New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-03
AFTER THE FIRE.

thousands Of occasions only recently was the time
honored practice Of ringing fire alarms on the City
Hall bell stopped Had not this action been taken
by the authorities 1t is hardly likely that tho Gus
tom would be revived after the enforced stopping
OF 1t which the fire would have caused.
AS for the clock. It's destruction be viewed
without profound grief. This clock was able 10
see the Roman god Janus a d 'go him two bet
ter every time. IT had four faces. but the trouble
with 1t was that they not always consistent
with each other Sometimes difference Of two or
three minutes would be shown. say between Full
ton-st and Court-st.. or between tho front Of the
building and the JoralcmOn-st. side. There will be
more OF this, and the new clock which prcsuma-
bly, Will be a feature in the Hall will no doubt
speak the same language to observers from every
direction Heretofore the knowing have been in the
habit OF verifying the city Hall time by that
shown by other clocks in the neighborhOod.
The cause OF the fire Is n my stery which will prob
ably not be unravelled. There be who
think they have ground for the suspicion that 1t
not accident They base this suspicion on the
assumed fact that there things In the records
OF the Controllers Office that 1t would be to the in
terest OF certain Democrats In Brooklyn not to have
brought TO light There is small likelihood that the
suspicion Will be confirmed; and II the fire
planned It failed wholly Of It's purpose. since none
of the records injured TO any extent. All Inn
portant records too are kept In safes that are sup
Mayor Schieren was out Of town the time of the
ing the trouble and confusion which ensued When
he reached the city Hall on Thursday, forty-eght
hours after the fire, the marks or 1t had for the
most part been removed IL was true that for
office he had 10 make use Of a room In the lower
story OF the building whittier the books papers, etc.
had been removed but no real Inconvenience or de-
Jay TO the clty's business thus caused. In the
Mayors apartments the water penetrated In numer
places, but the work of repairing the stained
walls and ceilings. providing fresh carpets. and
on, will not occupy long perioi.
The Brooklyn city Hall has had an Interesting
history-a history that began several years before
the erection OF the present building was entered on.
II was In 1896 only two years after the lncorpora-
ton Of the city that The idea Of magnificent city
Hall conceived. The present site was procured,
together with the little park which the building
faces, and plans were made for building to cover
the entire ground. 1t was truly splendid scheme
FOR little city of 5000 5000 people TO lay out.
Plainly the far-sghted perceived that brooklyn
TO have marvellous growth in the coming half
century The proposed building to provide room
for all the city Offices, and would have served that
purpose for a long time
The foundations were laid and the first story had
been begun when the panic Of 1887 brought the prof.
ect to a halt. The building laid out to be 1863
feet on Futon-st $50 feet on Cour-st. and 222 feet
on Jordlemon-st, and was to cost nearly "A million
dollars The panic put a stop TO the undertak king.
ana AFTER several years Ii was decided to "A
smaller building Instead. What had been built WAS
then torn down. and the present structure was
begun In 1875 Four years later II was completed
the total cost being about S7J00J0.
IL Is probable that not less than f2GD0O0 $4,000
viii be required " II Is decided TO add stories TO
the tal as II stands. In view OF the approaching
Brooklynites are questioning whether they will need
any City Hall In the near future. and whether OF
the whole 1t Is worth while 10 80 10 much expense
for repairs.