, 1872-11-11
CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS IN LARGE
CITIES.

CITIES.
The lesson of the Chicago fire has been re-
pcated with awful severity. A year ago the
country was appalled, by the destruction Of this
city, and it was considered one Of those great
calamities the like Of which would not occur
again in q lifetime or century. The architects
and philosophers Of the world have written
reams in their endeayors to explain that the i'm
mensty OF the fire was due to the peculiarly
combustble materials, and tho lack of proper
precautions in building this city. In vain has it
been shown that buildings composed Of mainly
iron and stone, went down as rapidly as others;
that iron and stone, lying in the street, and not
yet put into the building, we're destroyed; that
even the stone curbs and walls upholdlns tho
sidewalks we're withered away into dust.
When Chicago was attacked VIC had an
inefficient Fire Department, an insult
6ciency Of apparatus and hose, 3 limited
supply of water, which was soon cut of; in Bos-
ton they suffered nothing from these causes.
In these respects that city was we'll supplied.
They had all the means and appliances upon
which communities depend for the arrest of fires
in cities, and yet the fire there seems tohaye been
IS swift and irresistible as in Chicago, and as
far beyond human control. Our fire burned in
straight line constantly widening from the place
Of beginning until it reached the lake, leaving
nothing unconsumed. It extended laterally, and,
after having crossed the river to the north,
burned backward, almost in the teeth Of the
wind, to Harrison street. So with the Boston
fire. 1t will probably be found that the northern
limit to its progress: not set by the efforts of
man. but by 5onlo natural cauae not yot e1-
planned.
In Boston the ire did no. begin in collection
Of cowsheds. nor was it fed by blocks Of wooden
cottages, planning mills, stables it began in q
brick warehouse, surrounded by other brick
buildings from this it rapidly communicated
across tho narrow streets to other brick and stone
structures, and finally attained breastway that
human power could not span OF resist. It demon
strates the fact that fire once started, and at
tanning breadth Of q quarter Of mile, and
driven by even a moderate wind, can
not be arrested III any city OF the conn-
try; and that, until there is radical
and thorough reform in the construction Of
buildings, and in the uee Of materials, no city
n this country can claim to DO exempt from the
possibilities of just such conhagration as has
destroyed Boston. Who doubts that q fire, start
ing at the foot of Broadway, in New York city,
once fairly under way, and having attained 8
breadth of quarter Of mile, and a degree OF
heat which prevents hand-to-hand conflict with
it, would, if supported by strong wind from
the south, sweep New York from river to river,
IN to Central Park? Is there anything in tho
construction of the buildings in New York, or
the materials Of which they are built, to give any
reasonable hope that they could present a bar
ricr to such FIRE? Is there any other city that
can claim to be SO built as to defy the progress
of q fire once beyond the ordinary capacity OF a
fire brigade?
There must bo reform il architecture. Tt
is useless to build wooden interiors tho outside
OF shell may be Of adamant butit will be ofno avail
eolong rs the fire can find Interiors of wood. 1tls
folly to erect stone and iron buildings and then
place on tho top Of them lumber yard. expect
ing that such e building will successfully resist
the intense heat from without Or, in case OF
fire within, from breaking through and spread
ing to other buildings. We must have such I'M
provements in the construction Of buildings
that fire can, With ordinary care, be Kept With
in the wallis of the building where it originates
This is only possible by excluding from such
building, or reducing to MINIMUM AL
material that is itself capable OF being
consumed by fire, and thereby causing tho DC
struction of its exterior walls. We have IN th1s
CITY, as there arein all otherlarge cites buildings
so high and SO deep as to prevent any successlul
application Of water from without to e1t1ngnlsn
q fire. The most that can be done IN such case