The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-02
FIRE LIMIT LAW
A Very satisfactory Statute
Passed in 1889 and Now
in Force.
ALDERMEN HAVE FULL SWING
Regulation of the Construction of
Buildings Provided For--James
c. Clarke's Ordinance.
ALDERMEN HAVE FULL SWING

The exclusive announcement in THE JER-
e CITY News that there exists a conflict
of authority between the Fire Board and
Board of Aldermen as to the issue of build
ing permits and also the establishment of
fire lines has occasioned considerable com
ment among real estate men, contractors
and contemplating builders. The incon-
v~enience to which builders lave been sub
jected under the existing condition of affairs
has generally been laid at the door of the
Aldermen. 1t is charged that the trouble Is
due to them. 1t is further charged that the
only claim made by the Fire Commissioners
to issue permits is because the Alder
men, for some u~naccountable reason,
have neglected to take advantage
of a law which vests in them all the power
necessary to create fire limits and prohibit
the erection of frame buildings within the
same. This law is on page 373 of the Laws
of 1889. 1t is Chapter No. 239. 1t was in
reduced in the Senate in 1889 by Senator
Mallon of Passaic. AS it passed the Senate
it provided Tor the establishment of fire
lines in cities of the Second class only. 1t
was sent to the House, and Mr.. James G.
Clarke, then Building Inspector of this city,
had it amended so that when it finally be-
anne a law it read as follows
"Be it enacted by the Senate and General
Assembly of New jersey
"Seetion |. That in all cities Of this State
the common council or other legislative
body thereof may fix and determine by or
dinance a fire limit, and that within the
limits SO liked and determined no frame
building or wooden building, in whole or in
part, shall be built or erected; and that they
NV also in IiHn foan1n Anrarrnina tho
thickness of partition walls and outside
walls of all buildings erected within said
limits after they are so determined: pro-
vided, that said common council or other
body may, by resolution passed by a three
fourtns vote of all the members thereof, per-
NIT frame or wooden, or partly frame or
wooden, buildings to be erected within said
limits, when the circumstances of the par
ticular case or cases, in their Judgment, re-
quire such exception.
Section II. And be it enacted, That such
Common Council or Legislative body of any
city wherein a fire limit is established under
this act, maypass an ordinance or ordinances
to prohibit the erection of any such building
in such fire limit, and may therein provide
for and enforce such prohibition by impos-
ing q fine of not more than ten dollars for
each and every day that any such prohibi-
ted building, whether complete or not,
stands or remains within said prescribed
limits, and may pass like ordinances and
impose a like fine for any building built
within such limits, contrary to an ordinance
relating to the thickness of the partition and
outside walls of buildings erected within
such limits; such fines n penalties to be
enforced by au action or actions to be
brought in the corporate name of the city,
and in any Ceur of Record, and that upon
judgments obtained in any such suit the
body of the defendant may be taken upon
ax-n ~ L aC in on onfinv of fnTf
"Section III. And be it enacted, That all
acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this
act are hereby repealed. and that this act
shall taxi effect immediately"
This act was approved May Z, 1889.
Some of the Aldermen evidently forgot or
never knew that such an excellent law ex-
listed, inaslnuch as last winter the passage of
a bill was secured which authorizes the
passage of an ordinance by the Aldermen
regulating the erection of buildings in cities
of the first class. The act, however, does
not cover the existing emergencies as well
as the act. of 1889.
Under the latter law Building Inspector
Clarke drew up an ordinance which included
all the salient features of the New York
building laws and excellent suggestions made
to him by ONE of the largest builders in
this city. On January Is, 1891, Alderman
Salinger presented Inspector Clarke's ordin-
ance to the Aldermen. But the ordinance
was plgeonhoi6d fOr some u"naccountaDle
reason and as a result no ordinance regulat-
ing building has ever been in force.
One feature of the ordinance in particular
warranted its passage, the one establishing
the fire lines to the Morris Canal. The
present fire lines fix the cehtre line of Grand
street. This is f~arcical, as on one side of the
street frane only twenty-five feet high can
be erected, while directly across the street
nothing can be said if a frame tenemen
fifty feet high is built.
Real Estate Transfers.
The Star Mutual Building aud Loan Association to
Donald Macree for $2,072, land and premises north.
east side of Academy street, "a feet southeast of
! Summit avenue.
The Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company to
Archibald Macarthur for S6.2j0, land and premises
cast side of Palisaoe avenue, 2l feet north of Hobo
ken Turnpike.
John j. Toffey as Sheriff to Mary A. Egan fol
$500, land and premises east side of Germania ave
nue.. IFS feet north OF Van Wrinkle avenue.
Mary Egan transfers same property. to John
O'Brien for S1,215.
John j. Toffey as Sheriff to Max Klein for 81 ,245
part of lot H, Van Worst Heights map.
Executors of e. u. Coles to Martin Finnegan fol
| Sizes, land and premises west side ofJersey avenue
IS feet south ofTyvelfth street.
John j. Toffey as Sheriff to the Pamrapo Building
and Loan Association for $3.50, lot 12, Block 1342.
northeast side of Cedar street.