The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-28
TENANTS WHO RENT
IRRIGATION LEAVES 4 BUIJDING
IN THE HANDS OF EMPLOYEES.

The City Took Il Tor tho Hail or REGARDS site.
but IT'S Right IL Qucsiioned-The Jauiter
ana the Engineer Hun n for the Tennnta,
OF who's Rome Fay and Soue Don't.
A curious state Of affairs exists regarding the
right to collect rents for the buildings which
now occupy the site selected for the new Hall
of Records. This includes oil tho buildings
which run from the northwest corner Of Cen
tre and Chambers streets for 1876 feet to the
American News Company bhilding on Cham
bers street and back along Centre street to
Duane and on Duane to the American News
Company's line.
theoretically the city took possession OF all this
property on Sept. 1s, but as q suit was brought,
calling in question the legality of the appoint
nent Of appraisers, neither tho original owners.
the city nor a lessee to whom the city rented prop
erty seems to have the right to collect rents nor
to conduct the ordinary affairs of the buildings.
In several cases this has not resulted in much
confusion because where tenants occupied q
. whole building they took care of themselves and
arranged to pay their rent eventually to tho
proper party. In other cases tho tenants
promptly moved out.
But there is one building where n great mud
die has arisen. This is next to the corner of
Chambers and Centre streets. and is numbered
25 Chambers street and 81 and % Centre street.
1t was the property OF the Norman L. Munroe
estate. As soon as the notice was posted that
the city had acquired this property, tho owners
abandoned 1t. AT that time the building was
filled with tenants. On Oct. 1 q man named
John Mccarthy appeared at the building, say
ing that he had n lease of 1t from the city. and
he took possession. There was an elevator to
maintain, steam heat to supply, cleaners to
keep, and gus lights to furnish, all under the
Leases of the offices, and this involved employ
Nnn m ! r. 80, ,-t,1n a- l.r-t --l
two other men. besides buying coal and other
supplies and paying gas bills. What Nc
use Of the buildings until they were finally
sold to be torn down no one in the buildings
s s4Sr to know, nor, for that matter. to care:
$1,000 a month, but the tenants didn't pay;
neither did many OF them propose to move out.
coal and gas bills and the wages of the %ianitor,
engineer. an other employees, and then he
dropped out of the game.
The janitor and the engineer, who were now
threatened with loss OF Jobs and pay. deter.
%insd to Try fSr to 9h %ase q tow T a9l1@Gs oe esS of tho he
them and begged them to keep the steam heat
on, to keep the elevator running, and to supply
be paid for their trouble. The janitor and en-.
gineer found themselves virtually, landlords.
ed proprietors, even il 1t were by a lapse on
s%SpmebSdy,s part, and they agreed to run things.
their. pride has had u fall. They bought coal,
hired a man to- run the elevator, and each
worked lie q Trojan to make things go, but they
declare that the tenants have gone back on
them. II the tenants had paid even one.quarter
OF their regular rents, the income Of the two en-
terprising landlords would have been $4O0 a
month";. and they would have been content.
But a lot of them utterly refused to pay, and
were already out Of pocket $12.s5 by their ven
"lf some OF our tenants don't come to time
on Monday" they declared last night, I'VE
FOR cold weather. Heretofore the weather has
been SO warm that although we have uncoupled
the radiators in some of the offices where no
pay was forthcoming. the tenants could still
get, warmth enough from the steam pipes
which went through the rooms, We couldn't
stop this because the steam had to pass through
who paid. But il it Is cold on Monday We
shall have all the hall doors open and see II we
can't freeze somebody out"
no one seems to know. The whole lot Of build
tngs was advertised to be sold by the city on
Nov. %. but the sale Is of, for the legality of
the proceedings is now before the Supreme
praisers is declared to have been proper. tie
city will have been legally in possession. of
the property since Sept. 10, but If their appoint
ment was not legal. then the city under the
four months after the appointment of new ap-
pfaisers. 49,.
In the meantime some Of the tenants are go.
ing away. Racey. Doll g. Canton moved out
ssss'f t%a weeks aaFS asos Alfred e f f.. cohsn. R RSSs&
Il Bernard, Frank c. Towle. and G. c. Hyatt
moved a week ago. Unless the freezing.out
process works. the. tenants who remain and
landlords cannot shut off their gas without in
commoding those who do pt y, nor can they ex-
clude the deadheads from using the elevator
along with the others.