The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-03-03

hereafter erected seven stories high must
be freproof throughout. Tie law says
six stories. anl not much in favor Of
that change myself and | won't press 1t.
But we want a change in the law in re-
gard to the provision in paragraph SO,
which requires that all rooms shall have
chimneys and fireplaces. We would ike
TO have tile law changed so that where
the houses are equipped with heat and
hot Water from central plant in the
cellar or elsewhere, there should not be
any chimneys required. Suppose man
wants to do away with stoves in his
house and wants to have all tlle cooking
done with gas stoves? Then he supplies
the heat and hot water from central
plant. Why should he be required to put
in chimneysgY
That proposition had been gone over
with the board earlier in The day, and the
commissioners had explained that the
purpose of the law in that respect was to
provide for cases where the heating ar
rangements were ont of order for a time
as the result of water famine, or for
any other reason. Then if there were
chimneys in each room the people could
go back TO the stoves, while if the
amendment proposed should prevail,
there would be no way Of heating the
rooms or cooking the food for the ten-
ants. Several Of the architects who were
at the conference expressed themselves
as in favor Of allowing the law to stand
unamended in that respect, but the DER
sey City men want it changed TO suit
their views
Another change asked for by the oppo-
sition TO the law is. that the provisions
requiring all outer walls Of frame ten
ement-house less than three feet from
the lot line to be brick filed, be changed
so as to make the requirement two feet
and eight inches, instead of three feet,
as now called for by the law
I'VE think two feet and eight inches
is enough for that kind Of court said
Mr.. Hendrickson, and we want to be
allowed to build our walls at that width
without being compelled to fill in the
spaces between the studs with brick or
other ineombfstible material"
Mr., HendrieIson argued at length
against that provision Of the law. which
requires that the floor of the air space
under frame tenement-hon where
there is no cellar shall be waterproof.
he told Of tide conditions in Jersey City
which make such a requirement almost
impossible. from the fact that the tide
rises in the cellars now and that it
would cost a large sum of money 70 make
the floors waterproof. He wanted the
law changed so chat the word waterproof
should be taken out and concrete sub
stituted The Board is inclined to agree
to that view Of the case, and the amend
anent viii likely be made.
Now we come TO a provision Of the
law which think is most unjust, said
AIr Hendrickson. Il refer to the pro-
vision in paragraph lag, which requires
that the bricks used in the construction
of a tenement-house shall be whole
bricks. That means that if a man should
tear down an old building he could not
use the old bricks unless they We're whole
bricks. We want the word whole stricken
out
The Board is not inclined 70 agree to
tllat proposition, because almost every
buiAling ordinance extant malSes the
same requirement 1t does not prohibit
the use of occasional half bricks, or
.bats." as they are termed in the trade,
but does prevent the wholesale use there
Of, in the construction Of tenement
houses.
Everett f. Phillips. a builder of this
city, made plea for the change of clas-
sifcation and asserted that the lew had
had bad effect on the building industry
/ in his city. Mr., Phillips gave some fig
ures which do not agree with the figures
in the report of the Tenement-house
Board, and he insisted that he was right.
He told of the poverty of Jersey City,
and he laid special emphasis on the state
ment: