The Washington herald., 1913-09-19
SUITS TO compel.
fire PROTECTION
Commissioner Orders Prose.
cution of Violators of
Ordinance.
ACTION AGAINST SIX
/ o. P. Newman Says that Immediate
Proceedings Will Follow in
Several Other Cases.

/ Commissioner Newman made II plaiI
! last night that the proceedings insti
tuted in the courts yesterday agains
property owners for alleged violations Of
the fire-escape regulations will be fol
/ Il wed by similar proceedings in every
! case to which the regulations apply, and
that no further evasiOns of these ordi
Eances will be allowed.
Compliance with the regulations viii
bc enforced impartially upon owners OF
apartment houses, fats. office buildings
, seminaries, and colleges, wherever such
owners have failed yet to comply
with them. The spits filed yesterday are
hut beginning.
Ii is the intention of the Commission.
ers to exact a strict compliance with the
fire. escape regulations, and instead OF
issuing additional notices they will bring
court proceedings against all offenders
In speaking Of the boards action, Com
missioner Newman said:
should a fire occur in a building, the
owner of which has ignored the law and
the orders OF the District Commission
Crs. it is quite likely there would ensue
needless loss of life.
The Commissioners feel keenly their
responsibility to see to it that every
effort on their part is used to protect
human life under these circumstances.
sioners to be any excuse for failure on
the Part of the property owners sued
tOdPy TO provide the safety appliances
required by law, particularly in view
OF the fact that those property owners
have calmly ignored the legal, official
notices OF the Commissioners.
Six Made Defendants.
THE corporation counsel has been di-
rected to press these suits with ut
most vigOr. Those against whom action
was instituted yesterday were selected
because they have been the worst Of
tenders, but the corporation counsel is pre- .
pairing as rapidly as possible to bring
action against all viOlatOrs''
Instructions issued to the Corporation
Counsel yesterday resulted in immediate
filing of six suits. An investigation. be-
gun by Commissioner Newman, estab-
lished that there are 157 buildings in
Washington not equipped with proper fire
protection.
That the owners of several apartment
houses were quietly disregarding the reg
ulatiOns for the protection of the tenants
of their premises from fire came to the
attention of Commissioner Newman while
disposing of papers of routine business
He made examination of the cases and
found that the owners had been repeat
edly ordered to comply with the District
ordinances. Apparently unafraid that
more determined action would follow,
these orders were passed owe. unnoticed.
The regulations for fire protection are
of several years standing
With the assembling of this informa-
ton, Commissioner Newman instructed
Morris Hacker, inspector of buildings,
to make detailed report upon all cases
of violation OF the regulations This re-
port brought to light the astonishing
fact that the ordinances for safeguard
ing Of lives against fire has been allowed
to remain inactive in 157 cases. Commits
sioner Newman brought this information
to the attention of the board and IL
was decided that the condition demanded
more drastic action than official notices
Alleged NIOIatorS of Law.
In accordance with the resulting orders
Of the Commissioners, Assistant Cor
poration Counsel Roger ]. Whiteford
filed the six suits which con-
template enjoining the owners from the
use of their premises in the event of con-
tinued refusal to comply with the fire
escape regulations.
Those made defendants are Leo Sim
mons, owner of the Knickerbocker
Apartment House, 1920 Mintwood Place
Northwest; Chester A. Snow, owner of
he Holmes Apartment, 1920 Dent Place
Northwest; Arthur L. Bliss, trustee of
he Dorchester Apartment. Twelfth and
Maryland Avenue Southwest; Walter H
Hlopfer, owner of the premises at 1921
Corcoran Street Northwest: Sarah T
1ddins, owner of the premises at sol B
Street Northeast; and Charles Early,
)Wner of the premises at I724 Twenty
irst Street Northwest