New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-25


since the building begun in January, 1872, and
finished in october OF the same year.
Have any complaints ever been received regard
ing it,"
There hns never been any complaint from anybody
about the building. Tar as know"
was there not at the time the horoscopes put
upf"
Not even then, l am certain. These escapes were
put up pursuance of the regular order Of business IN
various buildings of the city made In blocks and
improvements were made here and there at all the
places indicated by the inspectors"
at is said that many insurance companies refused to
take risks on the building in consequence Of its
safe condition. suggested the reporter.
"That may be So" said Mr.. Mckinley. "The insur-
ance companies are themselves the best judges Of that
but know nothing at all about the matter"
HOW INSPECTIONS ARE MADE.
"What have your inspectors 10 do ?"
ooh" said Mr.. Mckinley, with despairing wave
Of the hand, these unfortunate men are worked to
death from the time they report here at O'Clock in
the morning, until their days work is done Our
inspectors are supposed, during the construction Of
new buildings, to that the law IS complied with In
every particular They look after all the buildings
In their district and all the hreescapes and all the
or which may be referred them by other body"
THERE WAS no COMPLAINT.
the 0 %s %%S Ehis e y ysDo sa's
the Inspector had done his work in this case the
accident might have been avoided :"
"Not so fast as that" said the Deputy Supern-
tendent there nothing 20 show that the inspector
did not do his duty and nothing TO warrant any suc
Inspector within whose district the Taylor Building
was, is o competent painstaking man, who has to
look over large amount of territory and an enormous
number of buildings, from Broadway and Chambers
ST. TO Park Row, NasSau-st. and the Battery and as
no complaints have ever been made about this par
ticuiar building and as Mr. Schwartz nothing wrong
while passing the outside do not see that there has
been any En nec on a gpT Mr. Of GEn to read
fully extract which he pointed ont to him from the
laws relating to ts constructor Of oH H,s qnd as
the heading OF carrying capaciy Oh hoors' DIS
follows:
In every building already erected or hereafter to be
built The floors shan be OF sufficient strength 10 bear the
weight imposed upon them exclusive Of the weight OF the
materials used In their construction and Ia all storehouses
the weight that each win safety sustain upon each
superficial foot shah be estimated By the owner thereon
posted In conspicuous place upon each moor hereoi
and the weight that be placed upon either OF ne noor
Of the said building buildings shall be safely distributed
thereon all tmbers and beams used In any building
hereafter constructed altered repaired shall be OF good
sound material free from rot or any mperecon whereby
strength may be impaired, and be OF sueh size ana
dimensions as the purposes which the building is In
tended require.
"Now, Mr.. Mckinley" said the reporter, "if the
theory that 1t not explosion, but the uemen-
floors in that building that caused 1t to collapse is not
this department clearly responsible for permitting this
The Deputy superintendent smiled confidently as he
answered: "No we were satisfied that that IVA. was
@ ssa' s6 sde tat the owner reused g comply with
& we went to law"
"why notl'
THE LAW DEFECTIVE.
"The owner would say simply, This is not store
house,: this Is workshop" and the word workshop
does not occur in the section from which you have
quoted We have fought some Of these GASES IN the
courts and have been defeated that or some other
l.. in lafin IN
~If the law was not complied with in this case In
regard to the posting In consp uous place on tne
floors the weight placed upon thest hoors VINO SHOULD
nNse els said MIR Mckinley. the department should
have known it, but known in the way that 1t would
learn Of any other lnfrcton OF the rules in the inside
or Others. who might think that life endangered
by what they for mist remember that 1t IS nor
possible for an Inspector to visit once day or once
month every spot in every building In his large DIS
trict. Remember that no report has ever been re-
in any degree unsafe ,,,. :.
overloaded
q He will detect the swaying and vibration at once.
We NAV have complaint, and several complaints that
building is overoaded-we oIteh nave suS h OTH,
one OF two things usually occurs-he Overlooking when
caused the danger is covered up or roVeG anu NAV
take refuge in the technical plea that his place Is
Workshop and not storehouse' In relation 70 the
nrasent case all this Is speculation, for there IS
40 far no proof that 1t was overlooking which caused
the collapse of the Taylor Building
HE CANNOT FIX THE BLAME.
auntl the exact cause OF the accident" said Mr..
Mckinley ais learned from the reports OF the FIRE
Marshal and the Superintendent of Buildings IL VIII Oh
oourse be impossible TO fix the responsibility. have
hare awaiting Superintendent Brady the history OF the
building since 1t was put up, and the report Oh Ill
spectOr SchVartB' =, tto
The department closes at ocock %h S a AN SS
clerical force in the place stops work. ana adoI ia
Deputy Mckinley waited an hour later Mr. Bray hau
not appeared SO the Deputy locked f USe b anu WHOSE
district the disaster occurred, declined 70 say
about his investigation Of the of 1t until the
superintendent should see his report have hleo m!
repOr for Mr.. Bradys judgment and am not per !,
mitted TO state its contents until he mas seen IL ns
~ Peter seery Inspector of the Bureau Of Com
bustibes, has bureau OF compusuees Ti nis owl IN
the shape Of liquor store az NO 9lo Il3iu-dEe' VA
which account doubtless Tammany deems him gQod
Judge Of all explosive Ingredients An explosion De b
ment but he had not been there all the day. While at
his liquor store the bartender sad
You can see him tomorrow. 4, ,.s
"why not to-day or tonight y the reporter asked;
cocktail Peer'n probably be very tired this even
ins too tired to receive anybody when he gets back
Hes gone on the clambake of the Tammany Cen
""4 All said the reporter and walked ont
Inspector Williams. being asked what he thought
caused the disaster briefly but declsivey answered
1.-THE building was Overwelghted and collapsed
That is all There was no boiler explosion in IT,
though there might have been some minor explosions
in the drugstore after the crash'
WHAT INSPECTOR BYRNEs SAID.
As to the cause Of the disaster. Inspector Byrnes
sald ne could form opinion until examinations Of
the ruins had been made by men who were com
peent judges Of buildings. Il noticed that the
bricks at the ruins looked II the mortar had not
stuck to them he added. and i would like 10 hear
tbe result of an examination by an expert Possibly
Inc constant Earring OF the building by heavy ma
chnery for years may have shaken the mortar loose
srom the bricks. II that the OF the aeci-
dent who can tell how many more buildings are In
danger Of fallingi'
KNOCKED OVERLOOKED AND DROWNED