The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-02
THg FINE ESCAPE PROBLEM.
10 Involves Municipal DepaFsmeats. Low.
Of Flowers ana Common sense.

| Be Involves Municipal departments. Lave
90 Flowers ana Common sense.
To TEE EDITOR oI THE suN-Sr: lau
September you were kind enough 70 print
an account Of my experiences with a nr.
| man and a nre escape garden. DompLi,,
TO Headquarters had been wholly ineffective
but three days after the appearance of nv
letter things were doing with a vengaanc.
Coming home. I noted that the various ere
escapes which had specified a. much nor,
nearly sncumbered than mine we're haId..
clear, Further an the home elevator o.,
letters half foot high there was q picard
] reading: ANY tenant encumbeTin or
setting anything whatever upon The ere
esna pes will be insta ntly arrested BY order
Of the Fire Department.
All right enough. perhaps. The irsv.
tingIisha BILE fun Of IT, though, was thai Ar
parently neither a law Of God. man nor ..
Fire Department ran north of .. our
house fills the block between IaISt ana is.i
streets. Walking north to IaSth street
counted twenty-seven ire escapes on wGI,h
repO=ed peacefully palms, rubber phr'..
gerh NUNS. what not. untouched. e.r.
unthTeitened by the authorities.
But even that was not the limit A.,
chief. Judge his rank by the hea vina~- ~
his grievance and his gold braid. uHlt-i
upon me in full uniform GENTLY. std's
but firnly. asa Just person might denl With
Don; YOU think you we're mean TOM
pltining OF people that never did you any
harm I did not. Ny unrepenta nee lei
him to tell me the real root Of trouble B4-
ing a top floor tenant. I had hurt the feel
inRs of nay lower down neiRhbors please
may feel they said I had Iet water Dim
~ over their clean Clothes-they were using
the fire escapes as auxilisr ~ clothes 'iryers-
Of the devil and With malice sfcreihousht'
bad lelped "a through open windows to
They were lyin'. Of course said IN.
Voice 81 Authority. but We couldn't prove
4 Now. yhy s.dh.! yOn compl,in OF them
trouble for other foIksP ! call that me n
Yes. mean.- he repeat ted. mounting the
say he held In his hand my letter to Head
s bad sny r'Gsr Sns than han e be Asnsd
sioner had a literal mind. His deputy Was
charged to ask me. Ibid that there fireman
he dId not. said I vhereupon his supe-
rioT was clearly Of opinion that his failings
nag le g N, to nnercy,s SIDE notwithstanding
mary arrest. fine and IMPRISONMENT still
Was not dt-mayed asked the Authority
TO make such an arrest He couldn't tell
me. but took refuge In . vague general
foundation w fact but such research as
haN" been able 10 make In the Municipal
ode ~ oumbia library has failed to show
u 20 me- All md there n paragraph
authorizing police and nremen to arrest
summari,N PERSONS interfering with Hremeu
w. -eetns to me perfectly correct. a power
Ina should In no wise he circumscrthNd.
bu, am az hrmly Of opinion that there
should not eNiSt such power In the case OF
mere Venial infract ions Of regula ions
Honestly. want light The code declares
nne ~ $40 no mention Of Imprisonment
TOR -sHoumhering fire escape Now on
Cumhe' according 20 the dictionaries--
degree " hindcrinR use so think there
- a. least room for argument as To whether
a -lN inch flower pot uDon a rOOmy balcony
really constitutes an encumbrAnce I am
not In faN ar nf "lutfered fire escapeH--all too
Often ne. spell traEsdy. but IN this, as IN
lksW lse decenr imparttality N Are
es''aTes In one building must 40 hare Il u
gay garden- also 90 have the apartment
house exactly IN front of the hook and
hraveiv eight months Of The wear
testing aside. here n a serious QUESTION
T TIh may vel engage the attention Of the
''r'' "-CsIa- he kept reasonably clear To
."tN' ih'lT "'rHran'e pr "lIit~TtnR to tenant
~pit"~ ~""rn> ." NJ" ~ T"rilous a. II Is un.
need T." com" - an understanding Only
An h"ur aEo set row Of ppts upon my oEn
rose Watering pot Immediately comes the
s ss hoy YIN complatn' from the Nth
to the fUS Department
Perhaps she has pull there. NV inter-
lo' utor Wa 'aTeful TO ask n | knew Anv-
body ~ % Assured that did not he pro-
coded to lay On me heavy walls Of wrath
That "a, however. a depression Such law
~ ] know leads me TO believe that 40 long
- ] pay rent FOR mine own hired house the
window Sits are mine -. tnuch any other
part of ~ have not the least wish ~ usa
: hem m despite ~ anybody. least Of all nv
'"tensnts have never Wtlfully nut -
mus a. = drop ot water where " could
po--lh lv do harm. hut have no mind to hA
abridged Of unaue-tionahis rights
Ny wish j. tn live ia atnity and comfy
VITA the city Of New York and ali ira
indWellers I should not on individual
grounds 10 thus airing grievance n -
wholly be'Hus" the question ~ issue - -
much bigger and more vital than any one
person or zen Or = hundred can he Nothing
brings Law oI ever, hind into move deserved
,onteiupt than IL partial enforcement
81 ~ have please. from the responsible
head NJ the fire department a clear and
Su""in'' statement of what - and Nhat =
not permissible then see that IL - lived M
Ia AL over town. Present conditions invite
tTaff. pu1rrelS. turbulence and the no.
ginning IT anarchy | write this SOLELY IN
he hope ~ lettering th,ut
MAErWN Nj CTLIotH-W uIIAMs
NV NpEk. April