New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-11-23
ELREPROOF BUILDINGS.


with the restrictions likely to be imposed by
the authorities. there will probably be no
further repetitons of the dangerous architect
ural fashion which has given this city 100
Mansard roofs, of which all but 1S are frame.
Fortunately for us these are somewhat widely
scattered, though more than one-fourth are
on our principal street. In respect to hight
they are quite as Objectionable as those of
Boston, more than half the number being 10
feet from the ground, at least a score reaching
90 or 100 feet in air. and one eliminating at
1877 feet, where it is not likely ever to be
mOistened by anything but rain. Among these
dangerous buildings are many hotels, hospitals
&c, where now human life will scarcely be
considered secure. A considerable modification
of the style of the better class of edliices in
this city is probable.
IL is probable that the next ten years will
witness the construction of a larger number
of ao-caled fre-prOof buildings in our great
cities than all that have ever been erected on
the continent. 1t is the tendency of growing
wealth to take measures to make itself secure.
and even had there been no great disasters to
awaken a sense Of insecurity, the mere accu-
mutation of large stocks of goods at com
mercial centers would have brought about
style of building that had more reference than
before to our needs and our dangers. The
history of the growth of an American city is
a record of change from cOmbustible to
more or less incombustble buildings.
Pine shanties and Crane ranges" are
gradually replaced by brick and stone; after
a while building-laws prevent the erection OF
frame edifces within certain limits; perhaps
large fire sweeps off the wooden structures,
and gives space for better ones. To state the
whole matter in few words, in this country
civic Improvement is measured by advances
toward fire-prOOf construction. Tested by this
rule, we see at once the great superiority of
this city to her suburbs, the largest of which
still retains an immense number of frame
bindings, and even adds to their number
every year quite as much as to her brick or
stone structures. Should Brooklyn ever be-
come city of independent commerce, an en-
tire change would take place in her street
architecture.
Several Of our most recent and important
buildings are to a great extent fire-proOf. An
absolutely fire proof building would be exceed
ingly costly and difficult of construction, since
it is not enough to use only incombustible
material to accomplish this end and ware
house made entirely of iron, if stored with in
fammable materials, might go down in fire
more readily than brick building with wooden
beams, if no measures had been taken in con-
struction to protect iron pillars and girders
from the access of flame. Among other de-
vices used in the construction of an iron build
ing to be absolutely fIe-proof, is placing
more slender pillar inside of every
iron upright and filling the space be-
tween with nOn-conducting plaster. Such
buildings would be of double the usual cost,
and no argument is necessary to show that
they will not be numerous. 1t is generally
conceded that no quarried stone is equal to
brick as q fre-proOf material. Constructing
the floors of brick arches, if the walls are
thick, makes building that is conventionally
| called fire-prOof and proves so in most emer
gencies. Such a method of construction adds
about One-fOurth to the cost. We understand
that one of our heaviest dry-goods firms is
putting up warehouse of this character for
its own storage and that another has similar
project in contemplation.
The remark was made by a workman en-
| ployed upon one of the new insurance build
ings which adorn this city, that there was Mt
enough wood in it to make a toothpick. But
as it will be many years before such q remark
will apply to a majority of our new buildings,
il is desirable that methods should be adopted
10 make structures with the ordinary amount
of wood in them passably fre-proof; so, at
least, that fire of no unusual intensity would
not communicate from story to story. Inlay
ing the beams with plaster, and making
double floors the spaces between which are
filed with plaster, are among the oldest and
most successful devices which are employed.
A principal source of danger which may yet
remain in buildings otherwise comparatively
safe is in the hoistways, elevators, and light
wells which pierce the stories and
furnish chmneys for the flames Is
| it beyond American ingenuity to devise
tire proof automatically closing trap-dOOrs for