New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-19
PUBLIC BUILDINGS UNSAFE
Hall of Records and Courthouse
Must Have Fire Protection.
M'ANENY ORDERS CHANGES
Old Police Headquarters and City
Court Also Found to Need
Better Facilities for Escape.

As the result of the agitation for more
safety from fire which followed the Asch
Building disaster the Commissioner OF
Public Works is planning numerous I'M
proyements in at least four of the city
buildings Matured plans were announced
yesterday.
Early in May Robert II. Insley. Superin-
tendent of the Bureau Of Public Buildings
requested Superintendent Miller Of the
Bureau of Buildings to make a thorough
examination of public buildings under
control of the city In Manhattan and 10
recommend whatever changes were neces-
sary in them in order to make proper pro
vision for fire prevention and escape.
The request was made At the instance
Of Borough President McAneny. Viola
lions were reported on the County Court
House. the Hall of Records, the city Court
Building and the old Police Headquarters
Building at No. 900 Mulberry street now
used in part for offices of the city maSis-
trates and in part for storage and garage
purposes.
Edgar V rockingham, Commissioners
of Public Works, who will direct the i'm
provements. said Yesterday that the work
would be taken up Immediately. in No.
200 Mulberry street the inspectors recon-
mended the installation of freproof parti-
tons at each end Of the passageways con-
Meeting the three sections Of the building
these partitions TO be constructed Of metal
and wire glass or other fireproof material
and to be continuous from cellar to roof
the doors in the partitions TO be freproof
and self-closng.
No. 300 Mulberry street Is still under
the control of the Police Department. ana
information of the violations and the rec
concentrations was served on Commission
err Waldo on June 3. He replied that the
recommendations would receive attention.
At the County Courthouse the inspec-
tors found, first, that the main doors from
the courtrooms open inward The main
basement exits they found provided with
revolving doors, and recommended the
substitution Of swinging doors opening out
ward
The recommendation for the Hall Of
Records includes an additional interior
fireproof stairway or a fireproof exterior
tower and the putting in use Of at least
one of the two closed entrances on the
first floor The report also noted that the
six elevators were not freproof inclosed'
and that on some of the floors there is
bronze grill around the elevator hall. The
inspectors also found the main doors on
the east and west sides were kept locked.
on the City Court Building the inspec-
tors found numerous minor violations.
Their recommendations included the pro-
vision OF iron drop ladders for the two
fire escapes and the painting Of the pres
ent fire escapes.
Three courtrooms on the fifth floor or
the building with capacity Of little
more than one hundred persons each, they
found TO be in good shape, but two floors
below, in two courtrooms Of a capacity or
about three hundred persons each. they
found the doors opening inward. The two
elevators in the building are not ireproof
inclosed, and neither of the two fire es-
canes has a drOD ladder