ing to the roof. In case the building shall be a tenement house, the door in the bulkhead or any scuttle, shall at no time be locked but may be fastened on the inside by movable bolts or hooks.

(Revised from New York City Consolidation Act, chapter 410, of the Laws of 1882, § 498, as amended by chapter 275 of the Laws of 1892, § 34.)

The powers conferred upon the municipal authorities to require the construction of fire escapes are clearly constitutional, and are not obnoxious to the objections that the party affected is deprived of his property without due process of law. Supreme Court, October, 1884, Fire Dept. v. Sturtevant, 33 Hun, 407.

The power to require the erection of fire escapes being given to the building department in direct terms, it must be exercised by the department as such.

The statute is not satisfied with the action and direction of one of the subordinate bureaus or subordinate bureaus or officers of the department. Supreme Court, October, 1884, Fire Dept. v. Sturtevant, 33 Hun, 407, followed in Supreme Court, June, 1898, Greenhaus v. Alter, 30 App. Div. 585.

§ 105. Fireproof buildings. Every building hereafter erected or altered, to be used as a hotel, lodging house, school, theatre, jail, police station, hospital, asylum, institution for the care or treatment of persons, the height of which exceeds thirty-five feet, excepting all buildings for which specifications and plans have been heretofore submitted to and approved by the department of buildings, and every other building the height of which exceeds seventy-five feet, except as herein otherwise provided, shall be built fireproof, that is to say, they shall be constructed with walls of brick, stone, Portland cement concrete, iron or steel, in which wood beams or lintels shall not be placed, and in which the floors and roofs shall be of materials provided for in section one hundred and six of this code. The stairs and staircase landings shall be built entirely of brick, stone, Portland cement concrete, iron or steel. No woodwork or other inflammable material shall be used in any of the partitions, furrings or ceilings in any such fireproof buildings, excepting, however, that when the height of the building does not exceed twelve stories nor more than one hundred and fifty feet, the doors and windows and their frames, the trims, the casings, the interior finish when filled solid at the back with fireproof material, and the floor boards and sleepers directly thereunder, may be of wood, but the space between the sleepers shall be solidly filled with fireproof materials and extend up to the underside of the floor boards.

31

REGULATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF BUILDINGS, BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF OUTSIDE FIRE ESCAPES.

Unless otherwise approved by the superintendent of buildings in writing, outside fire escapes shall be arranged and constructed as follows:

1. Location. Iron balconies at least three feet wide shall be located as directed. They shall communicate one with the other by means of stairs and with the ground by either stairs or drop ladders as may be ordered. The balconies must be of sufficient length to comply with all the requirements of these regulations.

2. Balconies. The balconies shall have a landing not less than twenty-four inches square at the head of each stairway. Except in cases where the stairways reach and leave the balconies at the ends, there shall be a passageway at the side of the stairs not less than fourteen inches wide in every part. The stairway opening in each platform shall be of a size sufficient to provide clear headway, and shall be inclosed on the long side by a three-quarter inch rail, well braced.

3. Floors of balconies. The floors of balconies shall be of wrought-iron or steel slats not less than one and a half inches by three-eighths of an inch, placed not more than one and one-quarter inches apart, and well secured and riveted to iron battens one and a half inches by three-eighths of an inch, not over three feet apart and riveted at the intersection. The ends of such floor slats shall project beyond the platform frame, but shall not rest on the bottom rail. The openings for stairways in all balconies shall not be less than twenty-one inches wide and thirty-two inches long, and such openings shall have no covers of any kind. The platforms or balconies shall be constructed and erected to safely sus tain in all their parts a safe load at a ratio of four to one, of not less than eighty pounds per square foot of surface.

4. Railings. Except in the case where stairs are at ends of balconies, the outside top rail shall extend around the entire length of the platform and shall go through the wall at each end and be properly secured by nuts and four-inch square washers at least

three-eighths of an inch thick, and no top rail shall be connected at angles by cast iron. Where stairways at ends of balconies make it impossible to secure top rails to walls, such top rails must be made rigid and secure by means of inclined braces from the brackets on the outside of the railings, or other means satisfactory 'to the superintendent of buildings, that will offer no obstruction along the balcony. The top rail of balconies shall be one and three-quarter inches by one-half inch of wrought iron, or one and one-half inch angle iron one-quarter inch thick. The bottom rails shall be one and one-half inches by three-eighths of an inch wrought iron, or one and a half inch angle iron, one-quarter inch thick, well leaded or cemented into the wall. The ends of all rails which go through the walls shall be worked out to not less than threequarter inch bolt size for top rails, or one-half inch bolt size for bottom rails, and if constructed as separate pieces shall be properly secured to the rails with not less than two one-half inch rivets. The standards or filling-in bars shall be not less than one-half inch round or square wrought iron, well riveted to the top and bottom rails and platform frame. Such standards or filling-in bars shall be securely braced by outside brackets at suitable intervals, and shall be placed not more than six inches from centers: the height of railings shall in no case be less than two feet nine inches.

