of more than two stories in height, wherein persons are commonly engaged in labor, shall be provided with one or more fire escapes (if the common council shall deem more than one necessary in any special case) on the outside of the building, connecting with each floor, above the ground floor, to be well fastened and secured, and of sufficient strength; and, unless otherwise ordered by the common council, each of such fire escapes shall have landings or balconies not less than six feet in length and three feet in width, guarded by iron railings not less than three feet in height, and embracing two windows on each story, and connecting with the interior by easily accessible and unobstructed openings; and the balconies or landings shall be connected by iron stairs or ladders, not less than twenty-four inches wide, the steps to be not less than six inches tread, placed at an angle of not more than forty-five degrees slant, and protected by a well secured hand rail, on each side, with a twelve-inch wide drop-ladder from the lower balcony, reaching to the ground; and the window or door of such fire escape shall be located as far as possible, consistent with accessibility, from the stairways or elevator hatchways in the building, and the stairway of the fire escape shall extend from the upper balcony to the roof, so that descent from the roof may be easily made. All doors between the main assembly room, and each gallery, tier, box, stage, or dressing room, of every opera house, theatre, public hall, lodge room, church, factory or other room or place for the assembling of a large number of persons, or where a large number of persons do frequently assemble, and the street, shall be made and hung as to readily swing open outwards, and towards the street, and no such door shall be locked, bolted or fastened during the time of any service, ceremony, performance, entertainment, or other assembly of persons therein. Any owner, occupant, lessee, proprietor, keeper, manager, or person having charge of any building or premises described in this or the last preceding section, who, after thirty days' notice from the common council to furnish such fire escape, or to make and hang such doors, shall fail or refuse to comply with such direction, shall be punishable by fine or imprisonment, and an additional fine of twentyfive dollars for every day after the expiration of such thirty days that such failure or refusal shall continue.

Middletown.

AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO FIRE ESCAPES.

§ 1. The fire wardens of the city of Middletown, New York, are hereby designated and authorized to enter upon and inspect any place or places in the said city of Middletown, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the same is or are in a safe condition, and if not, to direct or cause the same to be made so.

§ 2. Such fire escapes as may be deemed necessary by the common council of the said city of Middletown, New York, shall be provided for every building in the city of Middletown, New York, consisting of two or more stories in height. Such fire escapes shall be of such material and constructed in such manner and at such location on or in such building as the said common council of said city of Middletown shall direct.

§ 3. Whenever it shall be deemed necessary by the said common council of said city of Middletown that any such building or buildings shall be provided with fire escapes, the said common council may, by a written order, served upon the owner, proprietor, lessee, agent or superintendent of any such building or buildings or either of them, require one or more fire escapes to be provided for such building or buildings, at such locations on such building or buildings, and of such plan, size and material as shall be specified in such order. Within thirty days after the service of such order the number of fire escapes therein required shall be provided as directed in such order, and shall be located as therein ordered of the plan, size and material so specified therein.

§ 4. The owner, proprietor, lessee, agent or superintendent of any building upon which any fire escape may now be or may hereafter be erected shall keep the same in good repair, and no person shall at any time place any obstruction of any kind whatever before or upon any fire escape on or in any building in said city.

§ 5. Any person or corporation violating any provision of this ordinance shall pay as a penalty therefor the sum of twenty-five dollars, and the further sum of ten dollars for each and every week during which the omission to comply with any of the provisions of this ordinance shall continue after the service of the order herein. provided and the expiration of the time therein set forth.

§ 6. All ordinances contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed.

Mount Vernon.

ORDINANCES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS, FIRE PROTECTION, ETC.

Section 8. Every dwelling house, or building used as a place of residence, occupied by, or arranged for the occupancy of three or more families above the first story, and every building already erected, or that may be hereafter erected, three or more stories in height, used or to be used as a place of residence, or hotel, and every factory, mill, manufactory or workshop, hospital, asylum or institution for the care or treatment of sick persons, and every building three or more stories high used and occupied as a store or work-room, and every building in whole or in part occupied or used as a school or place of instruction or assembly, and every office building, four stories or more in height shall be provided with fire escapes, stairways or other special means of egress in case of fire as set forth and described in this section and where no special provisions are herein contained the inspector of buildings shall have full power and authority to direct fire escapes and other means of egress to be provided upon and within such buildings or any part of them.

A. The owner or owners of any building upon which a fire escape is, or shall be, erected, shall keep the same in good repair at all times, and if said fire escapes shall be constructed of iron he shall keep the same well and sufficiently painted.

Whenever the inspector of buildings shall have determined that fire escapes or other special means of egress in case of fire shall be provided for any building not provided for in this ordinance, he shall cause a notice in writing to be served upon the owner, lessee or occupant of such building directing him or them to cause suitable fire escapes, or other special means of egress from such building, in case of fire, to be placed upon such building within thirty days from the service of such notice, which notice may be served

by leaving a copy thereof with such owner, or lessee, or occupant, or at his or their residence; or if the owner or owners shall be nonresidents of the city the notice may be served upon him, her or them, by mailing the same in a sealed envelope or letter, in the United States mail with the postage prepaid, and causing the envelope or letter in which said notice is to be enclosed to be registered at the post office where the same shall be mailed, and the receipt for said sealed envelope or letter when returned by the post office authorities or employees shall be prima facie evidence of the delivery thereof to said owner or owners.

B. The fire escapes shall consist of outside open iron balconies and 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. The balcony on the top floor, except in the case of a front fire escape, shall be provided with a goose neck ladder leading from said balcony to and above the roof.

C. Balconies. The balconies shall not be less than three feet in width. They shall be below and not more than one foot below the window sills and extend in front of and not less than nine inches beyond each window. There shall be a landing not less. than twenty-four inches square at the head and foot of each stairway. The stairway opening on each platform shall be of a size sufficient to provide clear headway.

D. 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 openings for stairways in fire escapes in all buildings shall not be less than twenty-one inches wide and thirty-six inches long, and such openings shall have no covers of any kind. The platforms of balconies shall be constructed and erected to safely sustain 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.

E. Railings. An outside top rail shall extend around the entire platform and in all cases 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. The top rail of balconies shall be one and three quarter inches by one-half inch of wrought-iron, or one and a 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 into the wall. The standards or filling in the bars shall not be less than one-half inch round of square wrought-iron, well riveted to the top and bottom rails and platform frame 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.

F. Stairways. The stairways of fire escapes 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 tread, which must safely sustain at said ratio a load of two hundred pounds. The treads shall be flat, open treads not less than six inches wide and with a rise of not more than nine inches. The stairs shall not be less than twenty inches wide. The strings shall not be less than three-inch channel of iron or steel, or other shape equally strong, and shall rest upon and be fastened to a bracket, which shall be fastened through the wall as hereinafter provided. The strings shall be securely fastened to the balcony 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. The inspector of buildings shall have the power to permit a double round iron ladder, in place of the above stairways where he may deem the same to be sufficient.

G. 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