New-York tribune., 1907-10-27
Rats dirt disorder: disgrace HALL OF RECORDS
tBS CITY Pays $4,000 Yearly for
TN Upkeop Of this ONE BUILDING
and Gets DTGRAcBFUn Return Il

, second third rate office building in such a
condition. 1t is not necessary to even enter the
place 10 find evidences of wanton neglect that
would cost the superintendent of any reputable
office building his job.
Half a dozen windows the Chambers
street front and many more overlooking Cen
tire street are innocent Of shades. In their place
the inmates of some of the offices nave pasted
newspapers against the glass to protect them
selves from the rays of the sun Shlnlng upon
their desks through the shadeless windows
At the main entrance on Chambers street a
lone cleaner with stepladder, pail or water
and a cleaning swah was leisurely washing the
CRIME from the faces and the draperies Of the
groups Of statuary that flank either side of the
portals to the municipal palace. He evidently
had not Yet found time to even sweep down the
massive doors with their ornamental bronze
grilling or the broad steps leading to the en-
trance. Half inch of dust made them look
like the gateways to a deserted warehouse.
A COAT OF DUST.
Immediately inside is the vestfbule and foyer
fashioned after that Of the Grand opera in
Paris, all done in Siena marble. The broad
staircases leading to the great colonnade on the
second floor are executed in the same material
The picture ought to be impressive, but, alas il
looks taWdrY. Over all this rich material there
is heavy film of dust. smeared here and there
with Streaks of polished brightness, where
careless have dirtied their fingers or coat
sleeves by rubbing against it. The groups of
statuary in the YestbuIe, one representing the
purchase of Manhattan Island and the other
the consolidation of the greater city, look as
If they much in need of a bath. The fig
ures have heavy crowns of accumulated dust
and the condition of their white draperies sug-
gests the laundry.
The floor is of mosaic done in figure but no
one would be sure about il unless he told,
for il is covered with filth and does not look as
If II had even speaking acquaintance with
"a woman and a mop" Marble door lodges, the
broad banisters, the columns and bases of the
ColOnnade and every conceivable place where
dust could find a Judgement are filthy beyond de-
he ne hay
film. The chandeliers and light brackets have
globes that once white. doubtless intended
TO shed a rich mellow glow over the scene OF
sculptored marble Now they are a dirty black.
because their interiors filled with aCcumula-
uons of dust. and they afford little light Be
sides, there Is no polished marble to glow even
ii there was the mellow light for It's bright
ness has disappeared.
The words shameful neglect" traced by the
reporters fingers upon of the marble walls
stood out plainly. If the same amount of clean
ing is done in the future as has been done in the
past the words viii stin be egible six months
hence The secret refused to hide itself; this
part of the building has not been thoroughly
cleaned since it was opened year ago.
A double flight of marble steps lead 10 the
basement Going down them gives the
sensation Of descending a ladder; a man with
large feet would be tempted to go down side
wise. The treads are not more than eight or
nine inches wide The explanation of the cynl-
cal critic is that the more treads the more
costly material used. The two or three rooms
occupied by the Armory Board were fairly clean,
but the secretary, Mr.. Davis, explained that
after q long fight he had succeeded in having
the vacuum cleaning apparatus with which the
building was equipped at cost of S4O,ooO put
to work. His staff complained that the quarters
were both cold and damp 1t impossible 10
open the windows because they looked into a
below the level of the sidewalk
that had not been cleaned since the building was
completed. string of carpet the full length
of a long office disappeared after hours some
time ago, and could not afteTward be found or
accounted for. There is upon this floor a store
room used by the finance department to keep
that "a
chinery in the sub-cellaT The temperature in
this room is high that the book curl
up and the binding comes 70 pieces in ones
hands.