New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-01-20
SHUT UP UNSAFE SHOPS
That Would Force Adequate Fire
Protection, Supt. Miller Says.
FAvoRS HERRICK MEASURE
Urges Fire Towers, Instead OF
Present Fire Escapes, and Limit
to Number of Tenants.

In a brief submitted TO the New York
state Factory Investigation Commission
Senator Robert +. Wagner. chairman hu-
dolph p Miller, Superintendent OF Bulld-
ings. Manhattan, recommended that the
building authorities should receive sum-
mary mowers 20 vacate and shut up any
factory or loft building until the necessary
work had been done 10 protect Its occu-
nants against fire and 10 guard against
misuse of such power Mr. Miller Endorsed
the provision for an appeal to a board OF
survey. as provided in the Herrick BILL re-
Gently PASSED by the Legislature but vetoed
by the Mayor.
This was only one Of number Of radical
provisions recommended by Superintendent
Miller He made the point that 1t was as
important 10 safeguard the exit or occu-
pants from manufacturing and loft build
ings as 1t was TO protect their lives while
they were at work in these buildings
Whether a building was freproof or not
President McAneny's Buildings Superintend-
cnt demanded that the exit facilities be
made safe and unencumbered, and that 10
this end the number Of persons on floor
be limited in a safe ratip to the floor area.
To protect such exits fully Superintend-
ont Miller recommended the building of fire
towers as against the present Anticipated
and i'll advised fire escape, or. IN other
words. a sufficiently broad and safe stair
case, with wide. easy steps, cut of from
the rest OF the building by FIRE wall
with doors so built that every occupant
could leave his place at the first note oil
alarm, pass along the most direct means OF
exit and get out Of the building without
DELAY. II was Mr. Miller who first inserted
provision for fire towers in the proposed
building code Of 1907 which was vetoed by
Mayor Mcclellan.
Mr.. Miller also urged that the number OF
stalrcases in a building be in proportion
TO its size, so that If one was for some
reason impossible the other could be uti-
lized, and that, in any case, IT would not DC
necessary to travel more than eighty feet
in a direct horizontal line to reach one of
any two.
Dlsagreeing with the Fire Commissioner,
Mr. Miller declared that the provision CIV
ing jurisdiction over exit facilities to the
Fire Department was impractical and a
mistake, which would inflict hardships on
owners and builders cause needless delay
in providing the exit facilities required and
divide responsibility.
The Superintendent recommended the
abolition Of the present fire escape, because
occupants Of buildings as a rule would not
seek them, except as last resort. Mr.,
Miller further declared that persons moved
down a fire escape slowly, delaying those
who were following. Again, in wintry
weather the fire escapes might be obstruct-
\ ed by snow and ice, making them particu-
n larly dangerous. They were rendered use
n less often because Of smoke and fame
issuing from the windows at which they
were placed and on account OF their con-
tracted dimensions were difficult for large
persons.
The Fire Department, Superintendent
Miller said, advocated their use, but such
advocacy he added, was based on the de-
sire 20 furnish q means of getting into
buildings II desirable for this purpose, he
said. fire escapes should be provided as
such, and not offered to the tenants as a
satisfactory means OF egress.
Having provided for adequate exit facili-
ties Superintendent Miller said IT was nec-
essary to guard against dangers that would
impair such safeguards, and in his opinion
the most effective way. applicable TO both
new and existing buildings was to limit the
number of persons permitted to occupy a
building at any one time to that which
could be accommodated by stair and exit
facilities.
AS TO the matter Of fire drills, he said:
The establishment of fire drills is mat
ter worthy of some consideration. II seems
20 me. however to lose its Importance, II
adequate exit facilities and other safe
guards have been provided. Wherever il IS
possible to do so, an organized fire drill
Will no doubt serve an excellent purpose.
But in the case of factories, the difficulties
of such drills are more than prOportonately
increased with the number of separate con-
Germs occupying any building until in very
many cases il becomes a matter CT practical
impOsSibilty. What can and should be
cone. however. in all factories ia the in
struction by posted notices, by circulars.
by repeated oral announcements, etc, OF
all employees and occupants as to the loca-
tion of exits, stairs, the use of safeguards
against loss of life by fire, the means pro-
Vlded for the eXtinguiShment Of fire and all
other matters that will aid in saving life
or avoiding panic. The testimony Of many
OF the workers In the Triangle Waist fac
tory would seem to indicate that a very large
proportion Of factory employees do not know
what is provided for their safety.
Heavy penalties and vacancy Of premises
should be prescribed for any excess over
the allowable limit. he continued, and called
attention 10 the somewhat similar provision