Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-12-19
AFTER A. I. CHATfIELD
Building Trades Had Committee
 Wait on Board 0i Safely

SpCStOE A. I. SudthSIu. T. J. Smith, the business agent for the building trades, addressing the
 board stated that he and the other members of the committee, ten in all, of whom five appeared with MT Smith, had been instructed and ap- pointed by their society to file a con- plaint with the board under the as- sumption that it was obliged to pro tect the public. There have been building accidents all over the coun- try, he said, but no one pays atten- ton to them until they reach his own door.
 There have been accidents ill the past and no attention was paid to them," said MT Smith, "a few months ago the city was astounded by what threatened to be holocaust in building on Farm street. Mir Chat fields report on that occurrence was
 most amusing, the funniest thing
 ever read. He stated that had he known there was to be a rally held
 in that building he would not have permitted it. Now the building in which that rally took place is owned by a club and there is no limit to the membership of that club. The only support to the floor was a rotten stick and some time that rotten support would have given away and the floor would go down. That rally really saved number of lives. We put the blame of that accident on MT Chat field for not doing his duty. The own CT is not responsible and if q build ing is not put up according to the city ordinance, the owner is cheated" Taking the accident on South Leon-
 ard street, MT Smith said the house that collapsed there was owned by one Costello. Had the workmen been
 on the building ten minutes longer
 there would have been many lives lost Another accident occurred at the new
 building of the Lilley, Swift and con-
 pany. A hanging ceiling fell there
 one Sunday and if it had fallen dur
 ing a week day number of men
 would have been hurt. The day before it fell big crowd of men were work
 ing under it.
 we request an investigation of MT Chatfield's office," said MT Smith, flor
 we know of people who are putting up
 buildings in this city, calling then- selves New York contractors. But we
 know these New York contractors.
 We know that many of them were
 sewing overalls together before they
 heard of the boom that was on in Waterbury. Then they came here.
 went into the building business and
 called themselves contractors. Some
 of the houses these so-called contrac-
 tors have put up have changed hands
 as many times as dollar changes
 hands on BenZine corner of night.
 Another thing we wish to bring to
 your notice is the request of Mir Chat field that his salary be raised to S2.-
 300 and that he be given horse and l buggy so that he can get around to all the jobs, for we heard that ile said
 he could not get around to them all | any other way. The fact is, gentle
 men, Mir Chatfield can't get around | because he is an old man and unable | to do the work of his office. We can | furnish two men for $2,500 a year. | one of them carpenter and the other
 brick layer. both competent, prac-
 tical men. We do not presume to get after this office, but we do want pro- tection in our work and we want the | public protected. We want to know
 who is responsible for the accidents
 that have been happening in the build
 ing line of late"
 Louis Corr then took the floor He i said that he knew of goings on by
 Mir Chatfield which should ont be tol.
 erated. He said the walls of the new freight depot in the railroad yardt
 would have fallen but they are braced. Yet the job is new one. He com- plained of the accident on South
 Leonard street and said that William
 Chatfield built what he called a 19 | inch wall on place on North Willow
 street, but he would call it only an g | inch wall. He also stated that he
 would like the board to inquire how many sources of pay MT Chatfield has. ! He understood that he was paid for looking over a church in Naugatuck by John NJ. Whittemore while he was in tho pay of the city. He left the
 Lilley. Swift and company job the day before the ceiling fell because he knew there was danger there. He
 charged Mr Chatfield with favOritism. saying that some contractors can 1 evade the building laws and others must abide by them. In support of this statement he said that he had ! job in which he sought to use an iron
 girder. Mr ChatfieId would not al- low him to use if. Bergen & Son then got the joh and they suggested an iron
 girJlpr. He told them his experience
 about that and Rengpn S Son said
 that would l,e all right They got the
 girIer and he himself. ,Iil the work. As he was putting tho girIler in place Mr Chatfield came along and having
 ssceTiained who was doing the job.
 wOuld not allow inc gir,ler to he
 used.
 He quoted a similar instance in
 which Mr Chatfipld's brother. William
 figured and said he couM cite others
 had he time to think them un.
 Earnest ]. Meakins and F.. L. Solilen
 and John Houston also addressed the Iloar,l. Their addresses wpre taken
 and they were informed that when
 the baarI needed them tIIey would he
 sent for They then retirpsl.
 Mir CllatieId iS not a Iit angry at
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