New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-18
SAFETY OF CITY HOTELS.
INSPECTOR EsTERBROOK'S WORK.
NOTICES SENT TO THE OWNERS OF THE BREVooR
IND REVERE HOUSES.


stormy wea her this week the examiners had Dccn
able to spend considerable time in examining hotels
and that many reports had been sent In by
them Owners OF five hotels IL was Thought
would be served with notices to-day. The notice
in regard to the Brevoort House was served yes
terlay on the following agents of the property:
John B. Hendnckson, No. 50 Cedar-st., agent for
Nos o, IL and 10 Fiftb-ave.; Gouverneur 1illot-
son. No. 80 Liberty-st agent for No. IL flith-ave.,
aud John A. Van Buskirk, No 1871 Broadway,
agent for No II Fifth-avc. 1t reads as follows:
You are hereby directed place on the rear OF build
ings Mo-. - and II Ffave Of ah roer
OF each story Of each building with iron stairs sonnec
ing each balcony, aud iron droladders from me lower
balconies TO the ground. You are also directed
to cut down. the noriherly window W, OF
wing OF the building ana which faces west ana u used
as servants seepingroom ana erect an iron prloSo
.gs 5o rSse to be Of the S width Of the window
and have guard rails on each SIDE at sast Two ,es
and nine inches high 70 erect an outside hreescape
to the window the of the main building being the
window next norhery to where the Drihge resn on inc
roof with iron balconies to each story and iron 'ars
connecting the same to the lower balconies Y Yna
iron dropadder from there TO me yatI
south the servants bed room herein men'i0heu up
through tho roof and two feet above with metal
and skyights over the same. to allow me escape OF
smoke it's passing between the ceiling ana roof
beams
Alderman Waite the proprietor Of the hotel, has
already expressed MS upbiIe W uaNo ~ h""O P"'
fectly safe, and he has told Inspector Esterbrook
that the demands OF the Buildings bureau wouiu
be complied with
The Revere House. at Broadway and Houston-st.,
is owned by Miss Catherine l.. Wolfe, of No. IS
Madison.ave. The following notice was sent to her
yesterday
You are hereby required to provide additional means
of egress in OF fire by erecting on the Houstons
front three outside recscapeB one 70 take IN the Two
easery windows TO take In the seventh ana eghIh
windows from the eastery end OF said building ana ,he
westerly corner with iron balconies connected by iron
stairs each story above the rst and with iron drop
ladders from the lower balconies TO the ground anu
YOU are also required TO cut doorways from each bal
cony the next adjoining so as to allow the occu
pants of the rooms 10 reach the same In ne OF uanSe
r. r. Coo. the manager of the Revere House.
said yesterday to Tribune reporter! This hotel
Is the only one in the city, far as know, which
has fre-escapes on the front You can see that the
balconies extend entirely across the Broadway
front of the building and are connected by iron
ladders. There Is now q chain fire-escape on the
Houston-st side. In every hall are directions to
the fre-escapes, painted in large letters on the
walls Automatic alarms are on each floor to warn
guests OF fire. On every floor are several galvan-
lied iron pals kept constantly full of water for in
slant use in case of need. The hotel is kept open
night and day. and several persons
are always on duty in the building. Every
possible precaution Is taken TO prevent fires in the
building. All the rooms are heated by steam and
there is not stove above the basement except one
in n small binding on the roof which is used a
laundry There il really no need OF more hIe-
escapes on the building, but OF course we shall
make no objection to having the outside walls COW
cred with them If such arrangements can make the
hotel any safer than 1t now 49,
Alderman G.. Il. Waite. the proprietor of the
Brcvoort House. said 10 a TRIBUNE reporter last
night. when asked abOut the order OF Inspector Es
I think tho nrOposel alteraflOhS not AT
all unreasonable. although i have always con
sdered my house very safe, and OF course, the
owners will readily comply with the order. nave
not Hitherto considered the outside iire-escapes
necessary because there are i've inner
starways leading from the top TO the bottom OF the
house. There are four slairways from the top
floor 10 the roof. which connects with the roofs
Of the adjoining houses. These starways used 10
be of wood. but now they Will be OF IRON. ii,
1.-THE iron bridge from the servants quarters VIII
be very good thing. There are stand. pipes with
hose on four stories. which connect with pump IN
the cellar and with tank on ,nG r IDr anu a WE
axes in two places on every hoor But
do not depend upon these means i0r preventing
fire NV employees have strict Instructions To sum
mon the Fire Department at the first gn OF danger.
There are three watchmen on duty all highland II
IL their duty 10 communicate WIN Dslrlct lele-
graph Office half dozen times during the night.
4 he report is then brought TO me III the morning
and can see that every man ~ dong his duty. MY
orders that a. soon as indications OF hI1 arc
discovered the clerk Is To be communicated wlthahd
he must at once summon the Fire Department here
has al ways been box ut the corner OF the street,
and the wires are now being iaid right ihto we
Office In the resolutions that | submitted tn tho
Board of Aldermen yesterday / propose To require
of every hotel and lodging-house proprietor that he
sha mt into every plan OF the iiOor and tho
Iocat,on of the stairways and fre-escapes. This
deem of great importance. A man may I'VE I'D
house for years and by always using the elevator he
in utter ignorance OF other means OF egress by put
ting guch "A plan OF the floor IN every room II
will be easy for everybody 10 study
is at leisure and 80 be prepared for any emergency,
propose further that there shall be pointers IN al
the passage-ways showing the direction IN which
to escape Oil lamps with red hand painted on
them would be very good thing ! shall push 1 my
resolutions through as soon as possible ana don
think shall meet with opposition
George Kemp. the owner of the buckingham Hotel,
who lives at No. 100 Ffthay., said to the reporters
fl received MIR. EsteTbrooks order late last even
ing and / called upon him at once. He was not at
home. so | left word asking him 20 meet mo at the
hotel at 8 o'clock this morning lie did so. asked
him whether he had made personal inspection
NJ nv bnilding and he said that he had not. then
Teouested him TO do so. | told him that ut the
time when nv house was being built l submitted
tho plaus OF IL TO the Department OF Build
ings and TO the Fire Department, and altered them
according 10 direction, so that practically the hoel
was built under tne supervision OF these depart
mrnts spared no expense III the construction
because desired TO erect building that sh9uld
last for those that came after me: ana
think ! succeeded, for tho nre insurance
companies declared 1t 1rst-class risk and Insured
II nj "a very small premium. NOW. after seven
years. aud while tho building IL still regarded as al
No / risk by the insurance mentor L pay less
than One-third of per cent on my policies am
asked to make alterations that viii spoil the front
of my house. | said, Mr.. EsterDrook, will you not
make personal examination Of my building, ac-
cOmpanied by "a fireman and a practical builder,
before you order me to do anythingf l
do not want you to spare my purse.
and ] am most anxious 70 do anything that shall
tend to make my house safer. but | do not want TO
have the beauty of IT destroyed unless 1t Is neces-
sary' Mr. Estcrbrook consented. He said that
when Mr.. German returned 10 the city he would
make tine inspection with him meanwhile l need
do nothing
THE proposition to put outside nre-escapes on
the eastern side Of the building" continued Mr..
Kemp, IA reasonable enough, but the Other altera-
tions are to NV mind unnecessary cOns terng the
circumstances under winch the house was built and
the low rate of insurance accepted by the under
writers. Besides. there should be some llnit 10 the
demand for alterations. When n building has been
nrnnerly inspected the owner ought not 10 be sub