New-York tribune., 1911-11-11
SAYS LAWS ARE EVADEO.
FOSdiCk Declares Theatres Vio-
late Fire PreCautiOn Measures.
JOHNSON DENIES CHARGES
Declares He Has Remedied Con.
ditions, but Ac0ser Maintains
They Are Unchanged.

In a report covering the period from
January l. 1910. 10 May 30. 1911, made TO
Mayor Gaynor yesterday, Raymond B
Fosdick Commissioner Of Accounts
charges that the Fire Department permits
theatres and other buildings to violate the
laws placed on the statute books as ire
prevention measures. and that false ana
misleading reports are made by some
members Of the Bureau Of Violations ana
Auxiliary Fire Appliances TO cover up their
laxity.
The bureau has been under investigation
since the beginning of the year by the or
flee of the Commissioner Of Accounts. at
the request of Rhnelander Waldo theh
Commissioner of the Fire Department
Fire Commissioner Joseph Johnson sald ne
did not feel called upon to reply 10 lhe
charges. as the period the lnNes'lsd'lo"
covered was that Of a former incumbent
conditions are now totally changed
said Commissioner Johnson. "and we are
doing the best we can with very hiiii,ou
force There will not be any proper IN
snection until this department Is Supphe"
with sufficient men TO make the needed III
snections. I asked the Board OF Esuha'e
q long time ago for 5S5 men. but 1t has not
vet appropriated the needed money
lie said the bureau had been abolished
and WAS now subdivision OF the he"
Bureau of Fire Prevention. III Is uIluei
the charge of Deputy Chlet Niliid"
Guerin. whom Commissioner Johnson re-
CARDS as highly competent .,,
When Commissioner FosdicK was 'oiu
what Fire Commissioner Johnson nad saiu'
he replied: ,,iod
"Conditions have not been remedleu'
Tho conditions in loft buildings are very
dargerous and the theatres are III the
sor,o condition now as they were prior 10
June l, 1911. o,, fro
Tbot Commissioner Johnson's present IRE
prevention force was doing as well as poS
sible and was greatly in need Vi
ments, Mr.. Fosdick admltteu'
Rurnham, president of the Iheatrlcdi -Nai'
ayers Association, when some vi 'ho
charges regarding theatres were calieu "
his attention, SAID:
"of course each manager must speak Io'
himself This theatre WallacK - mas
connlied with all the requirements Oh inc
rYra Denartment When Fosdicks men
u,are here they said so. 1 believe that all
~ managers of this association see to IL
that their theatres are properly equippeu
with fire prevention appliances ana means
of escape in case of emergency. Ihere are
many demands of the FIRE Department
that are actually silly, yet these, person
allv know. have been complied with IN the
case of Wallack's and other theatres rep
resented in the Theatrical Managers Asso-
citation"
The report first takes up the moving
picture houses. OF the siXty-hve inspected,
the standee law was persistently violated,
SO as TO make il a menace in case of fire.
While little regard obtained for police and
fire requirements, the distribution of fire
appliances, the report added, was on the
whole reasonable. though locked exits were
found in many cases.
Concerning the theatres. the report says
that of the eighty-fve inspected in Man
haitian and The Bronx. violations of the
law covering auxiliary fire appliances were
found in every one.
Continuing. the report says:
Some Of the theatres were found to have
interior exit stairways of wood in violation
Of the code i'm some the exit stairways were
old and dlapidated; in one, the exits in
the gallery led to peaked roof down
which IL was necessary TO Slide TO the
fire escape; IN several the exits were so
confused that a stranger could find his
way out only with difficulty; in a number
the hose and extingushers were found hid
cen and inaccessible behind masses of
scenery; in several others, piles OF rubbish
had been allowed TO collect under the stage
and in the scene docks.
The report cited that ten theatres got
licenses on the false reports Of the mem
bers of the Fire Department that fire
sprinklers had been installed. Mr. FOs-
dick is still trying 20 fix the responsibility
for these reports.
Loft buildings We're found to be fragrant
violators OF the law, many showing little
regard for the safety Of the workers in
case of fire. Favortism is also charged.
one case that attracted Commissioners Fos-
dicks attention was that of two adjoining
hav and feed stores In one fire sprnklers
were ordered, while the other was un-
rOOlpetpd