New-York tribune., 1899-03-19
spoon and sleeve link. The articles are at
Police Headquarters
A TALK WITH 7. j. BRADY.
PRESIDENT OF THE BUILDINGS DEPART
MENT DISCUSSES THE BUILDING LAWS.
COMMISSIONER sCANNEII. THREATENS TO MAKE
PUBLIC LIST or UNSAFE BUILDINGS
LAST REPORT OK THE WINDSOR.

PUBLIC a LIST or UNSAFE BUILDINGS
LAST REPORT OK THE WINDSOR
Thomas Brady president Of the Department
of Buildings yesterday looked up the original
plans Of the Windsor Hotel and the reports
when had been made in the Department regard
ing the hotel. He said that there could be no in
vestigation Of the fire by his Department. end all
that his Department could do was to aid in the
work Of recovering bodies from the ruins and
seeing that the ruins left in safe condi
ton The work of recovering bodies and maxi
Ing the ruins safe is done under contract by ID.
Sweeny e. Son BY their standing arrangement
with the Department they were required 10 place
as many men OF work AT once may be re-
auired whether the number is a hundred or
thousand.
Mr. Brady said he had been misquoted In some
Of the papers yesterday the effect that there
were a dozen hotels in the city dangerous as
the Windsor Hotel had been II did not say.
he said. that there were a dozen such build
irgs. nor did | try TO be specific For anything
! can say there may be a hundred But this
Department can do nothing with buildings that
were erected in accordance with the laws as
they existed at the time they were put up.
Neither this Department nor any other depart
ment has any right to take a mans property
away from him arbitrarily Neither can you
inake a law retroactive: that is forbidden by the
Constitution. SO l cannot see how you are go
ing TO pass a law that the courts won't over
throw to compel a man to go to great expense
and really reconstruct a building that was law
fully erected. The only remedy that can see Is
merely through public sentiment as 1t may az
feet the business side Of the matter. OF course.
that refers. however. only to those buildings
that were erected before the enactment of the
present Building law.
FIREPROOF BUILDINGS
Every hotel that has been built in this city
since 1892 and that is above thirty-fve feet In
height is freproof There fire in the
Netherand. and they simply closed the door and
let it burn Itself out In such building fire
can usually be confined TO room. But az TO
those hotels erected prior to 1892 the matter IL
different. Yet cannot pronounce such struct-
ures unsafe If. for instance any one should
ask ne about certain of the well-known hotels. |
am bound TO say that they are safe. They are
good buildings. lawfully erected All that can
possibly say Is that they were put up before the
present Law in force. Now. II any one
wishes to live In hotels that were put up many
years ago that IS their business. not mine. /
am indeed bound TO see that proper means OF
|
TO reconstruct the building 1t s certainly law
ful for this Department 10 tear down a building
that is actually unsafe. even without waiting TO
go to court, If there is a great emergency. or
course We usually go TO court however. be-
cause. unless the case is absolutely clear. |
should make myself liable for damages. And It
mus, be perfectly clear to any one that we can
not take any such course with a perfectly sub
stantial building merely because IT may have
been built. say. thirty years ago.
THE RULES CHANGED.
MY attention was first called to this matter Of
Hreproof construction especially by the fire at
the Presbyterian Hospital Then the Hotel
ROYAL was destroyed. and the Legislature en-
acted the present law in which were incorpo-
rated the rules which ! recommended These
rules apply to hotels, theatres. hospitals. asy-
lums and schools If they exceed thirty-five feet
IN height and 10 all sorts Of buildings over sew
enty-fve feet high.
THE latest report Of the Windsor which have
been able TO find is that made in April of 1913 by
John J. Montgomery. inspector Of the sixth DIS
trict Of this city. He reported that. while the
building was not OF the nreproof construction re-
ouired bv the new law Of that year for all future
hotels il was vet very safe by reason of pre-
cautions taken in obedience 10 our orders. -Four
standpipes and small eXtngushers OF various
kinds throughout the building were among those
precautions All rooms where fires were kept
burning were sufficiently freproofed -Four alarm
rongs on each floor could be sounded from the
Office. where there was a direct wire TO the FIRE
Department headquarters
NO are-escapes are included in the original
plan Of the Windsor Hotel, filed on June H.
1871 and approved by Deputy Superintendent
l.OrF IN fpl cd he
putting up o. the building which was fine one
for that dav. 1t was not until 1855 that Building
Superintendent Esterbrook ordered ire-escapes
10 be added 10 the building
ITO these arrangements | added all that the
revised building laws Of 1872 allowed. and the
hotel management carried out the orders. -Four
iire-escapes were provided at the ends OF the TWO
halls running north and south IN the pan tlit
is on the side-stTee faces OF the DulldliIS, ana
those already placed on the easterly wall or
court were increased in SIZE, WhiIe bllusfs l"
adjoining houses were added ,,,
Tarious PROPOSITIONS for changes In the build
ing laws are now before the Building code Com
mittee Of the Municipal Assembly. which H. pre-
pairing a hill that will soon be submitted to th1
I.egislnture. This committee VIII meet next
Wednesday afternoon. at Mr.. Brady's Office
Fire Commissioner Scannell returned To this
city from Lakewood YESTERDAY. ana said ne was
not SURPRISED at the loss of life at the Windsor,
as he believed the hotel was iireirap. There
are other hotels in tho city as bad as the Wind
SOL" he added. and unless m" pFopfletorS put
their places in the proper condition Tor saNlhS
lives | Will publish list that have In my
possession" Commissioner Scann"ll called at
fention 10 the Importance of hotel proprletors
making their guests familiar with the various
stairvavs in hotels by means Of diagrams. This
was necessary. owing to the fact that they used
the elevators almost exclusively. The tornfnis-
sioner added that be was not surprised at the
rapid destruction II the luilding.
MIR DCNALDSON's REPORT
r,.,....,, ro,,l1eon of the Department OF
buildings who made an inspection of the Wind
scr Hotel two weeks ago. said yesterday: There
were five Gre-escapcs on each floor. one large
one led into the courtyard In the rear Of the
building II took In six windows and ran down
tn ihn socnnl nnnr. Al Lhs point there was a