New-York tribune., 1905-07-29

ters outside the windows Yesterday afternoon
nearly every fire escape landing on the front Of
the three houses held ore or more shutters.
which had evidently been pulled Gown and
utilized as beds
Looking north and south along the side streets
from any of the cross town streets, east Of the
Bowery. endless array Of bed clothes could
be SEEN Some Of the streets west of the Bowery
were in just bad condition. On Mulberry-st
just north Of Mulberry Bend Park. the houses
were shrouded in bedclothes and lines of recent
ly washed clothes A policeman near the park
said:
The people leave their bedclothes on the fire
escapes after they have slept them so that
they can air In some places the people put
boards over the openings in the escape plat
forms so that the little children can play on
them
If the landlords demand that the fire escapes
be kept free from distractions the tenants will
comply. All those bundles Of bedding and
tangles Of clothes lines would be bad thing in
case Of fire. They would interfere with the
people in their attempt to escape from the
houses as much as with the hremen trying to
enter To keep people from breaking the
ordinances 1t would be necessary to have
policeman assigned to every block.
Four city departments are interested in keep
Ing the fire escapes free from obstruction The
Fire and Health departments do not take any
active part. but they continually keep the Police
and Tenement House departments informed OF
infractions Of the law. All who complain
against the obstruction Of fire escapes are told
to send word to the Tenement House Depart
ment, a postal and anonymously If neces-
sary, and inspectors will be sent Immediately to
investigate. One man who lives on the hrst
floor of a fathouse, and is continually annoyed
by the dropping Of articles from the fire escape
platforms above him, said yesterday that he had
called upon the Tenement House Department for
relief month ago without result
A policeman stationed in R1vington-st- said
yesterday afternoon that the breaking OF the or
dinance against obstructing fire escapes had.
comparatively speaking, become thing Of the
past, although nearly 90 per cent Of the fire
| escape platforms In sight held bedding or some
| other obstruction at the time. The officer said:
This is nothing compared to what II used to be.
| We keep the fire escapes clean nowadays. There
! is squad Of sixty men at Police Headquarters
| who do nothing but attend to the removal OF OBJ
| structions from the platforms. There are q 80
| ing those who refuse to obey the fire ordinances
| to court. Whenever officer Of the squad
| for ordinary officers have nothing to do with
! keeping the fire escapes clear-noticeS an OBJ
| struction fire escape he warns the people
| living In the adjoining rooms to remove it and
| keep the platform free On a second offence the
! persons responsible are arrested.
The squad arresting twelve people a day.
! These taken to the police courts and ar
| raigned before a magistrate Magistrate Cornell
| fines them 81 and S. each Some Of the magis-
trates put the fine at 81 each, while others. in
| cIuding Magistrate Wahle, seem always to dis
charge the prisoners arrested for this offence.