The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-31
MUNICIPAL CLASH.
Building Inspector and Fire
Boards Conflict Kills
Neill's Ordinance.
PERMITS ISSUED BY BOTH.
How Contractors Make the Fire
Limits Rule Practically a
Dead Letter.
PERMITS ISSUED BY BOTH

The briilding ordinance prepared by Build
ing Inspector Neill, which was exclusively
published in last Thursdays News, and
which he proposed having adopted by the
Aldermen, will not be presented at the next
meeting of the board, nor will one be pre-
sented until the conflict of authority now
existing between the Building Department
and Fire Board is adjusted.
1t will probably be news to many persons
to know that an application for q building
permit made to the Fire Beard costs fifty
cents. "a permit extending the same adj
vantages and privileges as that obtained
from the Fire Board is given by the Blu Id
ing Inspector free of charge. This condi-
ton of affairs frequently caused builders
much trouble. Policemen would not permit
BUILDING to proceed without permission from
the Fire Board, In innumerable instances
the Building Inspector put IN an appearance
a day or two later and insisted upon work
being stopped on the building until he had
issued the necessary permit. In this way
builders were often compelled to secure two
permits, which caused them not only incon-
v~enience but a loss OF valuable time.
A gentleman in speaking of the two de-
partments issuing licenses said:-
The trouble is due to the fact that the
office of Building Inspector was one of many
sinecures. 1t was a useless office. The only
duty of the Inspector at first was to super
wise the erection of buildings, not to issue
permits. The Fire Board, as in the past,
was to take care of that portion Of building.
The sinecure was, created, but no laws made
for the operation of the Office. Every new
Inspector has increased his power one way
or another, but no care has been taken to
prevent a clash with the Fire Board
The Fire Board bases its right to issue per-
60 al. --o 1-,Al-
or stone buildings under Section III of the
city charter, which says
I'll BOARDS AUTHORITY.
SECTION ri. And be it enacted, That the said
Board of Fire Commissioners shall have power to
regulate construction of buildings, engines, cain
neys pipes, fiues, and other things OF like descrlp-
ton, and the manufacturing, keeping, storing and
use of explosive or easily comOustfble material. and
the use of lights and fires, and generally to adopt
such rules as they may deem tit for preventing the
also direct the removal or demolition (after due
notice to the owner or occupant, Of any building.
strucpare, or other thing, deemed by them unsafe,
or unusually tending to produce or extend conha-
grations; they may also prescribe penalties for the
thorized, provided, that each penalty shall not ex-
delay, in which case it may equal fifty dollars fol
each DAYS delay, Sad Al writings attested under
purporting to be copies of any Of the regulations
or directions of said Board. shall be evidence Of
such regulations or directions in all courts and
places.
Although not authorized by any law, the
Fire Commissioners have adopted fire lines,
inside of which frame buildings only twenty
two feet high are permitted to be erected,
and outside thlrty-fve feet. This is the rule:
FIRE LIMITS RULE.
RULE u. No frame or wooden building. or wooden
building with front of brick OF other material, or
frame extension. shall hereafter be built or con-
ate limits of Jersey City. to wit:
Commenc ing at a point in the centre OF the east
erly line OF Essex street, thence running westerly
on the centre line OF Essex street to the centre line
OF Warren street; thence along the centre line OF
Warren street, 70 the centre line of Sussex street;
thence along the centre line Of Sussex street, TO the
centre line of Van Worst street, to the centre line of
Grand street; thence along the centre line Of Grand
Golden Colder street !. to he centre line Of Varick street;
thence along the centre line OF Nar1ck street to the
line OF Bright street to the centre line of Monmouth
street; thence along the centre line OF Monmouth
Of Mercer street to the centre line of Brunswick
Street: thence along the centre line of brunswick
along the centre line of Fourth street to a point 100
rect west, of the centre line of Monmouth street;
thence along a line 100 feet west of and parallel
with the centre line Of Monmouth street
to toni me fbe centre centre ,i 5dee Of Of Ten tSn Street ftt to The t cente e
line of Coles street, to the centre line of Fifteenth
street to the easterly boundary line of jersey city;
thence along the eastarly line or the city to the
the nee easteriy iiae 81 Essex street unless a permit IS
first obtained rom the Board of Fire Commission
under the foregoing rule afIo. ing the erection Of
a frame Building, at a hei. hit exceeding twenty-five
CID feet.
OBSERVED IN THE E
These lines were embodied in the rules and
regulations Of the Fire Board, December 81,
1882, and since that time have been I'M
changed. 1t is a notorious fact, however,
that under every change of administration
since 1882 builders have evaded the Fire
Board rule IN this wise. Shrewd counsel
construed it totmean that a fine of $50 only
was to be imposed in case a frame house was
erected within the fire lines to a greater
height than % feet. Houses were built to 80
and 35 feet, and the builder has walked up
to a police justice, paid the $50 penalty and
nothing more was ever heard OF 1t. Build
ers now, as then, value a story on a frame
house in a thIckly populated quarter more
than $50,
Excluding Inspector Clarke once made
an effort to establish new fire lines, but his
ordinance was beaten in the Board of Alder
men OH the ground that neither he nor the
Board had any right under the law to es-
tablish such lines. Inspector Wills new
ordinance was read by City Clerk Scott.
1t liked the fire lines 100 feet outside the
present city boundary lines. Mr.. Scott
promptly drew a4pencil through the fire line
clause, declaring that such an ordinance
would not hold water.
An Investigation into the authorship of the
Neill ordinance reveals an amusing state of
affairs. 1t appears that excluding Inspec-
tor Macarthur recently attended a conven-
tion of builders in Boston. He brought
back with him a dozen books and pamphlets
dealing with building in its various forms.
Inspector Neill procured one of these, and
promptly clipped out what he thought would
apply to Jersey City, presented it to Cor
p~oration Counsel Blair, secured typewriter
copies and fired it at the Aldermen. Its
provisions concerning the thickness of foun-
dation walls are regarded as just. Builders
all agree that foundation walls cannot be
too thick. There existed a feeling that the
new ordinance placed too much power in the
hands of the inspector relative to the advls-
ability of permitting the removal or con-
struction of frame buildings.
NC OBJECTION TO THE ORDINANCE.
II can see no Objectionable features in the
ordinance, y said Contractor English, 80 far
as the height and size of walls are concerned
or the manner of placing trusses and beams,
but when it comes to one man power decid-
ing about the construction of a frame build
ing or the removal of one, | can see where
an Injustice might be done. | do not wish
to be considered an advocate of frame build
ings. In my opinion Jersey City will be
better off when frame building in the lower
section of the city is stopped"
Similar views were expressed by other
builders and architects who read with in
terest the ordinance as published in THE
NEWS. The upshot of the criticism of In
spector Neills ordinance is hat he has
withdrawn it from the field, and ex-Inspec-
tor Macarthur is preparing a new one for
him. When it is completed, City Clerk
Scott will go through it and weed out what
is unnecessary and oversteps the law.
az know of no law authorizing the Alder