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Show NEW YORK CITY NOw"HAS I WOMEN FIRE INSPECTORS I Nkw lomv, Saturday. . mTmmm HERE'S Httlc that'll get past I her," aid Fireman Mulvcy, pointing with bin thumb U toward ilrs Sarah Ohrlsto- pher, the new fire inspector, whom he was accompanying on her round of new duties. "Vxq been In the department thirteen yqars, hut I've never seen any one smarter than she is. The admiration of Fireman Mulvcy found many echoes as Mrs. Christopher went her way, although with tho admiration admira-tion were mingled some apprehensions lest she might bo gojng to mako trouble for the manufacturers whose premises she was in-vnalng in-vnalng under warrant of her position. Every morning at nine o'clock Mrs. Christopher reports at Fire Headquarters, in Eaut Sixty-seventh street, and after receiving re-ceiving order.- from ChW Gtiorln starts jforth to look for points of danger In the congested parts of the city. Until she he-omes he-omes sufficiently familiir with the routine 'to be sure that she will not bo disturbed Jin the performance of hr duty she Is to lie .accompanied by Firenuin Mulvey'whose niillonii carries with it njtlhbiity. There ure n hundred thousand persons, most of 1 them -f.won.0n and children, employed ini the work of making cloaks, suits and bklrts alone, aud the.se foctories are the you," offers her compinlon gallantly, but sbo nhakes her head and goes up the ladder as lightly as any man in the service could. Her akirts aVe scant and light and she Is the alert, wiry sort of woman who uver seems to tire. Descending from the tank I she measure the skylights with her eye and agnin is found to be accurate. Then she looks over the edge of the roof at the fire escape. "They will have to have another an-other lank for this building," she murmurs ns she jols down her notes on the way to the Moor below. "Let me see if I can catch them," she -ays, trying a door into the hall. "Yes, sir, it Is locked, and that is against tho law no doors leading Into halls in places of this kind arc to be kept lockod. That must bo changed," nnd another an-other noto wout down on tho popijr in her hand. Au irate mauagcr opened lu response re-sponse to the boating nppn tho door, hut his wrath was softened as he saw the fireman standing there. "We want lo inspect in-spect your place," explainul Mrs. Christopher, Chris-topher, going into the office' and 'taking down the name of the owner of the business busi-ness and the number of employes in the placo. Most of these factories hiv from I fifty to one huuclred and fifty persons working work-ing on a floor. Men nnd w onion looked up from their LOOKING OvEIi TANK ON ROOF OF&UILDirSQ AT NUM5ER2 TWENTY. ' TWO WEST TWENTY- FII2ST STREET spot ml object of Mrs. Christophers present pres-ent inspection. No one run tell the particular loft building build-ing tbat the now woman fire inspector will choose to inxpecl at any time. Where she I" exported she docs not appear, nnd she takps a delight in arriving when and whore 8h' is Irast wanted. Suddenly darting Into a twelve story building, she descends to the cellar and s'immonH the engineer. "I am. Inspecting this building for the Fire Prevention Department," De-partment," sho nnnounccs. Tlioienginecr is often a foreigner aud n little slow to take In her speech. She does not wait for his consent, but takes out her blank and begins to jot down the results of her ob-' ervdtion.s. "Whnt kind of an engine Is this?" she Inquires. "Whi.t is the mako and the motor power? What U the size n jour pipe from tho street? Il'm, ouly an inch nnd a quarter. Any rubbish here?! How often is it cleared out?" There is a I thorough examination of the entire ".-ll.ir' end tho machinery It contnins and then, tho womau fire inspector goes to the floor, above. "Who is the owner of this building? build-ing? What Is his address?" Fhc asks the! superintendent. "Now let mo see the fire1 extinguishers. Four Inch linen hose, good condition. All right: how many are there?' Are all tho elevators lifeo this or arc some! 0 them shut in? "Now, I am going to the roof." She is, there before tho people she has been ques-j Honing get their breath. Sho looks nt the tank, comments on there being only one and estimates its sle. Fireman Mul-ey Mul-ey measures It and finds that her guess is correct. "1 will climb up there fori 'AMnUUVVlVVXMVVlVVlA cutting nnd sewing and muttered under their bienth in strange tongues ns the inspector in-spector walked about. The whirring of machines slackened ever so little. Mrs. Christopher paused lo give a word of up- .provnl for the metal tah.