New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-23

the owner in an important building 10 early seek
out the inspector of the district, and ask him as
special favor to watch that the building comply
Inspector 9sS way sSbstantiai present. Did You write
such an article? Al may have written that
%t Ssan s he s5 Of Bdns
cultivate that Inspector II is the owners interest
The more fault he finds the better building he VIII
get AT the cost of the contraetor perhaps In the the
work. I may have wri,,en that.
HINT TO BRIBE INSPECTORS.
Q-Have you not known of heard Of
complaints OF inspectors making objections that
were not well grounded? A.-Well, don't recall
ANY.
Q-And asking for money to have those objec-
lions removed withheld have you heard OF such
QEYou never heard OF ,nat in your long expert
Have you heard Of IT as publIG ru%cr1 &
when the inspectors were absolutely nght IN my
Judgment. ,..,.. g.. ,ho, ,ho u,av-as
written IN thai artice"to look at the matter? A.
! would advise that very quickly TO an o%ner-to
best on my building to that the law was fully
carried out That is no loss to the, owner The
s SwGfc Is Of Buildings do his fu duty and than
his full duty so that an Is nG t dn
sls na, Tq 4 Mo ss has ask 9pfsRH
questions to you MI Fryer relating to lsst and
3 bg 9f Mayor sfo s%SF(S e.
Q-And the matter was submitted TO me GrS S
me They never submitted 10 the Grand jury
o M" but there was an investigation? A
There was an investigation 70 the District
Ai Nor AI don't know anything about it,
NJ ,OisuIivan-You had better get Mr. Olcott.
Mr. s MGss abo am hU p fafi A5tOrney
Mr. OSullivan-He was District-Atorhey IN MI
Strongs time
Mr.. MILLS MADE NO ILLEGAL REQUEST
Mr.. O'sulivan-Did Mr.. Mills, Mr.. d. o. Mills
urge you TO do anything contrary to law when ne
stated the fact that he was building phian-
thropic institution and wished you to pass upon
certain freproonng? A.-No, sir.
ON those various systems that Mr.. Moss had
mentioned-the Bailey system. the Roebling sys-
mmbian-they are all hreproonng systems, anu
some you considered of more merit than o'hers'
oIsome have been submitted to tests and others
have not and your object is to get the one that
would come nearest the requirements laid down IN
the Building laws? A-Yes sir s,ov ~ tho Ruud-
ing laws? A.-Yes. sir. o.,o,,. 90
YOU. that the Building laws vague, he came TO
you shed light on them IN o one Go wsb 10 be
understood that the law Itself is vague but rather
the application Of i to given case. that question
Mr. osalvanI shape my question little
i'00,eeWhie the law may be explicit, the question
Gne as Or 20 other Shfs9sf Ffs that
O@As you mentioned in the case OF schoois,
private building that IS w3ere the Vasuene'S
comes IN mean in ne" that instance that have illus
trsted? A.-Yes
end IN Thai particular phase OF IT, would rest on
The precedent, that U.s. on such decisions as the
snch or similar cases? Ayes: not decided en-
trely by precedent In that regard. IL mas 10 S'a"u
u The Chairman understood you to say in your
he
ton OF a section of the Building laws)
THE LAW is ELASTIC.
Mr. Osullivan-You exercised your discretion In
his favor? Ayes. under the previous law.
The Chairman-You have already testified 1t did
not comply with the requirement Of the law? A
Pardon me- They put in floors which does not
comnlv with the requirements of the law In itself.
but when they come before the Board OF Examiners
the Board of Examiners favorably acts upon that
petition and then they make a lawful floor
DIN spite of the specific question OF the law!
AIInder the provision that have just read
Mr. O'sullivan-The law. as ! understand IT, is
bowers. as for instance. In school cases. ,,
The Chairman don't think we ought to discuss
the question nov ,, ,o,.o % have tho law as
big as a Bible to cover every case that comes up.
Q~You wish TO explain in response 70 question ton
Your explanation? Al would like To- yes u went
70 Mr. aghts office at the requSs' o OF aa on MAS
doing. the iron work on the Merchants Club.
uhich |
w architect. 1t was the case Of alteration to
a"s building ii and he asked II, wouldn't 90 with
NJ HA tsn Ss sf 1e fTa give Vows to talk
70 about the american American
The Chairman-Mr. Dimond said this, but who
asked you to 60? A-MT m Dlmon ASKED YOU to do
th mr. 61suliiyan-what was Mr.; Dimond? The
West Thirty thrd-st | went with Mr. Dimond TO
vi, f,Iiidine and went over the American The
" vn ne that the new theatre law went into
operaton and very few understood the new thea
after that | received letter from Mr.: Haigh I'D,
dressed TO my dear Mr.. Fryer" asking me II /
would call to see him with reference to putting
roof garden on the Broadway Theatre. Broadway
and Forty -hrst-st The new law prohibited roof
s ga Mr HaShts ofce and gave him my Views;
showed him how possibly ne could get ,ha, he
would have 10 spend a great deal OF money In get,
ting what would be substantially me equNa va, ~ ~
a hreproof roof. and he never carried our t ma,
work and think II was due TO my alarming MIN
OF the of putting It up and tha me eTs
i Isn, no after Thai Mr. Young came and
asked me II | knew MI Haight'
sTUNG BY HAIGHTs MANNER.
O-That would be in 1893? A.-About 1893 or
whereabouts. I cannot remember the GATE eHacuy
And he said there lot OF WORK IN MI halsh'
Office and he would like to have a letter OF intro
ducton to him and figure on the work In MS once
gave him a pleasant letter of Introduction TO Mr.
Haight He came to me the next day. MT
Young did and he said that he presented my let
ter 10 Mr. Haight, and that Mr.. Haight came out
and did not seem to know who Fryer was. ana
asked him what was his business. and Where ne
was located and who he was generally. wen, tnat
man who some time ago-that n man can some
times write you my dear Mr.. Fryer and get in
formation from you, and then forget you-and
wrote the letter that read here before this
committee.
O-Now In relation to the plans. A-Pardon me
one moment DIT O'Sullivan. When the Commits
sion OF Accounts investigation came up Mr..
Haight appeared before the Commissioner or Ac-
counts and gave that letter and in looking up my
pa pers which received from the Commissioner OF
Accounts after that. | came across THIS MY Gear
Mr.. Fryer letter. and said TO myself: Hello TINS
Broadway Theatre business. | remember me ser