New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-21

~ fault. I shall retain at my personal expense
an engineer who Will be able to tell me whether
things are being thoroughly Investigated. i
wen. 10 all the wrecked buildings IN Manhattan
to-day and from what L could see the cause or
the collapse Of the walls was due TO the frost
going out and the mortar crumbling Ii this Is
a fact then IL would seem that there must been
lack OF proper inspection or supervision our
ing the building OF the structures. The sand and
bricks that inspected to-day looked all right in
themselves.
In West 135th-st- ordered work stopped on
the new buildings adjoining those which col
lapsed as believe they are In a shalxy condi-
ton Superintendent Hopper. happen to know,
was obliged to take Mrs. Hopper, who is Ill to
Florida He has been most unfortunate in be-
ing out of town on three occasions when his
presence was demanded at home. The first time
was at tie falling of the Darlington. the second
when the official borough advertising matter
was brought up and It appeared that Mr.. Hop
pers paper in the Bronx. was accepting city
advertising and now it is the collapse Of the
buildings. Until get detailed report on the
case / cannot undertake to say where the fault
les"
In order to be sure that If any blame Is at
tached to the department the guilty persons
may be discovered. Mr. Ahearn issued orders
suspending from further duty. pending the in
tricts the buildings fell He also gave orders
that a new inspection be made from the main
Office of the Buildings Department Of all build
ings that have been built or on which brick or
mason work has been done since the first frost
OF last year.
Acting Superintendent German would not see
the newspaper men after his interview with
Borough President Ahearn- He seemed to be
badly ratified" and afraid to answer the SIM
said the law forbidding the laying of brick in
mortar during temperature Of "a or lower was
enforced. This is q hard section - interpret
correctly he went ION some days the
temperature In the morning is below "a, but
Dy noon ana IN the eIterhooh, When Cne SUI ~
shining brightly. IL may be entirely lawful TO
lay the brick Then. too. there are some con-
tractors who have to be watched, men who.
having been warned to stop work on account
OF the weather, stop work as long as the inspec-
tor is in sight. and get to work again as soon
as he is out of the way"
RUINS ARE PHOTOGRAPHER.
The contractor and workmen on the collapsed
16Sth-st houses were unwilling that a photo
graph should be made of the wreck. A Tribune
photographer was compelled to enter from the
rear Of the houses through private grounds.
Just as the picture man ready TO SNAP"
the mass of brick. mortar and studding, two of
the workmen, who seemed bit unsteady on
away. One OF them made pass at the camera,
and when it was yanlSed out of the way he
ranged himself in front of the machine, shut
-zting Off a. view OF the 'wreckage.
Make one from the front" he suggested.
CThere was no ruin in sight from the front9
When the picture man demurred, the man in
the jeans said. Come out an have d drink wild
Wen fix IT up all right with youse You've
got to look tc see things right We can fix 1t
all right over TO the saloon
The bricks in all the collapsed buildings were
almost unstained by the mortar. There had
been adhesion. Clean and bright three
f0urths of the bricks can be worked into
wall Their appearance indicates that the
mortar was so cold that it did not stick to them
when they were laid.
JEROME MAKES CAUST1C COMMENTS.
District Attorney Jerome is giving more than
usual attention to the collapse of the new build
ings IT'S little excuse for the Buildings De-
partment 10 say that there are not enough IN
men, the remedy is not to allow unsafe build
ings to go up, but to allow only as many can
be inspected properly with the present force. If
that ties up the business, well and good-the
people will soon see that there are more in
spectors. E.et
"One or two other episodes in the Buildings
Department recently Mr.. Hopper might find
difficult to explain, If the Mayor had the power
TO file written charges against him, which he
must answer. There the attempt to make
obligatory 3o-pound pressure flushing
rangement, when only one device the market
met the requirements There was a similar at
tempt to put into general safety clutch
for elevators when there was only one of that
substitnte-a certain smoke test in plumbing,
when ali about equally good. It might be
awkward to explain that friends are interested
I'd in certain concerns"