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

assembly, 1M POUNDS You class schools as places
public assembly don't so S, H assemby ike
theatre or whether-a school which mas Dee eo DC
suped with no heavier weight wd men se c aa as
public building.
OPINION OF AN EXPERT"
Q-why do you say that school has no more
weight upon 1t than ordinary dwelling! A.
| Because It Is occupied by children.
Q.-And teachers and desks and booksF A.
| Large
Q.-And pianos? A.-Large rooms ,u,
Q,Large rooms and you know that Sn,.'s sir
| upon structures Of rhythmic movement vi '
o.-You know when armies march across bridges
| they break step. don't you? Ayes. sir ,. ,,o,
Q.-And when children march across schoo's '"'y
oTAnd there lines Of them and a,T columns OF
| O-So il is a place OF public assembly as far az
safety is concerned? Alone hundred pounds
Q.~Never mind that Is IT? Ayes, sir IN
Q-And do YOU know how many SuT rn large public
| schools these new buildings being erec'eu' ~
somHow many? Al won't make a guess sroo,
Dive thSH ,, or two thousand five hundred
Q-Not so much as that? A.-Maybe wouldn't
| have guessed as high. o.sonab,e esti
Q-Yes twenty-five hundred Is reasonable Ihneod dsi in
mate: and you mean to say children ac.nmpelIed
that large number in the public sch aSos, togeher
marching etc, shat these buildings should os oe 1V
sderea in the light as dTfnss will be
provided for at considerably less ,,s Attain would
OIL know but you state that TINS straiI Nv, 49, n,
not be more than that houses Did you
make mstake? A,No. ! di an nov n'aNe ms
| take; the weight said on the floor
CLASSES SCHOOLS WITH DWELLINGS.
| Q-The weight of the floor is not more than IN
| dwelling houses-is that 1t? Ayes
| o-Tbe cases are very few where the father and
| mother and children form line and march AROUND
| in a dwelling house? A.-You don't suppose that
this Building Code Commission is going to reduce
the proper weight Of the floor that the be-
Q-You have said that YOU as an rnbehly
are going to usge ha5 s aad wha is the
| foundation for your judgment. and whether you
haa SO put h stu YOU could talk about il negn be-
before this committee and we are surprised TO near
iS e reoutrcments of a private dwelling. when you
have determined to make this pb
lie schools though they are not WITHIN us , pr
vision that rs sr fST Mr. to
to be exempted from the operation OF ,nar Jules il is
public assembly building and therefore can ee get
relief from that ruling The petition to that erect
oEDo you not know that the public schools that
in the public schools there are frequently gVe9 ex
nmnils Come to such an extent that the floors are
overcrowded and people have to stay out III '"'
Q@And do you not know that the Board OF Edi,
cation give free popular wbIcb sfe q nTd night
af s,r nirbt TIC mutudes of the crowded part Of
the snhoo BOARD Consider
that our determination at 100 pounds ana no re
| TOO high except in the assembly rooms proper
those where you require an undue strength III inc
o~But If the case of public schools Is so much
within that law that It require, aO peonds What
authority has your Board for going behind the iaW
| A.-The law don't say the school building shan O'
! 100 pounds.
,,Dn,,., ,,-r1rDr THE FEE DOES GOOD
Q-It says that a place for public assembly
| should be? A-That is where the opinion comes IN.
Q-But If you treat 1t as coming within ina,
! designation as place for public assemblies what
authority have you for giving the relief asked Tor?
A.-That is what the Board is provided for
| Q-To go behind the law? A-Weil' II Is "nhn
| their discretion in such matters.
| Q.-Where the provision is absolute? h'-Ihe pro-
V oAnd HV people go to you and consult you and
GET vour engineering advice about such matters as
| NAV come before you for your high charges; a
Nc tsy GO ch aGs PM Mr. mi aght $50 for opinion
about his American Theatre mater! 49, o rGrvr
Thea tire He got things mixed up there and
stated What b Was a not was for advice in
with putting roof garden on the th at
a Rrosdwav and Forty-hrst-st.-the theatre at
broadway and Forty-lrst-st;. case when never
before the Board OF Examiner f. ana do Nav
explain tins MI Haight case?
| o. will give you an opportunity "HeH
off this public school matter You are entitled 10
that opportunity surely AnIha xo yon unon are
,bs solicitations Of architects for permission put
the j. W. Rapp hreproohng into buildings are they
QAnd the j. Rapp system used to be turned
down did not? No sir IN some cases IL was as
| the hest Judgment of the Board. In the large build
ings where It proposed to be USED II was soh'e
| On how many cases in construction, above the
first story did your Board grant permission until
4 nm mn thS-bpfCrc
| A very great many.
| HIS MEMORY GROWS WEAK.
| Dwell passing for the moment to another SUD-
| tect that of fre-escapes. There are grea' many
| applications that come before you by owners 10 DC
relieved from the necessity of putting hre-escapes
| unon their apartment houses. are there not? A
| Not one That power rests solely with the Super
| ,ntendent of Buildings. The Board OF Examiners
| never pass upon that
| O-Do not fre-escape matters come before your
Board, or haye they never done oi 80? ANeVer IN
oDf want to ask you. Mr.. Fryer of how many ma "
buildings lave yGH Sef numS s %''' "
| '' % What are they? Al can't recall them; 49,,
or any other SSa city Of which have been the
architect the last ten years? AIMS paSr y S
IT,; s IL s ""S"'r'
| ODHow tall is that building Alive or SIX
story 0 1 R"pq' WIDE is it? A-ordlnary width. .
| S-Twenty-fve feet? Ayes think 1t Is
| twenty five feet. 80, n o,,, rooouber.
| WHAT other building? Al can't remember
| 7 sould have to have my list here 49,,
Q~Have you within the last ten years Deen 81, tne
| a. II have never built a skyscraper yet
| O-I said important buildings. and VIII uhe
| voir Judgment upon the Importance or them! A.
| / can't remember. -.o 49,, ,hoso two
| O-Can you remember any more than those , Two
h,rfd,ngs that YOU have mentioned as being super
| intended by you or architect In the last ten
| ,.nareo A-There have been number or otner
| i,dIdnge. I have been continuously In this city
| for thrty-five years: ,,..o A. orohi
oEBut am speaking Of architect? A.-As arcm-
teG .nd for the last ten years? Ayes, sir, for
'"o"fIave you been doing 1t for ten years? A.
| Yes. sir. aA,,oo, for ton buildings in
| az Let Ton wears? Ayes, more than ten build
| 'i66.More than ten buildings; how many? A
Probably fifty. -, -. 49,. ,oor.,
| O.-Fifty buildings IN the last zen Se"''' n
| nd