Evening journal., 1915-12-24
Inspector DRAFTS
NEW BUILDING Laws
Charles E. Anderson Has
326 Pagesin Ordinance to
Come Before Council
WILL BE READY IN
JANUARY HE SAYS


Charles +. Anderson, building inspee-
tor, this morning said he expects tol
have his new building ordinance ready
soon TO present to the City Council
81 am putting the finishing touch on.
the new ordinance, which win be pre-
sented to the City Council the first OF
January, 1916, for consideration said
Mr.. Anderson.
Il have put in great deal OF time
on this new ordinance, and with forty
years actual experience in the building
progress, and with the study of the new
ideas OF the vast progress that has been
made in the construction of building,
think that | have one of the best ordi-
nanees OF any city in tie United States.
/ have worked for three months OH the
draft of the proposed ordinance, and es-
pecially Tor the past two months ! have
been working day and night TO get il
completed.
81 found IL was a ease of necessity TO
employ a stenographer. and | also found
in employing Miss Antoinette NJ. Solia
that She is very competent in her line
Of work, and she has worked oD the or
dinance about a month.
This ordinance will have all of the
latest, up-to-date items of new build
ing construction. There will be num-
bers of diagrams showing the con-
strvction Of difficult points in the
building trade; also number of pho
tographs. These win be in the ordi-
nance ii the Council passes it. One of
my advocates in the ordinance is the
new automatic sprinkling system,
which ] claim will be very beneficial
to certain classificatiOns of buildings
above fifty feet in height. This sprink
ling system would mean the reduction
Of fire insurance. Il does not matter
how efficient your Fire Department Is
"In reference to the higher build
ings. the Fire Department cannot sue
cessfully feed upon a fire of fifty feel
in heighth into a building; therefore
if your buildings are over fifty fee
and on up TO 100 and $50 feet. which
the progress of Wilmington in Tho
next few years will mean, the build
ings viii be constructed much highe
than in the past. This new sprink
ling system viii mean a great assis
tance to the FL Department and viii
pay for itself in a few years, becaus
of the difference in fire insurance"
Now, right on this line abou
which I am speaking, my memory i
very fresh about the theatre at Della
ware avenue and Tatnall streets abou
a year ago. We may talk about
better Fire Department and volun
teer Fire Department, but in com
pairing the paid Fire Department ant
the volunteer Fire Department W
have one OF the best volunteer Fir
Departments in the city of Whining
ton that YOU can find IN any city i
the United States. In feeding upo
this fire at Delaware avenue and Tai
nall street. this volunteer Fire De
partment did everything possible
save the theatre. They did save quit
a number of buildings surroundm
the Avenue Theatre, but nevertheless
the theatre burnt to the ground. Why
Not because the Fire Department di
not work as II should, but if thi
building had been constructed in
safe and sensible way It would hay
assisted the Fire Department in say
ing the said theatre.
"Our buildings in the past haN
been very poorly constructed, an
with the advancement that Whining
ton will have in the next feVNyeai
this ordinance that / am preparin
will overcome such defects that "
have had in the past in reference
building construction.
1T is much better to construct
first certain classes of buildings
near hreproof as possible. My who
aim is for safety. The Councilme
when they go over each section al
paragraph. will find that this is L
whole aim in the construction
buildings. This ordinance will
fun of life. I have penetrated to {
very center of the core OF the bull
ing trade, and the new ideas Of SAM
ITO give you some idea in referen
TO the new ordinance, it will ha
about S29 sections, 326 pages and l2
$50 words, and all will be indeNed
that you can turn TO any section a
find the desired paragraph.
I'm the last few days there la
been items in the daily papers in r.
erence to moving pictures and Il
aires which | am inspecting so thai
can recommend TO the Mayor as TO
approval for licenses. | noticed Il
there was a statement that ] ma
the remark that the moving pictt
theatres we're perfectly safe. This
a mistake. No moving picture or Il
atre which is of wood construction
perfectly safe. ! did say that work.
under our present ordinance I
made changes to relieve the conditiC
i'm these theatres the way they w
constructed. and TO a certain ext
my hands were tied, because | CO.
not go further into the construction
these buildings, being made irepr
under the nresnnf ordinance y