The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-19
BUILDING REGULATIONS.
City INSPECTOR, I'm His Report, Says
lie Needs n Smoke Officer.


An ordinance viii be introduced in the
Council soon providing for a smoke in
spector. and separating the functions of
such an Office from the duties OF the build
ing Inspector. The ordinance will be asked
for by Samuel G.. Bartel, building in
spector. In his report TO the Board of
Safety, filed yesterday, Mr.. Bartel says on
tina point: II recommend that an ordi-
nance be introduced into the City Council,
asking that a smoke inspectors office be
created, and defining the duties thereof.
If all the duties of the building inspectors
office were strictly attended to it would
require more than three men to look after
the work of the department carefully. All
that one man can do now is 10 attend to
those duties which seem to be Of the most
Importance to the city and to the citizens"
As a measure of public safety, MIR. BarteI
recommends to the board that in all build
ings where upper floors are used as flats,
It be required that each fiat be separated
from the other by brick walls; such walls
10 run from the floor to the roof; and that
also where such buildings are more than
fifty feet long. they are to be tied with
solid brick walls running CrOsswiSe. He
also recommended that the construction of
yeneered buildings be forbidden Within the
FIRE limits of the city, and that no frame
buildings sided with iron be tolerated with
in the hre limits
Relative 10 the smoke nuisance. the in
spectOr says: 1T was "a severe task for
me 10 institute suits against representa-
tive citizens for violations of the law, but
the suits on the smoke ordinance We're
brought in a friendly spirit, and any suits
j may bring in the future will be carried
into court in the same spirit simply TO en-
force the law and without desire TO per
secute anyone.
with the little experience have had
with the smoke question since assuming
the office of hUilIinU TuCpagror my CON
hCent that smoke from hUes, Chimneys or
stacks can be abated at least % per cent.
by the use OF the best mechanical devices
ard by careful firing and stocking By some
of the devices now used IN the city L be-
Meve there Is a greater per cent. of smoke
being abated than i mentioned L do not
think il is my place 10 dictate 10 merchants
and property owners Just how their fire
men shall make up fires and maintain them,
or 10 suggest to them what manner of de
vices 60 install under their boilers. My
idea is that the Council should amend the
ordinance now existing so as 10 give the
merchants and property owners the benefit
of a two or t~hree-minute time limit when
smoke may be allowed; at the time OF
making the fires in the morning, or when
cleaning CRATES, or at some other necessary
time"
In regard TO building operations the in
spector says that the year 1901 was the
best in the history OF the city. The tndi-
cations so far are. he says, that the year
1902 will be equally good. He informs the
board that there Is entirely too much lum-
Der being used in the construction of flats.
and. as there is nothing in the building
ordinance governing the matter, he recon-
mends an amendment which shall have the
effect Of making fiat buildings more fire
proof.
The report OF the Inspector shows that
that total value Of the building licenses
taken out for the year 1901 amounted TO
IS. IA. ESQ. The number Of licenses issued was
2.501. There we're 1,o0 inspections made.
There were y business blocks built. Z
churches. II factories. rs fat buildings and
the number of houses of all kinds was con-
siderably more than 1.0O0.