The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-13
OFFICIALS ADMIT
So SCHOOLS LACK
PIREPROOF STAIRS
Year Old Safety Recommends
lions Put OFF for Want Of
Appropriations.
100000 NAY STRIKE
IN UNSAFE BUILDINGS

u9Uoy ulhl tneTo hTe tHTty-HVo
public school buildings in the
Greater City In which there are
or more flights OF wooden stairs
shove the first COR not enclosed in fire.
proof partitions. 1t was the absence of
~fireproofng about the stairs of the Dia-
mond building in Williamsburg last Sat
urday which contributed to the rapid
spread OF the flames and the loss of
twelve lives. The school situation,
though known, has remained without
alienation for a year because Of lack
Of funds
Besides the %thirty-fve buildings In
this admittedly unsafe condition re-
garding wooden stairs, COMMISSIONS
Adamson said there are thirty-one
frame school buildings in Richmond
and Queens b~oroughs. They are small
buildings. however. and are compare
lively safe. But there are many more
than thirty-five buildings with wooden
staiv leading from the cellar to the
ground floor. Also there are eight
schools In Manhattan and The Bronx in
Vo6ch b main stairways are wooden
ana not enclosed in fireproof partitions
according to Fire Department safety
standards.
The Eight schools.
1Ane schools are Nos. 10. East
Houston and Essex streets: los. at 60
Mott street 8. at 18th street. east of
Courtlandt avenue 10. Eagle avenue and
1881 street u, 225th street and White
Plains avenue "a, Kappock street 81,
at 18th, 15Sth streets. Third and
Brook avenues, and the Evander Childs
High School. at Olinville avenue, for
merly Public school A..
The above conditions We're reported
to the Board OF Education in a SPECIAL
report drawn VI by Commissioner ADAM
son about a year ago. The report was
based on IA thorough inspection Of 2O3
school buildings by "a special inspection
squad. composed of Deputy chief Will
lam T. Begin Of the Bureau of Fire Pre-
vention, Deputy Battalion chief W. f..
D~ougherty and Inspector Francis u.
Riley. These inspectors reported six
buildings as needing drastic remedy i'm
mediately.
The bureau of buildings of the Educa-
ton department estimated the cost OF
structural changes recommended by he
Fire Department in the thirty five build
ings referred to AT SS?S.VOO. which has
been added to recently ny other sug-
gcsted improvements in other buildings
\ request for money was made to IN.
Board of Estimate. bh. Supt. snyder
wrote Commissioners Adamson a iew
days x that II was not forthcoming
Commissioned Adimson thereupon wru,e
10 the Board Of Estimate can 1g its
attention To die urgency OF action to
make the stairways ia the ,itcd schools
safer according to the Fire department
standards.
some Minor Changes.
Supt. Snyder said last Iislt over the
telephone tina; he did not have the record
AT hand. hut he felt certain that n.ne
Of the recommended stairway work lad
been done. because # lack Of a~ppropria-
tions for the work. lie said some minor
changes had been mace in some build
ings on the rcCOmm rndation of the Fire
Department, but th.tt none of the stair
ways in the thirty-fivc schools mentioned
had been fireproofe to his knowledge.
The fire situation as emphasized by
the Diamond factor! fire stirred the
Board of Estimate meeting yesterday
when Comptroller ~lrcndergast, rising to
. question OF high personal privilege
objected to "A statement attributed 10
borough President Marks in a morn
ing new spaper OF Thursday in which
Mr.. Marks WAS quoted az SAYING.
Mayor Mitchell is responsible for block
Ing legislation which was not only de-
signed to simplify factory inspection
1.-THE E1lenbogen-Lockwood bill. bu,
would hav prevented the terrible Dia-
mond catastrophe"
Comptroller Prendergast objected 10
Mayor Mitchel's being made the subject
of ''wanton and unjustiiiable attack. -
He vas backed 10y President McAneny
OF the Board of Aldermen, who said the
Mayors veto of the L.ockwood-Ellen-
l--- I'm 80, gu,.tI,,fa L,1l,,. L.,
spection among the five borough build
ing departments spoke also for him
self and the Comptroller as well. MIR.
Marks WAS asked to repudiate the inter
view he had given 10 the newspaper In
question. but he refused to repudiatc
any except the last phrase, IN which lac
was made to say that the Mayor WAS
I blame for the fire disaster.
AmpIihcs Interview.
II wish to ampllfy the interview by
saying continued Mr.. Marks, that
st. WAS a very serious injury 10 the
city when the Mayor held up his veto OF
the Observation-Disclosures bill mail
such a time as the Legislature had adj
journed. This bill would have located
responsibility for building inspectors
] have fought for and will continue IL
fight for the location Of such RESPONSE
bility."
To clarity the confusion that exists
as to the responsibility for fire proven
tion measures In factories that lies with
the Fire Department and the state In
dustrial Commission THE Sun obtained
yesterday a concise statement of their
several powers and duties:
The Industrial Commission has man
datory Jurisdiction over the number and
protection o. s,airwuys, FIRE escapes and
horizontal exits through or around fire
walls and the number OF people per
mitted in tho building. The Fire Com
missioner has jurisdiction To- require
water buckets, portable fire appliances,
sprinklers. proper protection OF boilers,
furnaces, chlmneys and iiues and the ELI
closure OF elevators and hoistwdy shafts
TO prevent spread of flames. The Fire
Commissioned has mandatory powers
only in requiring the installation OF IN
terror fire alarm systems, fire drills, fire
proof r~eceptacles for waste. uo-smoking
notices.
The Coroner's inquisition 10 establish
responsibility for the loss Of life In the
Williamsburg fire adjourned until MOII-
day morning after "A three hour, session
Further evidence was adduced showing
lack OF proper enforcement Of the In
dustrial Commissions orders for safe
guarding measures in ease of fire.
Officials OF the Woncn's Trades tnioi
League yesterday began formulating
plans for "A genera! strike of $50, 00t
girls working in buildings which the
committee considers unsafe.
Would Have Uncle Sam MAKE