Evening star., 1934-11-01
FIRE ESCAPE ACT
INVOKED IN DRIVE
AGAINST GAMING
District Officials Order Own
ers Held Responsible
for Barricades.
BUILDING INSPECTOR
TO GET RAID REPORTS
Case Against One Owner Dropped
After Regulation Is Com
piled With.

Invoking the fire escape regulations,
District officials today acted in two
cases to force owners Of buildings to
remove barricades found by police to
have been used for protection Of al
legged gambling operations. This was
revealed in report by Col John w.
Oehmann, building inspector, to Capt.
Hugh P. Dram, director of inspection.
The Commissioners last Friday is
sued an official order requiring police
to report gambling raids to the build
ing inspector and ordered that off.
cial to make immediate inspections
to determine if building or fire regu-
lations had been violated by occu-
pants of buildings raided and to take
steps to hold the owners responsible.
The report today revealed that in
one case where the owner has COM
piled with orders to remove barri-
cadeS to fire escapes, the inspection
was made prior to the Commissioners
order on the subject and in keeping
with an arrangement already existing
between police and the building in
spector, according to statements Of
District officials.
Inspectors Are Helpless.
The inspectors informed Capt. Dram
this morning that they were helpless
to do anything about heavily barred
entrance doors found at gambling
joints unless there was a structural
change in the building requiring a
permit and said that action by police
and not by civil officials was required
In cases where premises are illegally
occupied by gambling operators, for
which no application has been made
for occupancy permits under the zon-
ing code.
Lieut.. George Little. head of the vice
squad, reported about two weeks ago
that raid had been staged on alleged
gamblers at 1317-1319 New York ave-
nue.. Col. Oehmann ordered a building
inspection which resulted in finding
that there was barricade blocking
the fire escape. Notice was served on
the owner to remove the barricade.
| Officials said the owner was John
ODonoghue. When the Today notice
expired. application was made at Po-
lice Court for a warrant last Monday.
Case Was Dropped Later.
The nephew of the owner, Martin p.
O'Donoghue, asked for an extension Of
time, District officials said. and this
was refused. The case at Police Court
was dropped, however, when Stanley
Deneale, assistant corporation counsel,
was informed later this week that the
work was in progress. Building inspec-
tors said today the obstruction had
been removed.
An inspection was made Of space
in an Office at 1910 H street following
a raid early Sunday. Capt. Dram
was told there was a barricade to the
fire escape there.
Notice was to be served today on
Frederick A. Sterling, said to be the
owner Of the property, to remove this
obstruction. Five days will be given
to perform the work, Capt. Dram
said.
Investigation was also made of a
portion of premises at 722 Thirteenth
street, upon receipt of a report of a
raid there by Little's men. Inspectors
found there was no fire escape and
that one is not required under the
regulations. They said they would do
| nothing about heavily barred doors.
There is no occupancy permit for the
portion of the building raided.
Police action, and not attention CT
the building inspector, is required in
illegal occupancy of premises, Col.
Oehmann said