Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-11-29
Heads of City Departments De-
clare for More Efficient In
specti0n of Factories.
ASSERT THAT CITY NEEDS
MORE MEN AS INSPECTORS
Officers Give Their Views on
Cause of Fatalities in High
Street Disaster.

Inau saturdays fatal nre Will result
in q number of radical changes being
{ made in the supervision and inspection
of buildings and the control of condi-
lions such as existed at the High street
building is evident from the opinions
advanced today by the heads of the
various departments affected.
4 If there is one fact that stands out
more prominently than another it is
that in the matter of building inspec-
ton there has been a divided RESPONSE
bility and some of the most important
details of this branch of building super
vision are taken out of the hands of
the local authorities and placed with
the State Board of Inspection.
That Newark, with its great number
of manufacturing establishments and
plants employing thousands of people,
should have only two or three in
spectors is regarded as most deplorable,
and under the conditions it is simply
impossible to keep track of the interior
changes that are constantly being
made in factories and the alterations
to the floor arrangements that, as in
the case of the High street fire, affect
the lives of hundreds of employees.
Chief Ashley on Buildings.
Chief Ashley when seen today said:
IT remember thai building from the
time of the Civil War, and as | have
lived in that neighborhood for years
| am acquainted with every detail OF
the entire structure. In 1851, when
the building was occupied by the New
ark Machine Company, a fire broke out
one morning about 4 o'clock in the
third floor. The building at that time
was only three stories high, and al
though the fire had a good start we
got 1t under control before much dam
age had been done.
1T may not be generally known, but
it was in that building that Erickson
Constructed the nod for the Monitor
during the Civil War. In after years
the building was put to a variety of
uses, and the interior arrangements
were always being changed. There
was nothing the matter with the con-
struction of the building so far as its
stability was concerned. In fact it
was so we'll built that we had all we
could do to pull the walls down.
THE trouble consisted of two things:
Improper exits for the number of en-
ployees in the building and the loss of
time that was allowed to elapse be-
iWCCI tAC IA WHICH, Lax 4 O I
ID and the time the men at Engine
House No. 4 were notified. Instead OF
Immediately getting word to the fire.
men across the street. the employees
of the firm where the fire started at
tempted to put out the blaze them
selves and they waited until it had
gotten far beyond their control before
sending a girl across the street to the
fire-house. Meanwhile other employees
were trying to aid the young woman
who had been burned and went to va
rious parts of the floor for oil to put on
her burns.
Fire Spread Rapidly.
All this time the fire was gaining
Roadway and the extent to which the
flames had been allowed to go is shown
by the fact that the first flremen in the
building had no more than enough time
to get into the building than they were
almost forced to jump from the win
dows to escape, so quickly had the fire
taken hold Of the place.
1T is rather unfortunate hat some
of the conditions governing fire mat
tiers should rest with authorities out
side of the city. Some of the regula-
ions affecting buildings are under the
control of the fire department, n still
others are in the lands of the State
authorities. We inspect buildings in
all parts of the city, for the purpose of
acquainting ourselves with the best
means of approach in case of fire and
the general plan of the building. If
we could control the entire situation,
including inspections of all kinds that
directly affect the fire-fighting forces,
we would be in q better position and
would not have a division of the work,
as at present.
Our men and equipment are among
the best in the country, and we are
prepared TO handle any situation that
arises. The fault is not with the de-
partment or the equipment. and il any
blame attaches to the case it will be
found in other directions
Captain G. Albert Gasser, superin-
tendent of the bureau Of combustibles,
is strongly impressed with the lessons
taught by the fire and has several
recommendations to make as a result
of the experience gained at Saturdays
fire. He said today:
81 am very much in favor of a com
mission on public safety, whose duties
shall be to keep close watch over just
such conditions as have developed In
connection with this fire. Such a com
mission could keep in touch with all