落入死亡陷阱
上周的一天，这座城市的两栋建筑，居住着大量的人，在早上7点倒塌，倒在地上，成了一堆垃圾。这场灾难来得突然，出乎意料，建筑物的拆毁就像地震突然把地基掀翻一样彻底。一些人被埋在废墟中，其中9人死亡，其他人严重受伤。消防局立刻被召到现场，人们整天忙着从废墟中抬出伤亡者。这场灾难表明了对建筑物进行频繁而彻底的检查的绝对必要性。倒塌的两幢建筑都非常古老，但都被“现代化”了，因为它们拆除了一楼的一部分砖墙，代之以正面的一层，又在颓圮的墙上加了一层。这些改变是在旧有的屋宇署时期作出的，当时公开贿赂官员不受法律限制和官方监督。由于今天的建筑法规是由消防部门执行的，这种对老旧建筑的改建将被禁止。事实上，这座建筑已经进行了检查，并即将发出命令，要求业主确保它的安全，但由于需要大量工作的检查人员人数不多，数量不足，规格还没有准备好交付。虽然这幢建筑被认为处于危险状态，但人们不认为危险已经迫在眉睫，需要命令租户搬走。
纽约有数百座老建筑，它们的状况几乎，如果不像那些倒塌造成致命后果的建筑那样危险的话。它们基本上是最初建造的，但经过多次的增加和修改，它们的坚固性受到了损害，它们不再适合居住。这对于城市下部的许多建筑来说尤其如此，这些建筑最初是为住宅而建的，但现在已经被改变为商业用途。在许多建筑中，坚固的砖面被切掉，取而代之的是平板玻璃面，用铁柱支撑上面的厚墙。在仅供家庭使用的地板上，储存了大量重量巨大的货物，奇怪的是，它们不会砸到居住者的头上。这种类型的建筑可以数到数百座;每幢楼宇均须由屋宇署检查，并作出适当的更改，以确保其安全。但是如何做到这一点呢?目前只雇用了16名视察员，这是拨款所允许的全部情况，要监视新建筑物的建造，他们是无能为力的。要做到这一点，就会给每个检查员带来监督50座正在建造中的建筑物的任务，而且由于目前建筑商有逃避法律的倾向，每座建筑物每天至少应被视察一次。 llow utterly impossible is it for the present force of the Building Depaitment to do the work that should be done is apparent. The old Building Department cost nearly $too,ooo a year, while the appropriation for the present. Department have been cut down to about $30,000. Never before in the history of the city have so many buildings of all kinds been under construction at one time as now. Instead of crippling the Building Department by cutting down its appropriation, more money should be given it, and its working force more than doubled. Ten inspectors at least should be employed constantly in the work of inspecting buildings already completed, and seeing that they are amply provided with supports to sustain the greater weight with which they are loaded, and that suitable precautions are taken to secure their safety. Owners of property will not take such measures unless they are compelled to, and it is only by the personal inspection of their property that their defects can be made known.
这些危险建筑物对消防队员来说充满了危险。假如上星期倒下来的那几幢房子里发生了火灾，在灾难发生之前，消防队员们照例冲了进去，扑了上去，那该怎么办呢?墙壁会随着火焰的热度而倒塌，生命的损失会大大增加，不止一名消防员成为了受害者。他们随时都有可能被召唤到这些老旧的、人满为患的建筑物里去，谁也无法预知他们什么时候会为自己的大胆行为付出生命的代价。那些倒塌的建筑物，表面上的观察者看不出它们处于危险之中，甚至熟悉它们的消防队员也没有察觉到危险。这一事实表明，一个建筑施工专家应该对这种建筑进行彻底的检查是多么的必要。
除了潜伏在旧的和超载的建筑中的危险之外，在一些正在建造的新建筑中也存在同样多的危险。现在百老汇大街上正在建造一座巨大的建筑物，用于商业用途，发生火灾时消防队员不得进入。建筑的外部全是铁质的，而地板则由铁柱支撑的铁梁支撑。只需要很小的热量，就可以扭曲和扭曲这个铁制品，直到整个结构倒塌。如果发生火灾，在这样的建筑物里对一个人来说是不安全的。然而，这种结构符合建筑法规的要求，没有任何权力可以强迫业主加强它或移除其建筑的危险特征。这座城市里有许多漂亮的建筑，它们的花岗岩或铁门面使它们看起来非常坚固，但它们的建筑缺陷在于，一旦发生火灾，贝茨局长就不允许消防队员进入它们。酋长是个老实干的建筑工人，每当他看到一座建筑物拔地而起时，他就在心里记下它的缺陷，并把这些知识应用到必要时指导消防队员。在任何一个大城市，阻止业主建造危险建筑都是一件非常困难的事情。他们的目标是用尽可能少的成本建造一座漂亮的建筑，而不是一直以一种实质性的方式建造，他们不会花一美元来防范可能发生的火灾。 So long as they can insure cheap and flimsy construction for its full cost, there is no incentive to them to spend money to make their buildings fire proof. In these later days, many of our buildings are put up solely on speculation, a builder will get possession of a piece of ground and upon it erect a number of dwellings or. a business block with the intention of selling the whole at a profit, and as speedily as possible. The buildings are made for show and not for solidity ; the builder has “ skinned ” everything down to the lowest possible cost, and wherever it was possible to slight the work there it has been done. It is this class of buildings that give more work to the Building Department than all others combined. As an illustration of how reckless and how unscrupulous some builders are, one of these, Michael McDermott, last week sent a letter to Inspector Winterbottom, containing $50, and informing him that he desired to put an extra story on the house he was building, and begged the Inspector not to complain to the Department about it. The letter and the money has been placed in the hands of the counsel to the Fire Department with instructions to prosecute McDermott if possible. Under the old administration, bribery of inspectors was a common thing, and readily accounts for the great number of unsafe buildings to be found on every hand. There is little prospect of getting effective building laws until property-owners are unanimous in demanding them. Until they are secured, the public, not the Building Department, must be held responsible for insecure and defective construction.
