The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-12-03 00:00:00

NOTICES.

Report of TVilliam Fairbairn. Esq., C rn the con-
strue'inn of Fireproof Buildings. With Introduc ory
Remarks, by Samuel Ifolme. Liverpool: printed by

Thomas Baines.
Our townsman Mr. Samuel Holate, who last year de-
livered a talented discourse on " the public improvements
of Liverpool," at the Polytechnic Society, (afterwards
published,) in which he evinced much classical taste an
architect, has just put forth a most interesting and, at the
• present time, when fireproof buildings are in rapiA pro-
gress as essential to the commercial prosperity of ,le
town, a most important pamphlet under the title quoted,
which we have no hesitation in strongly recommending
to all persons interested in the security of our mercantile
buildings, and especially to those who cor template the
construction of fireproof warehouses. The • frightful
number and extent of the fires that have occurred for
forty years past, and within the last five years especially.
in our town,—involving an immense loss of properly, a'
well as a great loss of life, and the consequent increase of
insurances,—at length roused a, portion of the moneyed
community to a sense of the necessity of erecting build-
ings that would withstand the ordinary risks. In the
expressive language of Mr. Hohne, `• whole neighbour-
hoods have been swept away, principally be the r,pidity
with which cotton has been consumed; sad it has beer.
no uncommon circumstance to see at once a number of
warehouses, offices, stables, and dwellings, reduced in a
few hours to one smouldering mass of ruin and devasta-
tion. Since the year 1795 it is conjectured that ab.ive
sixty lives have been lost during our conflagratim,s, be-
sides numbers who hare been mutilated or injured; and,
independently of the losses which have had to be borne
by the insurance offices, and by those who have, unfortu-
nately, h-en uninsured, or only parrial'y covered,"
(amounting in all to upwards of £2,000,000 sterling.)
" the ; our who real& in the vicinity of our warehouses
hate suffered to an extent of which few have any concep-
tion, by the breakage and removal of their furniture, and
by being burnt out of their dwellings at all hours and
seasons." Further on in his " lntr .ductory Remarks,"
our author, with equal point, after noticing th, long apa-
thy towards improvement, which had previously found its
way in the manufacturing districts, says—" The Formby
street fire having, however, burnt us into conviction that
some improvement was necessary in our warehouses, and
the only building that was saved in that conflagration
being the fireproof warehouses belonging to the Royal
Bank, which escaped with very trival injury, though filled
with cotton at the time, several gentlemen determined on
erecting fireproof buildings, amongst whom were Mr
Anthony L. Molyneux. Mr. Harold Littledale, and Mr.
Hieginson. These have been followed by Mr. P. W•
Braricker, in Dublin-street, Mr. James Rrarcker, in
Mathew-street, and several other parties. The buildings
erecting by the Messrs. Brander are of a most extr nsive
character, and when completed will he of the most secure
description. The splendid pile in Dublin-street, which
covers nearly an acre of ground, will probably be the
most complete set of private warehouses that his ever
been elected. But some fears having been expressed, that
the principle of substituting iron beams and arched floors
for the old method of construction was likely to result in
danger, and that goods would not be more secure from
fire in one mode of building than another, it was deemed
advisable to request the opinion of some eminent man or.
this most important subject who had no local connection
w,th Liverpool, not only to allay the fears of those who
were investing, large sums in the erection of the buildings,
but as a justification to those who had advised thrs mode
of construction."

Mr. Fairbairn, a gentleman of great experience and
high attainments as an engineer, was selected to visit
several of the new warehouses that had been built, and
also to inspe •t the plans and details of those in course of
erection for Mr. P. W. Biancker, which cover near!y au
acre of ground. He did inspect them, and here we have
his valuable report, also the joint r port of him-e'f and
Mr. Henhouse on the causes that led to the destruction
of Messrs. Radeliffe's mill at Oldham, showing that that
fatality did not arise from any want of security in fire.
proof warehouses, of iron and brick, but from unskilful
construction and want of sufficient strength and prop' r
api livation in the iron tension rods and beams. Mr.
Fanbairies report on fireproof warehouses generally is
exceedingly interesting thtoughout, and the facts he de-
duces will not be que,tioned by any mechanical or scien-
tific man of experience, who has studied the subject. He
states that, in order to give perfect security to fireproof
wan-houses, they must be constructed upon the following
principles :
" .—The whole of the building to be coulposed of
non-combustible materials, such as iron, stone, or bricks.
" 2 order to prevent fire, whether arising from
accident or spontaneous combusti 'n, every opening or
crevic, communicating with the external atmosphere to
be closed.

