ya,ds knS,, srGCksd q. rh as Tho
s m harr, Y T Fl na n
iaston them. The partitions are set up,awry
Tho walls and ceilings are models Of tho plas.
tsrsrs ability to cheat: and the punbrr
death In every bedroom
t., Even where r contracts haye been made call.
manage to cheat in marvellous ways. Bronze
locks are sometimes called for In contract
is s "5S
one-ffth the money. Often in houses ndlj
70 tn be n,st,sla;s i, Is comm9n th nm, t. nd
that ara calle for by contract, the builder ha.
substituted convict. made roliod brrss locke
| In a number OF cases some Of these speculative
buildings have been blown down by storms be.
the Inspector OF buildings has compelled tho
builders 70 tear than down and cree, them nc-
speculative builders wish to put up DWELL nl:s
| from crnmbling to pieces. and with no regard
for ventilation or escape IN case q fire.
fire in the Cambridge nats he has known Of
| many persons giving up their apartments in
Of ssw ssa H. ihfs s no
friend OF mine recently bought n,ne Of tho.o
| ton. He found poor venerrs whore he had
supposed the wood was solid. He tried 10 han.
n chandelier in tho parlor and found that there
was only nsmall piece Of gas pipe stuck in the
| ceiling. with no connection to any supply pine
in fact mere sham. The bracket burners
presumed to be Of solid iron, was found to be
Of sheet iron as thin M q wafer; The window
stun the win low weights Of brick AMI every
whore was sham. From the momer. he
se me sc Ths Gao
had cracks from window to window. The IN
h ssa tn; soS door w n the
forced askew. When the doors = "o sliced ~
where the, doors had ceased 70 1T. IN. win
d9ws could not be raised until they had boon
like dice in q box. although ut others they
stuck fast. The heating was found to he i'm:
gas. There was not n tight Joint in the plumb:
| ing. Putty was used instead Of solder. and
covered over with stove backing to hide the
fraud
H2w Is this to be hsped?. 1, is almost in
possible to proven. IL without nm education II
the people that will prevent their occu;tvin9
such houses. There Ia 80 much bui ding
going on that The Inspector could not wa,r al
these things without the aid OF an army Of as
| sistants. Then 1t is not at all impossible that.
TO 20 on and put up pretty much villa; they
! please. Every time there is fire, with loss u
life. there is spnsn Of carefulness on the part
Of t"nants;every time building falls there
that. in the search for cheap rents. people ara
too likely to he careless of whore they 60 In
propay state of public knowledge rs to the safety
OF buildings OF their hnalthfunoss rs places 81
residence. THESE speculative dwellings wou'd
not prove profitable Investments for any
body II il only because people arc
ignorant. that such frauds can be prHo-
tisrd. There ought TO he more difficulty
IN passing counterfeit house than In passing
counterfeit money, Bat it seems to h. mach
one general feature OF those fraudulent hou-"s
that marks tho places when he imposition is
pra tsei. and that II tho substitution oi ma
chine work for hand work Wherever il il pos5-
u grna' measure Il duplicate q! many o;hrr
houses. 50 that even in apparently elaborate
Ornninentatipn ther. is u SInenyS- thu DO
tracts from its value II is DISTRESSING H. 20
into n row Of houses and find III" snme bunch II
grapes rnproluc,i On c.ory door stpop in the
same device orthe Grpun'' glHss il looi1 TOO
mich Ike the uniformity of tho charity school,
hut these considerations are Of minor iiInr-
lance 70 thns., to which ! have rcforTp! bar
ing upon the safety and the health If the in
mates