Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-10-27
Firc.rroor RniIdinrs.

Inc washington correspondent oil the Clh-
cinnati Commercial has recently had CONVEX
sation with Mr.. Mullctt, supervising architect
of the treasury department, on the subject of
tire-proof buildings. In answer TO remark
made by the correspondent he said:
"Why, my fiend, you don't know what
you're talking about You now know that
| there was not a irc-proof building in Chicago.
| | could have told You that beforehand"
| "Why the Tribune office was regarded as fire.
| proof, and other marble and granite buildings
we're so regarded ] believe they only lacked
! iron shutters" | vcntured to reply.
"lron tiddlcsticks," he answered snappishly.
| 81 hone you don't think that granite or marble
building is ireproOf Don't YOU know that
granite, when subjected to a strong heat, crum-
bcs like dry plaster. 1t is the best building
stone in the world; it will resist time and
damp, and rain, and everything else, hut it
won't resist fire. Marble is notmuCh better, but
it is some; marble will not burn up as soon as
granite Sandstone is about the same with
some few exceptional varieties. Now, a good
many blessed idiots think that if vault is built
Of granite it is fire and burglar-prooi. Nothing
Of the sort. If wanted to make secure vault,
| shouldn't make it Of granite. A skilliul
burglar eau get into granite vault in no time
With a large bow-pipe and a small, sharp blaze
well handled burglar can crack a block of
granite TO pieces before you'd know II. When
subjected TO a severe heat it cracks and splits off
in fakes, and you can crush ii into sand with
your fingers. Oh, no, granite building is not
ire-pToof"
"Well, what sort of building is firc-proof?"
"a granite building" he answered, without
apparently noticing the question, "will stand
heat great while, so will marble great while.
But wooden cupola, or Steeple or tower, must
not be put on top of it, like that on the Chicago
court house a man must be fool 10 do
thing like that. I'd also like to know how n
sensible man could he such fool 1.-THE language
is Muletts) as TO think that the Chicago Tri-
bune office was iirc-prOOf when more than halt
the windows did not have iron shutters? It
don't take fire long TO crash through glass and
sash. People ought to understand these things
when building what they call fire proof build
ings; for fre-proof building that isn't fire.
proof is no better than one that isn't. Do you
understand Now can't always do as | want
to in the erection of public buildings. Some
times | have TO leave iron shutters eff, and
sometimes | have to put wood in places where
stone or iron ought to be, but it isn't because l
don't know better. Congress never thinks of
those things. They think that if a building is
made of granite or marble, that's all that is
necessary. Iron shutters and all such things
cost something | make my estimates for
public building, but they are always cut down,
so have TO cut down my plans Now in this
Chicago horror, you see the effect I'll bet YOU
that the proprietOrs Of the Tribune will have
iron blinds on their upper windows in their next
building"
"What difference will it make" asked. 'if
granite is not fire-proofP
Granite isn't fre-proof,' he continued, "but,
as said before, ii will stand a good deal. Ii is
probable that the court house would have stood
had il not been for the wooden cupola and the
open windows. The Tribune office would prob
ably have stood if it had had iron shutters out
side and inside on all the windows. Yet it is by
no means certain, if the fire ragged with the in
tcnsity that is described"
"What, then, is to be done, | asked eff gran
lite, and marble, and sandstone are not fire
proof? Is not the capitol, the treasury, the pa
tent Otfice,th post office department ire-proof?
"Why, bless your soul, no! Not one Of them
But they are probably safe, for all of that be-
cause they stand away from other buildings
all except the post Office. If we should have
such fire in Washington as that in Chicago, |
should fear for the post office building. Why,
my dear sir, he continued, in a more snappish
tone than ever, ''do You know there is but one
fre-proof government building in the country?
That's the appraisers stores in Philadelphia.
The material is brick. Brick is the only abso-
lutely fre-prOOf building material [ know o.
They say the Seneca stone is tire-proof and it
has stood some wonderful tests but none of the
government buildings have been built of it. or
course, granite and marble are good enough, if
buildings are apart from others. That's the
trouble. Government buildings ought to have
bic grounds around them. Then there would be
ilo A..ii=Nl" A1NA udNC great laltu III iron smut
ters."
"Do you know, MulIett, how much the gov
eminent will lose?'
''No, do not, but it won't lose very much.
was talking with Secretary Boutwell, about it
yesterday. There was good deal OF gold there,
but the secretary expects to get all that. whether
It melted or not. As for the greenbackS, they
may or may not be preserved in the safes. Of
course the government will lose nothing if a ton
of them are burned. So, also, with the postage
and revenue stamps. As for the cash lost bv
the government, it will amount to very little y
"How about the rebuilding of the govern
meut buildings in ChiclgO?'
"Oh, we can do nothing toward rebuilding
until congress makes the appropriations. We
are powerleSs. have 10 doubt that congress
Will be liberal toward the fallen city, but it will
probably be ia r into the winter before any ac-
ton will be taken. Until the new buildings are
up, the government will have to rent such apart
ments as it can procure. New safes have been
or VIII be sent on to the government officers, and
they will have to do pretty much as the people
generally there-rOugh it for a time. | ordered
several safes from Cincinnati yesterday-the
largest size and the best that could be got'