The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-23
CAN'T SEE RAMAPO BOOKS.
MIzHT COMMITTEE FAILS TO SECURE
THEIR PRODUCTION.


ing Additional About the Workings OF
the New Water Company-Ths Matter of
the Proposed Building Code Conc Into.
Failure attended the efforts OF the Mazet
Committee to get the Ramapo Water Com
pany's options. maps. surveys and other pa
pers made again yesterday. As before. Chief
Engineer Nostrand Of the company. declined
to give them up and the president Silas b.
butcher. refused to direct him to do So
Thereafter Ramapo was dropped and the COM
mittee inquired into the building code and the
faulty buildings now being erected. returning
to Ramapo at the CLOSE OF the session. with
the examination OF stockholder who had
very little to toll. Inquiry into the present
system OF building showed that many struc-
lures are now In process OF erection that are
not complying with the building laws.
After Park Commissioner Moebus had pre-
sented some documents from the Park Board
called for by Mr.. Moss. Engineer p Rlbert Nos
trand Of the Ramapo Company was called to
the stand. and asked ifhs had brought to court
the documents called for In the subpoena
served on him as he left the stand on Thursday.
He had not. and he gave tho Same reason that
that he had given before. that he had no right
to produce them without consent OF the Board
Of Trustees. President butcher was then
called. He said that he had talked with Mr.. Nos
ttduu hpout pboudOlu3 the uOcuhohsb.
did you tell him to produce them2" asked
Mr.. Moss.
mo. Sir" replied the witness
VIII you do so2"
Not without being Instructed to that effect
by the Board Of Trustees"
viii you call a meeting of the board for that
purpose?"
Il will not" said the president OF the COM
pany. Our meetings are on the first Tuesday
Of every month"
Il will repeat" said Mr.. Moss. that the atti-
tude OF this company is luminous. Its officers
have put 1t In such light that no city can az
ford to contract with It,"
You refused the list OF officers we offered
you." returned Mr.. butcher. AS to the con-
tract. I haven't spoken to city official about II
since the meeting OF the Board OF Public I'm
provements"
II any stock had be en- issued TO q city OFFICIAL
Mr.. butcher said. he did not know OF It. Mr.
Moss asked him how it was that the petition OF
the Fire Underwriters to the Board OF Public
improvements. asking for better supply OF
water. was SO worded as TO accord with the
terms Of tho contract. to which the witness re-
piled that he had nothing to do with the petit
ton. Turning to the Citizens telephone COR
poration. OF which Mr. butcher 10 treasurer.
and the permit OF which. 1t is said. has been
held up BY Tammany Hall at the instance OF
another telephone company. Mr. Moss asked
the witness II he had got his permit yet. He
had not. but expected It at any time.
If you don't get It," said Mr.. Moss. let US
know"
He was excused. and Lawrence WELLER. Sec
rotary OF the Tenement House Committee OF
the Charity Organization Society. was recalled
to testify about the building code. The Board
OF Fire Examiners which, by the new code. has
- aG..Il N l.
made up OF men appointed from private organi-
cations. among them Cornelius OReilly and
W. j. Fryer.
Mr.. OReilly and Mr.. Fryer. and up to little
while ago. Building Commissioner T. J. Brady"
said the witness. were partners In a building
concern having Offices in the Havemeyer
building. They Issue a circular giving the
names Of the officers. and In the list T. j. Brady
is given "a Superintendent OF Buildings. and
the circular states that the com pany has 'pecu-
liar facilities in building matters"
Mr.. Veiler explained at length the evils
arising from the peculiar definitions Of tho new
code. differentiating apartment houses. tene-
ments boarding houses and hotels. The Board
OF Examiners. he said. wanted $4,000 a year
for the OK penses of ONCE employees. which. he
said. was exorbitant.
August Hoebermann. a builder. was recalled
to the stand. He testified that there were lots
OF bad building now going on In town.
principally tenement houses. About so per
cent OF those he has examined in the last week
were badly built and contrary to the law.
Mr.. Moss asked him about the collapse OF the
building 81 Madison street. in which several
persons were killed. After the accident. he
said. a lot OF bricks were piled up IN the cellar
by order Of Mr. Dooner OF the Building Depart
ment. to look as If they had always been there.
wharAaE thew actually were living on ton Of the
beams as they fell when the witness first got
there The building, he said. was Improperly
put up. the arrangement of the beams being
unsafe. In East Fifth street, near Avenue B.
other houses were being put up in the same
way. He named many other buildings inn
properly constructed and showed photographs
OF them.
Solomon Rosenthal. formerly Assemblyman
from the Twelfth. was called. and Mr.. Moss
asked him Il he owned any Ramapo stock.
Il might reply that it was none OF your busi-
ness" said the witness: but I'll answer you.
have"
Q. Have you some Ramapo stock3 A.
mig hit say it's mono OF your business. but I'll
say have.
O. Have you transferred any stock2 A. No.
Q. Have you an option to get any more? A.
No.
.. Do you hold any for any one else? A. No.
O. Have you any objection to saying from
whom you bought the stock2 A. have.
paid for the stock. 1t was private sale. The
gentleman who sold It to nj was EN- barrassed.
O. Did that gentleman have any official con-
nection with the company A. don't know.
O. Who was ho2 A. decline to tell.
=. You were in the Assembly at that timer
A. Not till afterward.
Mr.. Rosenthal considered his stock q good
investment on the electrical side. He was OK
cused. and the committee adjourned to Mon
day morning.