" 3.—An isolated stone or iron staircase (well protected
on evt-ry side by brick or stone walls) to be attached to
every story, and the staircase to be furnished with a lire
of watt r-pipes communicating with the mains in the
s. reel, and ascending to the top of the building.
" 4.—ln a range of stares, the different warehouses to
be divided by strong par ition walls, in no case less than
18 inches thick, and no more openings to be made than
are absolutely necessary for the admission of goods and
light.
" s.—That the iron columns, beams, and brick arches,
be of strength sufficient, not only to support a continuous
d, ad pressure, but to resist the force of impact to which
they are subject by the falling of heavy goods upon the
floors.

" Lastly, that in order to prevent accident from intense
heat melting the columns, in the event of fire, in any of
the rooms, a current of cold air be introduced into the
hollow of the columns from an arched tunnel under the
floors."

Adopting these heads, he proceeds to consider each
separately. and supplies a mass of valuable information
as to the requisite strength of iron, the rise of the arches,
&c., to sustain the required weight, or resist the acciden-
tal falling of heavy packages, and points nut the kind of
iron doors, frames, shutters, &e., most suitable, ,trongly
recommending tho-e constructed by Messrs. Samuel and
James Hr ltrie. After alluding to some objections to firs--
proof vvardi ouses of iron, &c., be concludes by stating—
" In my own mind, there is not the shadow of a doubt as
to the security of such a structure ; and I do not hes tate,
to assert, that a well-built and properly-arranged fire-
proof warehouse can riot only be constructed. but may he
made to entail upon the commercial and manufacturing
communities of this country an important and lasting
bent-fit.

Reverting to Mr. Holme's introduclon to the report,
we may state that it comprises a valuable succinct view
of the calamities by fire that have for many years a'isen
in the town from the manner in which warehouses have
been built, and, in some parts, huddled together; as well
al from the deficiency of water,—both of which evils will,
he anticipates, be smedily removed—the first by improved
buildings, and the latbr by the introduction of an abun-
c,cant supply of water, in virtue of the recent act.
In the Appendix, Mr. Holme has supplied, from offi-
cial sources, a "List of Fires in Liverpool, and Evtimute
of Loves which have taken place in Liverpool since the
burning of the Town hall, in 1795." This is a truly in-
terest'ng document, and much trouble and research mutt
have been expended in procuring it. We select from it
the principal fires only, in whi h the loss in each respec-
tively amoun ed to £15,000 and upwards, not having
room for the whole list :

. 1795
Jan. 18 Town-ball
1796
Sept. 22 Middleton's warehouse, Cheapside .. 15,000

1799
May 23 Okill & Co.'s sugar-howe, Preeson's-

row

35,000

1802
Srpt ,
_l5 Goree warehouses, buildings, goods, &c. 399,500

1818
Jan.
_3l Parr's warehouse, Suff.lk-street ..

1821
Jan. 31 Caxton printing-office, Bolton-street.. 36,000

1823
Oct. 22 Booth's warehouses, Wapping..

1826
Nov. 23 Three shipbuilders' pirds, Sefton-st.. 30,000

Tennis-court, Gradwell-street, full of
cotton .......
Wright and Acpinall's, Orford-street

and Campbell-street

1828
Dec. 25 Holmes's, Old Haymarket

1830
Mar. 21 Downward and Ryland's sugar-house,
liarrington-street ....... 30.000

' 1831
Dec. 22 Heywood's warehouses, Fenwick-street
—merchandize only ..

1833*
Jan. 14 Lancelot's-hey Fire—
Fuorteen warehouses . X 28,000
Five dwell•ng-houses
Merchandise..
--198,000
May 24 Dover and Co.'s, Gibraltar-row 40,000
1834
Oct. 10 Birkett's, Lancelot's-hey
Dec. 2 Bird's Castle Mills, Meadows-street.. 15,000

1838
Oct. 5 Warehouses and merchandise, Robert-
street

1841 ----
Sept. 12 Rev. J. Tobin's, Galton•street
23 Great fire, Formby-street.. ' 379 339
Dec. 22 natt and Crane's, Parliament•street 38,663

1843
Match 6 Fawcett & Preston's, York-street, and
warehouses in Lydia Anne-street 41,446
19 Wright's warehouies, Jackson-lane 43,587
June 14 Croft's soapery, Comus-street 20,000
Dec. 28 Brancker's, Mathew.street 34,000