Evening star., 1898-08-09
Report Of District Inspector for Past
Fiscal Year.
RECOMMENDATIONS And ESTIMATES
Force Of Assistants Inadequate for
Business of Department.
ADDITIONAL CLERK WANTED

From the report it appears that 500 build
| ing permits were issued during the year,
! involving an expenditure of 81, ,203, ,620.51 for
| 4.227 buildings. as viii be seen from the
| following detailed statement:
Statement of permits issued from June
| 80. 1897, to July /, 1898, in the order narned:
Brick dwellings,, 573, s2,020. 800; frame
dwellings, 126. s1S0,150; brick repairs. 6i6,
S746,0T1; frame repairs, 504, SO, 74S; stores
Qrck), IS, $111,T75; stores (frame), 1, $50;
| stables Cbrick), 49, s53 $50; stables Cframe),
s. Slab; warehouses, 6, So, 800; churches,
3, $4,000; office buildings, 10, sss, 800; work
shops, ETC., 0, $11, 100; flats and apartment
| houses, q, s3s9, ,2o0 green houses, ETC., 10,
500; grand stand, 1, $500; power house,
1920; hospital, l. 10000; ice house.
l. $1,000; museum, 1. $24, 600; gas holder l.
$4,000; wood and coal yard, /, $50; .heds
IA, $ll, ,4So; boilers and engines, H. $40, 5st5
m M nor 3 repairs, Isis, l4.544; awnings. 142
sl2' $50; elevators and fire escapes, ST., 100;
vaults, 8. S757.o7 Total. 4,227, 81 2O3 600. 81
Special applications for projections be-
yond the building line approved numbered
There was an increase of nineteen new
buildings over the record of 1897, of 229 in
number of repairs, and decrease of thirty
three in number of dwellings constructed
Comparative statement of valuation of
building operations shows: 1897 81 I02,- :
59s .: 1898, 81 ,2o3, ,62O.5T; increase, $101,-
u21S2
Number of permits issued: 1897, ,622;
1913, 1,S69; increase, DAT.
The following summary shows the distrf-
button of improvements in the different
sections of the District and the value of
same: Buildings - Northwest, $1,319 925;
| county Sl,2o6,620; northeast 1894 $40;
southeast, S269,020 southwest S121 455; to-
tai, S3,331 $40 Repairs-Northwest $629-
4G2; southwest, $1,000: county $4S317
SS21 S19
Receipts of the office for the year: For
building permits, So, ,127; for vaults or un-
foreground construction. ST67.57; for avn
ings, S142; for boilers engines, ovens. etc.
So; total, 81, ,6SS.57.
Received for year 1897, $3.50. ~; received
for year 1898, $4,0SS.57; decrease s., 49, 20.
IN addition to the permits above enumer-
ated, miscellaneous permits were issued
1or which no fees were obtained, consisting
OF rebuilding entrance porches and steps
temporary structures for the use of build
ers in connection with new construction
extra occupancy of public space for build
Ing materials and excavations for buildings.
The Assistant Inspectors.
The corps of assistant inspectors have
been faithful and painstaking in the dis
charge of the duties assigned them, says
Mr.. Brady, and he appends the statement
of the execution of the miscellaneous char
acter of their assignments
lowing as a list of inspections made by me
during the fiscal year ending June 80 1888:
Elevators, 96I: elevators inspected and con-
demned for repairs, 66; premises examined
TO locate steam boiler and engine, 60; prem
ises examined to locate bake ovens II:
premises examined to locate gas engines
u. premises examined to locate gasoline
engines, 4; inspections for the United
States, Z; miscellaneous inspections, DO;
premises examined to locate fire escapes
"; fire escapes examined and condemned
during construction, ); premises examined
to locate electric motor, 3; total, 2,317
Suggested Amendments.
Il have the honor to submit herewith The
following amendment to the fire escape
law: After the word asylum" in line .,
section 1, strike cut the words owning or
using any building fifty feet high or up-
wards and insert 'office building. rercar
tile building, any building, at the discre-
ton of the inspector of buildings and chief
engineer of the fire department" the sec
tfon to read as follows:'
That it shall be the duty of the owner
or owners in fee or for life of every build
ing constructed or rsed or intended to be
used as hotel factory, manufactory the
alter, tenement house, apartment house
seminary college, academy, hospital asy-
tim, hall, place of amusement, office build
Ing, mercahtile building any building, at
the discretion of the inspector of buildings
and the chief engineer of the fire deparr-
nent, and the trustee or trustees of every
estate, association, society, college acad-
emy school, hospital, asylum. owning or
using any building for any of the purposes
fere1n above mentioned, to provide AMI
cause to be erected and affixed to said
buildings iron fire escapes and combined
standpipes and ladders, or either of said
appliances, as may be approved and adopt-
ed by the Commissioners of the District of
Columbia
''E. F. VERMILLION,
Assistant Inspector of Buildings"
Building Operations.
'Sir: We. the undersigned assistant in
spectors, respectfully submit the following
statement of the amount and character of
the work done in connection with the build
Ing operations of the District of Columbia
during the fiscal year ending June 30. 1898.
Number OF inspections of new buildings
IN the city and county, 623S: number of in
spections of old frame buildings and sheds
examined for repair LIP; number of in
srections of old buildings reported as dam
gerous. %; number of inspections of old
brick buildings examined for repair $50:
number OF inspections and notices sent to
make good defective construction 1o5;
Number of inspections and notices sent for
condemnation of party walls, Is; number
Of inspections and notices sent for condem-
nation of brick buildings, %; numher of
Inspections and notices sent for condemna-
ton of frame buildir gs, 50; number of in
Spections and notices sent for conGemna-
tion of defective chinneys, IA; notices sent
for removal of distractions from streets
alleys, parkings, ETC.. 33: notices sent TO va
cate dangerous buildings, 8; notices sent
correcting numbers on old buildings 25,
orders and notices sent correcting viola
tions of building regulations. 66; orders and
notices to make repairs to defective down.
spouts and cutters. 3d. orders to remove
horses. ETC., from frame sheds converted
to stables. 81; miscellaneous Inspections not
enumerated above, SOL; total, 10, ,32O
Attention is called to the above de-
tailed statement of the character and
amount of work performed by your assist
ants it being greatly in excess of any pre-
ceding year in the history of this office.
The increased efficiency is due to the
fact that the inspectors have been equipped
with bicycles, which enabled them to cover
a greater amount of territory than could
be covered on foot. and the better organf-
zation of the staff which brought better
results and made them more efficient in
the discharge of their duties.
Attention is particularly called to the
large number of visits made other than
those that apply to the direct inspection
of new work and repairs to old buildings,
and shows the varied character of work
the assistant building inspectors are called
upon to perform, and which entails upon
them a large amount of clerical duty
In our opinion the force of the Office