The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-07
THE FIRE ESC tPE PROBLEW.
The Tenement Hosse D-parIment's Answer
10 Its Critics.

To rus EDItpR oP THE SUN-Sir: The
letter signed - in TVS SUN Of April
10 q notable product Of bad citizenship. II
| conditions such a. he indicates exist the
once Of the Tenement House Commits
siOBer IL open TO him swift punishment
will he visited upon the careless or guilty
officials
His Implications ~ TO actual conditions
In tenements in the city OF New York are
absolutely false The conditions are far
from ideal a. regards sanitation. but there
10 hardly . tenement unp row ided with means
% are escape: u there are snv the depart
msnt will publicly thanh aud reward any
one " no will call them to it, attention.
Two circumstances may have misied
-. a. to tho facts. The Law permits ia
small houses the installation Of cable itre
s-capss cooled Ia boxes inside OF windows
witch do not shoN On tho outside OF the
building also some buildings consis'In
OF apart msntz running through from front
To rear may bs required 10 have tre escapes
only ON the rear. While some must have them
both on front and rear. challenge nun
to produce a case Of q tenement unprOvtded
with some means OF nre escape.
Ia regard TO enruulbTances on fire escapes
u - unfortunate that IN many districts
the habit Of placing things GA fire escape-
prompted hy extreme narrow ness OF hNins
space produces = condition which the de-
part nIent has fought with but limited sue
Hsss MaE.S,ra.ss 3Iisn ,s'u ss.. !" .ps.e
The tenants after being warned remove
the encumbranceS. but IN . day or Two
To iRsinuate that any one viii pay an Ia
spector Tor permission 70 put articles on
IRE escapes Is too absurd for refItaiiOn.
The further charge that The fre escapes
ar. improperly PLACED u simply an evidence
% the writer's lack Of Informal ION on the
place a ~ degree -laniing 1re escape on the
front Of one OF our modern tenefuenta which
Wall not run across some Windows, he VIII
nla h. ~ al
A. matter u fact Il ia expected thai ten eii
ants will mi exre~s through the other
windows Of the same apartment than those
OlOCked by fire e-cape- The -umciency of
the ire protection provided II proved by IN.
fact mat there nave been M deaths nv IRE
IN new Law 'enemsn's since the enactment
- assertion that tho fire escapes fur
ni-h es~v access iof sneak thieves - not
a minute he Will realize that the appearance
u man climbing hre "-rap"- N the dav-
'lm" would attract more attention Than u
he acre rNinE 70 pursue his heiari"us call
' protests Hgaiust 'he Hh~"n' ~ IRE
-, ap-~ ami their eugumhr1n,- m one
breath. and IA another demands their aholi-
fIuu a. a''e-soriss tp -n~ak 'htr, tuK and
grazing UbNIousiN h" D. hard fo please
The onl. reason Ia u -"r'u- desirable 10
answer his lndt,' Hirnt D. that such COM
UuuIra'tpn- Iu p.U"rS like Nuur own help
20 form puhlt' opinion. People Who 500
iherI Ra-- Uurourradttts.il a--..uls. that fhTs
are tFIts ant thai the department has mo- D.
tnx 10 -aN. he lru~W"nt Hou-- Depart
m-ni want. the ,ppu~ratton oI ever. ,iii-
zen ia -s.'TflHR The rut ~, eIuenf OF h" law.
~ your .orre-pondent Possesses any IN
formation " inch can be- tlas-e,i a. evidence
rho depar nlrut will onl' h- too happy 10
receive - On the other hand. n h. ha-
been 'NplN iug 'hhrsr- on Ut he inner con
-Ciousn~-- 'h-n - - onv proper that he make
an apoiogs SI,h CYNICAL "omtnuui"af tun-
a. hi~ t~ul 10 stimulate corruption. no. 20
suppress 10 ions VI WPUN
Nv NuUE. April Commissioner