5. Stairways. The stairways shall be placed at an angle of not more than sixty degrees, with steps not less than six inches in width and twenty inches in length, and with a rise of not more than nine inches; and shall be constructed and erected to fully sustain in all their parts a safe load at a ratio of four to one of not less than one hundred pounds per step, with the exception of the treads which must safely sustain at said ratio a load of two hundred pounds. The treads shall be flat open treads or may be constructed of flat bars, not over one and one-half inches wide, riveted to angle irons of a size not less than one and one-half inch, with the open spaces between such bars not over three-quarters of an inch wide. The strings shall be not less than threeinch channels of iron or steel, or three-eighths by four-inch bars, or two three-eighths by one and one-half inch bars properly latticed, or two one-quarter by one and one-half inch angles properly latticed, or other shape equally strong. Unless of channel or angle iron they shall be stiffened by the use of braces properly leaded into or bolted through the wall, and also bolted through

the string at a height of not less than seven feet above the floor of the balcony. They shall rest upon and be bolted to a bracket, which shall be fastened through the wall as hereinafter provided. The strings shall be securely bolted to a bracket at the top, and the steps in all cases shall be double-riveted or bolted to the strings. The stairs shall have three-quarter inch handrails of wrought iron, well braced.

6. Brackets. The brackets shall not be less than one-half inch by one and three-quarter inches wrought iron, placed edgewise, or one and three-quarter inch angle iron, one-quarter inch thick, well braced; they shall not be more than four feet apart, and shall be braced by means of not less than three-quarters of an inch square wrought iron, and shall extend two-thirds of the width of the respective balconies or brackets. The brackets shall go through the wall and be turned down three inches, or be properly secured by nuts and four-inch square washers at least three-eighths of an inch thick. On new buildings the brackets shall be set as the walls are being built. When brackets are put on buildings already erected the part going through the wall shall not be less than one inch in diameter with screw nuts and washers not less than five inches square and one-half inch thick. If the end going through the wall is separately constructed, it shall be properly connected to the bracket with not less than two five-eighths inch rivets staggered.

7. Drop ladders.- Where drop ladders are permitted instead of stairs from the lowest balcony, they shall be of sufficient length to reach from the lowest balcony or platform to a safe landing place beneath. It shall be not less than fifteen inches in width, with strings not less than one-half inch by two inches and rungs of not less than five-eighths of an inch in diameter placed not over twelve inches apart and properly riveted through the strings. Where the lowest balcony is more than fourteen feet above the ground beneath the same, a suitable landing platform shall be provided. Such platform shall be located not more than ten feet above the ground, and shall be connected with the fire escapes above by a stairway constructed as herein required. Such platform shall be not less than four feet in length by three feet in width, and shall be provided at each end with proper railings and a drop ladder to reach the ground. Except as specified, it shall be constructed in conformity with the other provisions of these regulations.

8. Goose-neck ladders. Wherever possible, a balcony at the top story of any building shall be provided with a goose-neck ladder leading to the roof. Such goose-neck ladder shall be securely fastened to the wall of the building and to the roof, and shall be so located as to afford safe access to the roof. Such ladder shall be constructed as provided for drop ladders; the strings shall be in one piece and shall not be connected in parts by rivets and bolts; such ladders shall be arranged to rest on brackets and not on slats forming the floor of the balcony.

9. Scuttle ladders.- Scuttle ladders, where required, shall be constructed as above provided for stairs, except that they may be set at a steeper angle. They must be properly secured at top and bottom.

10. Painting.—All the parts of such fire escapes shall receive not less than two coats of paint, one in the shop and one after erection. All fire escape balconies shall contain a plate firmly fastened to the standards or filling-in bars near the top railing, containing in plain, large, prominent, raised letters, each letter to be not less than one-half an inch in length, the following words: "Any one placing any incumbrance on this balcony will be fined ten dollars." The lettering on such plates shall be painted with a paint of a color different from that used on the body of the plate, so that the letters will be prominent and distinct.

11. In case it may be desired, for architectural or other reasons, to vary from these requirements in the shape or construction of the brackets or railings, such changes may be submitted to the superintendent of buildings, but shall not be made until his approval has been obtained.

OLEAN

CITY ORDINANCES.

Regulating Fire Escapes.

Section 1. Every building in the city of Olean having three or more stories or floors and having less than two separate and disconnected stairways which provide access from all the floors of such building to the ground, shall be provided with a fire escape: such fire escape shall consist of a landing or balcony constructed of iron not less than three feet wide and six feet long at each floor of such building connected with the interior by a door or