New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-05
"GRAFT" IN THE BUILDINGS DEPARTMENT.
FREQUENT COLLAPSING OF STRUCTURES SEEMS
TO SHOU THAT THERE NAY BE SOME.

rs graft fourishing again in the Buildings De-
partment?' One hears this question nowadays
with alarming frequency. People are becoming
suspicious. Buildings falling down often
that speculative builders find their bargains" so
ing extremely slow They discover prospective
buyers examining every nook and Granny with I'M
usual dstrust, and tapping the walls and measur-
Ing the pillars in search of flaws which they fear
bribery and plaster have covered up.
Some time ago the skeleton OF the Darlington
apartment hotel collapsed and killed fourteen be-
meath the ruins. Since then there has been a con-
tagion of building accidents. of which occurred
last Monday when q house in Eight-st tunoled
into the excavation for adjoining structure and
buried fourteen and women in the debris.
Whether not there is any just cause to be-
lieve that building inspectors are bribed to permit
violations Of The building law, it Is certainly true
that these officials of the city are exposed to many
temptations. To begin with, they are paid low
wages. In the Borough of Manhattan they re-
celye 81 200 n wear or So % day. Because OF the
education and experience required of these men to
pass the necessary examination. they are qualified
to obtain as much s. day II they worked at a
trade According 10 the law must have
served rs practical brickIayer, carpenter or iron
worker for at least ten years before he may even
apply for inspectorship. and an examination OF
therecords shows that most OF the inspectors were
boss foremeu before they entered the service or
the city. Why. therefore. it is often asked. do
these men give up employment paying S. So and 81
a day to work in the Buildings Department for
50 Is?
In its recent condemnation OF an inspector be-
cause Of tho Darlington disaster. the grand jury
reported. among other things:
''The compensation allowed them (the mspectors)
is insufficient to secure Of the requisite intel
ugence and capacity. and the men actually en-
ployed not properly qualified for their po-
sitlons"
In other boroughs and in other cities building in
spectors receive more In Brooklyn they get $3.50
year. IN Chicago 81 500 and in Boston as high as
5000.
If man becomes an inspector for graft" ne
finds opportunities of every He is assigned TO
certain part of the city. and is told to report
every violation OF the building law within that dis
trict. The whole Borough Of Manhattan Is thus
divided up between forty-four inspectors The more
thoroughly such man has studied the building
code the better able he will be to find instances
where faulty methods being used. and for the
concealment of such he may demand hush
money"
In going the rounds of his district corrupt in
spector. for example. comes upon a builder who is
using brickbats as broken bricks are called in
the walls OF the tenement house no is constructng
Such act is unlawful for the that the
law expressly provides that when old bricks are
used they shall be whole and good and well
burnt" For consideration the inspector per-
haps. 'sees nothing" says nothing The bats are
plastered over. while the contractor chuckles
his added margin of profit The building is
pleted Families crowd in, and soon the customary
the steps. Years go by. Administration follows adj
minstration. and Tammany is reformed out and gets
in again The inspector and contractor perchance
have died. any rate they have long forgotten
their unhOy bargain. when some day the whole
country is Mortified by the collapse OF that very
building and the death OF many OF its inmates The
graft WALL has crumbled at last
Threats to stop work when the contractor
has committed violation of the law sometimes
extort a few dollars For instance. an in
spector may hold up the bricklayers work on a
building by saying that the mortar they are using
is mot right" Lime mortar shall be made of one
part OF lime and not more than four parts Of
sand he reads from the code. and then adds:
This mortar here is five TO parts sand. and
1t can't go In. 1t is in vain that the boss foreman
expostulates The mortar must be thrown away
complaint will be filed with the Buildings De-
partment, which will mean loss TO the builder
OF perchance $50. he get more lime until
! the day. 4 s. bill handed TO the Inspector
may be cheaper procedure.
| Whether or not an inspector is tout for the
graft he usually makes his visits with as little
| regularity possible. He will detect a
| crooked job If he let's the crooked builder
know in advance when he is coming Many times
| the inspector must turn detective and swoop down
| building so skiifully to eluds watchmen
who picketed in the street and on nearby
= heusetopAt9 give the alarm at his coming.