-es on which tho pressing was being done and the metal strips on the floor where the dauger was .greatest. "That is good," she commended. I "Yes." said the proprietor, "I get my insurance in-surance lowered for doing It that way." "Let me see your motors," commanded the fire Inspector. "In wooden boxes! Ton must put them In metal ones. llao hat done before I come around here again. Where Is the fire escape? Too many things in front of it you must hnve them cleired uway. How many nulls? How many fire extinguishers? Show me your cutting room. How often do you clear It out?" J "We sell the cuttings." "Yes, I know. How often'" I "Every two weeks." j "Well, you must have metal boxes to ,l:oop the cuttings in. These wooden ones! anrt baskets won t do; it Is too dnugerous." On nnothcr floor the proprietor was' willing and eager to show his fire drill. "I put It In myself, after the Trinngle fire," he explained. "I hnve it any time, and they never know whether it is a real fire or not." IIo blew a whistle. "You must havo bells," Mrs. Ohrlstophor told him. By that! time there wasa movement all over thoi floor, nnd the employes, leaving their work.i made their way to tho three exits two, stairwajs and a fire escape. There was somo confusion nt one place, because the girls did not understand English. "Speak , H AN INSPECTION IN THE CELLAR OF A MODETLN 51MLDIN6 & Yiddish' called out a foreman, and tb nt once obeyed instructions. Fireman Mulvcy held his wnteh In his- hand. 'The floor was cleared in eighteen seconds," he announced. On through tho building from Door to floor went Mrs. Christopher, filling in her blanks with written comments on conditions, condi-tions, which she would later embody in recommendations to the Fire Department. It takes a long time to get through a twelve story building and look at every detiil for violations of the law, but Mrs. Christopher is able to do two or three a day. "All the doors in this building open in instead of out." she said as she finished her inspection. "It would be mighty bad in case of a fire if they all got caught trying to get through a door of that kind 'into the hall. Here's another thing the I fire escape stops at the second floor nnd 1 there I an enclosed back yard below . ith no exit to the street from it. All thut will have to be changed." j The first woman to be appointed ri Grc j inspector hi Manhattan has n big job on I her hands, but she attacks it with joy, ,a',M with tact. "Moro flies arc caught with noluses than with vinVgar," she quotes The fir-t time that she inspects a factory I her manner is mild and polite, afld she 1 makes her requests in a persuasive tone. Sometimes a witless person thinks that she is "easj"' because she does not storm aud threaten, but she quickly disabuses his mind of that notion And if on her second ttip her recommendations have nut been heeded the ptnalty be on his own head, and it will not he a light one. Mrs. Christopher was born nnd brought up In the North of In-kind and has lived in mining camps in British Columbia. She has also had experiences during her residence in the .Bronx that give evidence of her fighting blood and slaying qualities. Altogether she Is admirably equippoM by temperament nnd experience for the work that she lias undertaken She is intonsofo J interested in it; sho is keen, intelligent, If'irk-ss and determined. Her litho body land her active mind seem tireless. She M talks straight in the kind of language lb M people she deals with understand. When IH she has done her two or three buildings. fl taking frpm nine o'clock to five or six in the evening, with a scant hour or le-s for luncheon, she goes home and woiki M all evening over her reports, which are M handed in the next morning. She has begun with the cloak, suit and skirt iudiistiy. because that is where a great danger to so many women and girls lies. When the lofts where this businos is carried on arc put in condition, with jH every precaution that can ho saggested IH jcarried out, iucluding frequent and thor- H ough fire drift's? Mr. 'Christopher will H .cover other fields wfth the same kind of 1 Mrs. Christopher wears no uniform, but H I when she goes alone she will wear an in- fl jspector's badge. Even without it, she H looks every Inch the inspector. H The appointment of Mrs. Christopher H Lo tho position of fire inspector in Manhat- iH tan was not the initial occasion on which IH a woman fire inspector had been appoint- H ed iu Greater New Y'ork. Brooklyn had H previously had experience with the femi- IH 'nine fire inspector, a w-fliui inspector for H I that borough having been appointed in IH l.lune three months previous to the ap- IH poititment of the Manhattan woman in- spector. The experience of Brooklyn M with the woman inspector was so favor- able that it made evident the value of n woman in the inspection of places when M MEASURING SKYLIGHTS H girls nnd women arc employed. There are not so many of such placo H in Brooklyn as there arc in MaiiDium... H and they are not in .such dangerous situ- B ations as are the Manhattan industries, ll for iu few cities have the lofts come to H lie regarded with such furor ns factories M for the manufacture of garments and H other wares as in Manhattan. Couimcr- B clnl tensous make it natural that thus HAa should be so, but the time has come when IBpJ with the help of the women tire inspector IBVI the great city will at lust he ablo to c-cjuip all It workers with proper instructions HBb by which they niQ govern their conduct IBJ iu case uf fire and with all possible pro- lection against the fearful enemy whkh HBV has resulted in sueh hideous tragedies IBVJ among women workers iu thevpast. BV |