1911.] TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATIONS BY THE BOARD OF CONTROL. [House Bill No. 879.] CHAPTER 238. An Act concerning the Transfer of Appropriations by the Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: 1523 SECTION 1. The board of control shall, whenever, in its Board of control judgment, the necessities of any department of the state gov- may transfer ernment require, have power to transfer from any specific ap- propriations. propriation of such department to any other specific appropriation of the same department, whenever the latter appropriation shall have proved insufficient to meet the expense incurred under existing statutes authorizing such expense, and such transfer of appropriations shall be as valid as though it had been made by the general assembly. SEC. 2. This act shall take effect from its passage. [Substitute for House Bill No. 523.] CHAPTER 239. An Act amending an Act concerning Fire Escapes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: story above the more than one SECTION 1. Section 2628 of the general statutes is hereby Buildings with amended by inserting the word "hotel" in the third line after first story to be the word "assemblies", by striking out, in the fourth line, the provided with word "five" and inserting in lieu thereof the word "two", and way of egress. by inserting between the fourth and fifth lines thereof the words "or as a workshop, manufactory, or store in which more than ten persons are employed above the first story", and by inserting, after the word "escapes", in the sixth line thereof the words "shall be so constructed, in such number, of such size, and in such locations as to give, in the opinion of the officer charged with the enforcement of this act, safe, adequate, Buildings to be provided with fire escapes. and convenient means of exit, in view of the number of persons who may need to use such stairway or fire escape", so that said section as amended shall read as follows: Every story above the first story of a building used as a schoolhouse, orphan asylum, insane asylum, reformatory, opera house, hall for public assemblies, hotel, boarding house accommodating more than twelve persons, or a tenement house occupied by more than two families or as a workshop, manufactory, or store in which more than ten persons are employed above the first story, shall be provided with more than one way of egress, by stairways on the inside or fire escapes on the outside of such buildings. Said stairways and fire escapes shall be so constructed, in such number, of such size, and in such locations as to give, in the opinion of the officer charged with the enforcement of this act, safe, adequate, and convenient means of exit, in view of the number of persons who may need to use such stairway or fire escape, shall, at all times be kept free from obstruction and shall be accessible from each room in every story above the first story. SEC. 2. Section 2629 of the general statutes is hereby amended by striking out in the fourth line the word "twenty" and inserting in lieu thereof the word "six", by striking out in said line the word "first" and inserting in lieu thereof the word "third", by striking out in the fifth line the word "two" and inserting in lieu thereof the word "three", by striking out in the seventh and eighth lines the words "unless in the opinion of the authority inspecting the same such building is sufficiently supplied with safe and proper means of egress", and by adding at the end thereof the words "and if such building be a tenement house the fire escapes shall be directly accessible from each apartment, without passing through any public hall", so that said section as amended shall read as follows: If any building specified in section 2628, or any workshop, manufactory, hotel, boarding house, tenement house, or other building used, in whole or in part, for any of the purposes therein specified, or in which more than six persons shall be employed above the third story, shall be more than three stories in height, it shall be provided with at least one fire escape, of iron or other incombustible material, on the outside of said building; and if such building shall be more than one hundred and fifty feet in length it shall be provided with one such fire escape for every one hundred and fifty feet, or fractional part thereof exceeding fifty feet, and such fire escape shall be conveniently accessible from each story of said building; and if such building be a tenement house the fire escapes shall be directly acessible from each apartment, without passing through any public hall. tor to have power sions concerning manufactories. SEC. 3. Chapter 10 of the public acts of 1909 is hereby Factory inspecamended to read as follows: The factory inspector shall to enforce provihave power to enforce the provisions of sections 2628 and 2629 workshops and of the general statutes as amended by this act so far as concerns workshops and manufactories and may order fire escapes erected thereon whenever deemed by him to be necessary; and any owner, agent, or lessee neglecting or refusing to comply with such order shall be subject to the penalties prescribed in section 2633 of the general statutes. ings liable for in where provisions with. SEC. 4. In all cases in which any person shall suffer in- Owners of buildjury or in which the death of any person shall ensue in juries received consequence of the failure of the owner of any building to not complied provide the same with fire escapes or stairways, as required by the provisions of this act, or in consequence of the failure of such owner to comply with any order of the factory inspector, made in conformity to the provisions of this