New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-09
SEEKING TO FIX THE BLAME.
THE BUILDING; BUREAU RECORDS.
TALK WITH SUPERINTENDENT BRADY-THE

| FIRE MARSHAL STARTS N INVESTIGATION.
| Thomas J. Brady. superintendent of the Bureau OF
Inspection Of Buildings. seen in his once yesterday
afternoon. 10 reporter who asked him about inc
fire -escape, and other hesns OF exit in the Hotci
ROYAL he said that he believed that the letter OF the
law had been compiled with by The propretoro OF
the hotel which the scene Of such great loss OF
| life on sunday morning
| superintendent Brady Produced number OF plans
| which showed that the building In question had Ger
tarly been great caro- t. his department, ana tht
| il had received commentator from the Buildings
| Bureau because from time to tim" th" hoe' man
aremcnt had boltcd one or Two new fro escapes
As suggested by the Inspector % the fifteenth district
| in which the hotel situated.
Did YOU consider The building reasonably safei'
was asked.
YES" Nr. Erady replied
| Do you say. yes tahns into consideration that
| in view Of the o,, oil lie there at the fire many
| public sprtcd citizens will certainly disagree with
| you emphatcaly ?"
| I'VE cannot compel LIdlng 20 b. vacated II
| ve think II unfit Tor the purpose for which it is
used. The law does not gives any such authority
replied Mr.. Brady. Neither can We di~peScss
| tcnant for such "A reason. We order change
or recommend addition, the halls, exits and fire
escapes and IL the wall, bulycd cracked in
| way dangerous we can have that remededT he con
| tinued.
The record. Of the bureau which Mr. Braly conultcd
showed the history ~ the hotel and rs relations with
| the bureau a, follows I'm ls-l an application wa
made by Mr.. E~tefbropk. who the owner NJ that
time to Increase tho height Of the building from five
to six stories Th, application was denied in Feb
rary i--2. ON February - l--3. the bureau ordered
an additional fir" escape erected on the nlNthav
| wing known in the records No. dJ2 sixth ave.
Til, wa, 70 extend from the nnh the ground hoor
inside IN the clurt. Prior to l7-l there Wa only ono
| small nre-cscape opening the nclosed court. In
July l--3 the bureau approved the new escapes aud
By II, failure recommend other changes left this hotel
| for over two year, with outside escapes at all
| the only means OF exit being 10 the inclosed space
back Of the where there now Thought 70 b.
A number OF bodc.. Had a fire occurred at tn, tlmc
II j, appalling think how much greater the loss OF
! lie must hayc been. Every one would have been
compelled 10 the escapes in the rear that led ony
10 narrow Enclosure where they would all have been
| rua -tsd t. death
finally the bureau decided that there call
fr frcc,capc, on the outside Of The bulldn- that
| Their, would BE- communication with the street The
| recommendation called for balconies with IRON stars
Ola the >lAthayc ,dc Tor the thee ccnir' Wind "' of
the second. third, fourth and hfth ioor,, and non
stairs ald ladders on the seventh. eighth, nlhth ana
tenth window, east from >iNhayc. Oh thc Fosti th-
! 81 side This order served on Lyman Israel.
! ,ne owner on December ., -. The Central Iron
Wofl, had The f1r the last fir" escapes PM up
and the wor, declared to De- all right by tn bureau
| en- March l.. 800 the lahdct, ON th' "lI'i' ""I-
|
order wa, then Issued fr rood iron ladders extending
| t fn, nr.i hoo, bat when tho Old ladders w"ic
opened and locked with a paddock and chain, the
| bureau wa, satisfied.
Abou, eight months ago. Daniel NJ Kcclcy inspector
~ the fifteenth district reported that the rcc'caP'
were In good order. His district extends fnm thirty
,urth t. 10 Forty fifth 4. ard from sixth ave. 10 thc
F,st River The powers vested in the bureau ~
defined by Mr. Brady aye to recommend Nuch hre-
escapes A. in the judgment Of the superintendent
| furnish suitable means Of escape. Many CITIZENS are
, nGnrng II this docs not leave too much to the juds-
men, ~ one Man, who doe not seem 10 nave good
| Judgment If the IarA Place dsa,"r and TN, recent
hor-,r furnish the only evidence Of his ability ana
efficiency.
Mr. Brady continued, defining his powers as fol
| lows: Each hotel ard building must DO governed
hy is peculiar -trHcure AID int 'rna arrangements
There Is lsw by which va can enforce the employ
m.ni 81 waclmcn by hotel managers. After The
lutfalp fir, through the eho:ts Of the commercial
travellers. II lnv Wps passed requiring that there be
| rome, kept in each room Of a hotel. But this was
altorvard decided as lot compulsory In New York CITY,
and Il ha, not been enforced FOR 5pnc time There
were ropes IN some OF the Of the Hotel ROYAL
! ard they may be seen hanging from the windows
| | should -ay that hi building we'll provided
with mean OF escape In q fire the character
Of the building would warrant II, IN enforcing. con
tuuous bacouirs extending around hotel objected
| t. Iy hotel managers A. furnishing t." easy accom-
moiaons for thieves. against whom manager must
project their guests. Aftcr serving order the
owner Of It building usually give thirty days for
him to begin action, ana then We appeal 10 the court
TO sustain order The do not always sustain
| us
1t seems that the system Of inspection required BY
Mr. Brady Is that the inspector 70 entirely around
n block and he then report the block I'll right or
40. k with exceptions which specified. When
pressed for the last report this building. Mr. Irudy
said that II was verbal one, and ne wOnld not show
the last report the heck in which the hotel was
situated. lie was asked II II was with two months.
No" he replied. not short Il time as that
IL was alsO said that II bill would be Introduced
ut Albany in the ncXt ten days, which. passed, would
largely increase the humber 81 fire proof bulldpg,
erected I'm the city What the provisions Of this bill
wcre Mr.. Brady declined 70 sly Tut he said that
there had been OF Thirteen inspectors on the
force recently. Up /, the time Of the increase there
were thirty eight districts and forty-two Inspectors
Henry d. Purroy. president OF the Board Of Fire
Commi. ,ioaers. said that there hrealagm box
SlXthavc. and Fortleth-st, in this there
little Use Of having call in the hotel Even II there
Lad been in the hotel II does not occur TO me that
any would have lung it, said he. Continuing he
| said: We put In boxes where they central and
convenient for every one. II hotel private house
wants one II easily make arrangements to have IL
put in II IS question of enterprise and looking after
the safety Of the guests. There is law to compel
hotel to have fire alarm. Many large factories hayo
their private boxes. Every house in the city can
have one II the ht To put them in but the
| city does not take such precautions as that. Chief
| Bonner agrees with me that this fire must have been
burning fully a halfhour before the alarm WAS sent
out, and it only about three minutes after tho
alarm finally sent before Engine Company No. 20
was on the ground. should say that there tho
n md Tol