The morning times., 1895-09-19
INCREASE IN BUILDING
Values S634,936 in Excess Of
Those of Last Year.
INSPECTOR BRADY'S REPORT
Recon- endat ions for the Future.
Fire Escape Law Needs Further
Amendment buildings of Three
Stories in Heig Int Should BE Brought
Within Its Provisions.

Superintendent of Buildings John B.
Brady yesterday submitted TO the Com
missioners his report for the past fiscal
year. in the course of which he shows that
the total value of improvements for which
permits were issued was 81 1853, ,s27 81.
The statement shows an increase in the
building operations over the previous
year, as follows: Increase in buildings,
319; in dwellings, 234; in valuation,
1894 9 Sc. 20.
Assistant Inspectors King and Evans
make a statement of the work under their
supervision, and Teiterate the statement
that their duties and responsibilities are
increasing every year, the territory Ia he
visited is charging every year, and call
attention to the fact that they are still
without means uf transportation except by
the street cars, which makes ii a physical
impossibility to give the work the super
vision to which the building public is en-
titled.
FIRE ESCAPES.
Assistant Inspector Vermillion cites the
necessity of an effective law TO govern
the erection of fire escapes, and recon-
mcnds the adoption OF a substitute for the
present law which will make 1t obligatory
upon the owner or owners, in fee or for life,
of every building occupied, and enumerated,
as hotel, factory, manufactory, theater,
tenement house. boarding house, store or
warehouse, office building, seminary, col
lege, academy, hospital, asylum, ball or
place of amusement, and the trustees ofevery
estate, association, society, college, acad-
emy, school, hospital or asylum ow ming or
using any building three stories in height or
upwards, devoted to any of the purposes
herein mentioned, to provide and cause 10
be erected, and affixed to said building, iron
fire escapes, stand pipes and ladders, or
either of said appliances, as may be ap-
proved and adopted.
His amendment also provides that IL
all the places mentioned the Railways and
stairways shall be properly lighted when
occupied at night, and that gongs or a Ia rms,
capable of being heard throughout the build
ing, shall be provided.
NO ESCAPE, NO LICENSE.
1t is made unlawful, as now, to issue a
license to the lessee or proprietor of any
building requiring n license, unless the
application is accompanied by a certificate
of compliance with the fire escape law.
The penalty in all cases for non-com.
pliance is not less than $50 fine, and the
person respo nsible is made liable to
prosecution for damages in case OF
death or personal INJURY through neglect
to provide the means of alarm and escape.
"In measuring buildings" Mr. Veumiilion
says, Il find many of them just an inch or
twouDder fifty feet in height. andit appears
that they are most in need of fire esca pes"
Mr. Vermillion also recommends stand
ard sheave for ropes OF given diameter with
nineteen wires to the strand for use in the
construction of elevators, and suggests
that all elevator shafts shall be inclosed
from the floor 10 the ceiling. Where iron
wire or fancy or ornamental iron work is
used, he suggests that no greater space
than twoinch mesh shall be allowed. All
beams for supporting overhead work, he
says, should be of iron.
Attention is called to the Potomac and
Curtis school buildings, respectively, ard
the recommendation made that the for
mer be replaced by a new building. lis
occupation, he says, constitutes continual
menace 10 the health of the children. In
respect to the Curtis school, he suggests
that the vacant lot adjoining be purchased
10 prevent the construction of a building
there to interfere with the school light on
the west side, or that Potomac street shall
be continued through the square.
The appropriation for repairs, he thinks,
should be increased TO at least $4,000.
Much needed work must be neglected for
want of funds. There are 103 school
buildings now occupied.