act, such owner shall be liable to any person so injured for damages for such injury; and in case of death such owner shall be liable in damages for the injury caused by the death of such person. It shall be no defense to any action for the recovery of such damages that the person injured, or whose death ensued as aforesaid, had knowledge that such building was not provided with fire escapes or stairways as required by the provisions of this act, or that such person continued to work in or to occupy such building with such knowledge. SEC. 5. The owner of any building, or in case such owner Penalty. be non compos mentis or a minor, the guardian of such owner, or in case such owner be non-resident, the agent of such owner having charge of such property, who shall neglect or fail to comply with the foregoing provisions of this act shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars. In case there shall be several owners of any building the use of which shall be continued in violation of the provisions of this act, all of such owners jointly, or any one of them, shall be liable to such fine. Approved, September 7, 1911. Close season for river. [House Bill No. 545.] CHAPTER 240. An Act concerning the Taking of Crabs from Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Every person who shall take any crab from Branford river crabs in Branford in the town of Branford, between the first day of December and the fifteenth day of August in each year, shall be fined not more than seven dollars. Approved, September 7, 1911. Application of act. house". "court", [Substitute for Senate Bill No. 282.] CHAPTER 241. An Act amending an Act concerning Tenement Houses. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in SECTION 1. Chapter 178 of the public acts of 1905 is hereby amended to read as follows: This act may be cited as the tenement house act, and its provisions shall apply to all cities and boroughs, except its provisions concerning water-closets, which provisions shall apply to all cities and boroughs which have a water supply and a sewer system. Words "tenement SEC. 2. Certain words used in this act are defined, for "yard", "public the purposes of this act, as follows: (1) A tenement house is ment", "cellar", any house or building, or portion thereof, which is rented, hall", "base and "shall" as used in act, defined. leased, let, or hired out, to be occupied, or is arranged or designed to be occupied, or is occupied as the home or residence of three families or more, living independently of each other, and doing their cooking upon the premises, and having a common right in the halls, stairways, or yards. (2) A yard is an open unoccupied space on the same lot with a tenement house, between the extreme rear line of the house and the rear line of the lot. (3) A court is an open unoccupied space. other than a yard, on the same lot with a tenement house; a court not extending to the street or yard is an inner court; a court extending to the street or yard is an outer court; if it extends to the street it is a street court; if it extends to the yard it is a yard court. (4) A public hall is a hall, corridor, or passageway not within an apartment. (5) A basement is a story partly, but not more than one-half, below the level of the grade. (6) A cellar is a story more than one-half below the level of the grade. (7) The word "shall” is mandatory and not directory, and denotes that the house shall be maintained in all respects according to the mandate, as long as it continues to be a tenement house. (8) In de- When basement termining the number of stories in a tenement house, a base-in number of ment or an attic shall be counted as a story if it is occupied or designed to be occupied for living purposes. or attic included stories. SEC. 3. No tenement house hereafter erected shall occupy Area to be occupied by tenement more than ninety per centum of a corner lot, or more than house. seventy-five per centum of any other lot less than sixty feet in depth, or more than seventy per centum of any other lot sixty feet or more in depth; provided, that the space occupied by fire escapes shall not be deemed a part of the lot occupied. For the purposes of this section the measurements shall be taken at the ground level, except that where such a building has no basement, and the cellar ceiling is not more than three feet above the grade level, the measurements as to the percentage of the lot occupied may be taken at the level of the second tier of beams. The provisions of this section shall not apply to a tenement house hereafter erected running through from one street to another street; provided, that the lot on which such house is situated does not exceed one hundred feet in depth. When a corner lot is more than forty feet in width, that part of such lot which is in excess of said forty feet shall conform to the requirements of this section regarding a lot which is not a corner lot. to be provided. SEC. 4. Behind every tenement house hereafter erected, Rear yard room unless the house extends through from one street to another street, there shall be a yard extending across the entire width of the lot and, at every point open, from the ground to the sky unobstructed; but fire escapes or unenclosed outside stairs may project not over six feet from the rear line of the house. The depth of said yard, measured from the extreme rear wall of the house to the rear line of the lot, shall be as set forth in sections five and six of this act. SEC. 5. Except upon a corner lot, the depth of the yard Width and depth of rear yard, exbehind every tenement house hereafter erected, two stories cept where tenein height, shall be not less than eleven feet in every part; ment house is |