Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1908-02-11
TRACY ON THE STAND
Well Known Builder Was First
Witness To-Day in The Chat
field Case.

The hearing Of the charges against
Building Inspector A. l. Chatfield was
resumed to-day before the board of
safety and Mayor Thoms, Attorney
Guilfoile appearing for the city and
Attorney Bronson for Mr. Chatfield.
The first witness was ex-senator
Cornelius Tracy of the building firm
of the Tracy Bros. Mr. Tracy was
called by the defense. He stated that
he was member of the committee
that drew up the building ordinances
and he understood that the building
inspector was to be allowed consider
able latitude in interpreting them.
He allowed that sometimes it was
very difficult for the building inspec-
tor to visit every job in a day or
many days, and at such times he
could give them only a general in
spectioN. Ii he was to pass an hour
inspecting each of a hundred build
ings he would never be through. A
great deal depended upon the con-
tractors. If they were inclined to be
dishonest they could make great
deal of work for the inspector.
The idea of framing building ordin-
ances was to protect the public and of
course it was inferred that the Or
dinances would be adhered to by the
contractors as we'll as the inspector.
Mr. Tracy was asked by Attorney
Guilfoile If the inspector should have
called within five days to a building
in which he had given orders that
poor material should not be used and
he said it would all depend. AS
suming a situation like that at the
Costello house Mr. Tracy said that he
thought he would get around sooner
AS to doing his duty and not calling
earlier than five days under the cir
cumstances stated, that would depend
to see. Supposing, however, that the
inspector had the Costello building
and one or two others to inspect 1t
was Mr. Tracy's opinion that the in
spector should have called sooner
than five days. Mr. Tracy said it was
to every contractors benefit that he
should Use good material,
The ordinances provide for GER
tain conditions unless special con-
struction" is provided for. What
this special contraction was seemed
to be hard thing to explain. There
was no special construction" in the
Costello building, yet the inspector
allowed a pilaster to be substituted
for twelve inch wall, and after
considerable questioning Mr. Tracy
admitted that a plaster such as was
used in the Costello building was
not as strong as twelve inch wall
all round. Yet he would not say
that this was violation of the or
dinance or that Mr. Chatfield was
too liberal in his Interpretation of
the building laws in allowing this
substitution. He said that anyway
the walls of the Costello house
would come down eventually, no
matter If they were two feet in
stead of twelve inches thick. II he
we're the inspector and he suspected
what he called man trap" he
would have called around to it
earlier than in five days. He could
not understand why anyone should
attempt a building such as was de-
scribed to be Costello's. The COM
mittee made the ordinance to suit
the poor as well as the rich man
and intended, too, that they should
be adhered to.
The meaning of special construc-
ton" was the cause of an argument
between the lawyers, closing with
Mr. Guilfoile retorting that If an or
dinance is so broad that even one
who drafted 1t cannot define it,
meaning Mr. Tracy, it must certainly
be extraordinarily difficult for any
one else to do so.
III special construction in the Cos
tello building meant the reducing of
the strength of the walls and sub
stituting a twelve inch plaster,
which did not make up for the re-
duction of the strength by reducing
the thickness of the walls from
twelve to eight inches. and IL Mr.
Chatfield was agreeable to that
change, IL was supposed to be all
right, Mr. Guilfoile said. After an
other argument the examination was
shifted to the Farm street building
and Mr. Tracy said that as the tim
bers used as posts we're to be only
temporary they were sufficient for
that purpose.
Truman Buell., who was said to
have placed the alleged rotten post
under the floor of the house on Farm
street, testified he did not put IL
there. He did put in some posts,
but not that one. Buell. is a black
smith.
The witnesses who testified for Mr.
Chatfield besides ex-senator Tracy
we're William +. Hunt, Edwin G.
Benedict, John Duhsime. architects:
Frank Bryan and George A. Upham,
and 7 ID. Barlow, con-
tractor plumber.
Attorney Bronson asked the board
IL he would be allowed to put Ger
tain member Of me board on the
witness stand and he was told he
could not. He did not name the
member. He was informed that he
could see tie records Of all the
meetings Of the board and any othe.
evidence he may wish.
Mr. ChatfieId then took the stand
and said that he appealed to the
mayor and the members Of alder
men individually for a team OF more
salary in order to hire one OF his
own to get around as he was not
for transportation. His