New-York tribune., 1905-03-22
THEATRES UNSAFE.
JEROME GETS REPORT.
Declares Building LasoS Violated-
Houses Not Fireproof.

On the strength Of report which he had re-
ceived from H. de B. Parsons who recently
undertook for him an investigation Of theatres
in the city, District Attorney Jerome sent yes
terday to Isaac A Hopper, Superintendent of
Buildings in Manhattan, letter requesting in
fCimation about the Lew Fields Theatre in
West 42d-st, from which Mr.. Parsons had been
barred by order of Oscar Hammerstein, the own
en- Regarding this theatre. Mr.. Jerome said last
evening. Mr.. Parsons had reported that he had
reason TO believe there were twenty-five VIOLA
lions The letter TO Mr.. Hopper asked for the
reports of any inspectors Of the Buildings Bu-
reau who had inspected this theatre, together
with q full statement of any violations which
had been reported at the theatre, with the names
Of the persons who made the reports.
Asked how Mr.. Parsons had been able to get
information about the theatre if he had been
kent out of it. Mr.. Jerome said: "Why, little
bird few through the air and sang little song
in which there twenty-five notes" He
picked up a report about theatre and read
from it list of violations in this way:
Doors intended as exits open on stairway;
doors of the first gallery open inward; In pro-
scenium wall no fire doors; dressing rooms under
auditorium, and not constructed on approved
plans; excessive number Of seats between aisles;
nine right angled turns in stairway from bal
cony to first floor; box office obstructing exit;
registers in floor of auditorium; electric lights
too low in passageway; aisles too narrow; other
minor violations
Mr. Jerome did not give out copy of his let
ter to Mr. Hopper, but he said he had asked for
information regarding suspected violations in
the Lew Fields Theatre, on the ground that II
the violations were of the character reported to
him he might feel it his duty to begin criminal
proceedings against persons responsible for such
violations.
Mr. Parsons had made reports about eight
theatres Mr. Jerome said, although his work
was not more than fairly begun In his reports
on the eight theatres, he said, Mr.. Parsons had
classed three as dangerous one as unsa1e' one
as hazardous one as reasonably safe with mod
ern construction one as safe except that the
Jpain exit was obstructed by the box Office and
She aises were only thirty-one inches wide, and
one as being under suspicion and from which
he had been barred for purposes of examina-
tion In the theatres which had been classed
as dangerous, unsafe or hazardous, Mr.. Jerome
said, Mr. Parsons had found conditions which
were deplorable. For the present the names Of
the theatres were not TO be made public, but
some of the conditions might be discovered by
any person Of intelligence who visited the
theatres
At one theatre Mr.. Parsons found wooden floor
beams supporting the auditorium Under the
auditorium were dressing rooms for the actors,
which had been placed there in violation of the
building laws. The building inspectors appar-
rently had wnked the violations by COM
pelline the owner Of the building TO make the
dressing rooms fireproof with metal Innings but
along had come sanitary inspectors. who had
dered the tops of the partitions to be cut down
for purposes of ventilation, thus destroying the
fireproofng, opening the way for draughts and
converting the place into regular fire trap.
At one theatre the gallery was constructed en-
tirely OF wood. One building inspected by Mr..
Parsons had one theatre on top of another, con-
nection between the two being furnished by
means of an elevator shaft. Another building
which never had been intended for a theatre
had been remodeIled, and the proscenium wall
started at the stage level. instead of from the
ground Under the proscenum wall was an
orening, so that fire under the stage would
sweep directly into the auditorium.
One theatre was found TO have boiler under
the main exit so that If the boiler should ex-
Mode the audience would be unable to escape
The additional exits Of another theatre were
found 10 open on a fire escape balcony from
which there was stairway reaching to the
ground An iron ladder was fastened 10 the
balcony with hempen rope. and a rusty knife
was tied to the rope with the apparent idea that
II there was a panic and people rushed TO the
Continued second pnge