New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-11
ST1PTJTNG TON.


most an,ozinr confession was made yester-
day at rne buildings Bureau. The records OF
tina. office had disclosed the fact that fire
escapes had been ordered in 1856 for the sixth
ave. front Ct the Hotel Royal and that William
SeatOn, an inspector of the Department, Subse-
quently reported that the requirements had been
complied with. The inspector, after lelteIating
these statements since the fire, broke down yes
.crday and confessed that his official report was
false The hotel people, he explained, solicited
q modification of the order and he consented TO
it, though reporting to the Department that II
had been carried out in detail. In consequence
Of this criminal evasion of public law the IN
mates Of the Hotel Royal in their extremity on
Sunday morning had only one line of iire-cScapes
cpen to them. that on tho Forticth-st. side,
when there ought to have been another on
Sixth-ave. A little money had been saved by
the hotel people, the front OF the building had
not been disfgured for five years, and hundreds
of lives had been imperilled every day and night
for five years.
What do these hotel leSSecs think Of their
little economy now? With seventeen lives al
ready weighing on their consclenccs, we wonder
if they are satisfied with the bargain which they
made with the inspector. They saved the APP
pcarance of the hotel by inducing an Official to
connive at fragrant violation of law and then to
lie about it ; and his false record and their own
criminal negligence now stare them in the face.
They know by this time that the poorest invest
ment which they could have made was one Tor
cheapcning human life for the sake OF not dis
figuring the front of such iiretrap as the Hotel
Royal.
The Commissioners after hearing the aStolind-
ing confession of the inspector were overwhelmed
with feeling of righteous indignation, ana us
missed the inspector from the force. Was thar,
we are constrained to ask, their full conception
of their official duty in the case? We would
have suggested their keeping the man on the
force long enough to have cfOSS-cXanlncd nm
and to have ascertained whether or not he was
bribed 10 make his false report Officials do not
ordinarily neglect their duty and lie about 1t
without having some merccnay motive. Inc
Commissioners might also have consulted with
the Distrct-Attorney and learned whether inc
inspector and the lcSsecS had not exposed them
soye, to prosecution for violation OF the build
ing laws.
The Superintendent of Buildings and the Fire
Commissioners have much 10 say about tho in
adequacy of the building laws and the necessity
for radical reforms in the statutes Commission
or Purroy expresses tho opinion that there arc
forty insecure hotels in this town, and that tho
law is powcrlcss to enforce adequate safeguards.
The building laws may be seriously at fault; but
after tho revelations of official negligence and
incompetence which have startled the com
munity it is at least premature to saddle the
responsibility upon the statute makers. Tho
administration Of the Buildings Department has
been shown to be reckless Radical reforms arc
needed there. most searching investigation
is imperativey needed.