Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-16
TO PUT UP FIRE ESCAPES.
The Law Very Plain, and the Depart
ment of Public Safety Will
SEE 1T is RIGIDLY ENFORCED.
A Move to be First Made Against tie Mills
and Factories.
JUST THIRTY DAYS NOTICE GIVEN.

ing and the searching investigation of Cor
oner Mcdowell, together with the strong
recommendations of his jury, is to result in
the rigid enforcement of the ire-escape law
Chief Brown, of the Department of Pub
lie Safety, has been in consultation with
City Attorney Burleigh for the past week,
and as a result the Chief yesterday issued
an order to the owners OF ali buildings COM
ing within the provisions of the law, giving
them 80 days in which to erect fre-escapes.
In the notice sent out by the department
the property owners are warned that they
Will be prosecuted unless they promptly
comply with the order, and are warned that
the penalty for noncompliance is $500 fine
and Imprisonment from 3 to ID months.
The law is quoted very fully. The circu-
lar sets forth that every building more than
two stories high and used as a hotel, fac
tory, seminary, tenement house, college,
academy. hospital, asylum, hall, or place of
amusement, shall be supplied with fire
escape.
No Escape for the Landlord.
The law then goes on to say that ''the
owners or trustees OF every estate owning or
using any building constructed more than
two stories high used or intended to be used
for any said purposes, must provide and
cause TO be securely affixed bolt through
the wall over the window head inside at
least one window in each room on the third
floor, and in each room on each higher floor
Of every such building, a chain at least ten
feet in length, with a rope at least one inch
in diameter securely attached thereto, of
suficie0; length TO extend TO the ground,
and each of such ropes should be coiled and
kept in an unlocked box, in an unob-
Structed place near the inside sill of the
window, to which such rope is attached,
''In all hotels, factories manufactures.
workshops, schools seminaries, etc., or other
places mentioned in this act, the hallwavs
and stairs shall be properly lighted at night,
and at the head and foot of each flight of
stairs and at the intersection of all haliways
with main corridors shall be kept during
the night a red light, and one or more
alarms or gongs capable of being heard
throughout the building, shall always re-
3nain easy Of access and ready for use in
each OF the said buildings to give notice to
inmates in case of fire. And every keeper
of a hotel, factory, etc., shall keep posted
in a conspicuous place in every sleeping
room, a notice descriptive of the means of
escape"
Chief Brown Means Business.
Chief Brown said yesterday, In re!erring
to the new order: II intend to ask the Fire
Marshal to cooperate with me in this mat
7 -
mean just what the order says, that if fire
escapes, ropes and lights are not placed as
the law directs, viii prosecute without
fear or favor. 1 want to have these build
ings SO arranged that no such accident as
occurred at the Dickson building will occur
again. A grea. many owners of buildings
are ignorant of the law. and that is the rea-
son We are giving them a months notice
After this time expires We will go on with
our prosecutions.
1--WE will first move against the mills and
factories and gradually go down until we
have things arranged as the law directs
For time it was claimed that we had no
law for this but since L have consulted
with Mr.. Burleigh, we have come to the
conclusion that there is plenty of law. L
am giving due and timely notice now, so
lLdt W utu luS tIIu6 10 PROSECUTE comes I1eTe
will be no excuse, and the only place to
settle the matter will be in court. am
surprised at the carelessness Of the owners
OF buildings and their open violation of the
law. All we need is to convict one or two
of these people and the others will only be
too glad to do what is right. There are
hundreds of factories and mills where work.
ingmen and girls are employed, who have
not the slightest protection in case of fire.
/ have been contemplating this move for
some time, and only wanted to be sure 1 was
right before l went ahead. am now salts
fed am right and will push the matter to
the ead,
The Public Must be Protected.
II know that obstacles will be put in our
way, but the public must be protected.
dare say that to-day not one-third of the
buildings are properly supplied with fire
escapes. We want to reduce the loss of life
and limb to the minimum, and while it NAV
seem harsh, 1t takes desperate remedies for
desperate diseases. / will not let up in this
light until every building In Pittsburg is
properly supplied with fre escapes. as the
law directs, then If accidents occur we will
not be to blame. Some people are foolish
enough to argue that the relations of people
killed can secure damages, but no damages
are great enough for the loss of human
life"
City Attorney Burleigh, in speaking of
the order, said: "Chief Brown and myself
have been in consultation for several days
past and we think the law is specific. His
actions show that he is not afraid to make a
move when be thinks he is right. You can
rest assured that he means eyerv word he
says, and he will2S exactly as the order
reads"
as it is estimated that but one-tenth of
the buildings coming within the limits of
the law are without fire-escapes the new Or
der Will cause quite hustling.
Attorney General Kirlxpatrick's Opinion.
Attorney General w. S. Kirkpatrick, in
speaking of the law, said: ''The ire-escape
acts contain within themselves complete
provisions for their due enforcement. Any
violation of them, or neglect to comply with
their provisions, may be pupished, and any
person competent to prosecute an offender
for q crime may, by complaint, institute in
the ordinary way the usual criminal
process provided for the enforcement of the
laws. The fre-escape laws include many
classes OF buildings other than factories or
mercantile establishments.
''To avoid misapprehension l think it
proper to remark that the terms means of
egresS in case of fire or other disasters are
more comprehensive than the term fire
escape These means of egress' include
the interior means which NAV exist. such
as stairwsYs, corridors, the manner in which
rooms communicate or doors open. and
other such details Of interior construction,