The New York herald., 1872-11-21
HOW TO PREVENT GREAT FIRES.
Suggestions and Opinions Of
the Scientists.


Salt and Fresh Water a. Extinguishers-
Nitrogen and Carbofio Acid Can Be Used to
Overcome Flames Letters from the People.
The following letters on the subject of protection
against fires contain suggestions worthy Of careful
consideration.
Gas as . Feeder OF tho Flame.
NEW HAVEN, Nov. 10, 1872.
| To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
The world is bound to live or die on Its own ex-
! perience and but for calamities would make but
little progress. l read an article in your valuable
| journal Of Tuesday devoted TO "Mansard Roofs, !"
| c0ndemning them out and out and implying that
the Boston disaster was owing mainly to the In
ventlon OF this kind OF roof beg space In your
journal to correct in part at least the Impressions
| conveyed by its errors and set forth the Boston
disaster in its true light for the world is entitled
to the facts and to the bene6t Of the sad ex-
perience.
The following cut from the Elm CITY Press Of
| THE FIRE IN BOSTON.
Several things have been made certain by the fire In
TSra-Tne horse epidemic shows conclusysly that
% S Ct M
the engine which was sent to boston was drawn from
men.
sufficient natural head to throw their own water are no
Hsrdhat narrow streets such as Boston and to some
r other @ S s very se aae
thrown street into ihe windows
ana h1 thus SSa ss q % the
%
ss 1
SSiISnss s, SSS;Ss
NO
sSns sH @ 81
make s e az the Ga.
ns Sders
The above article has been endorsed by many
| who went from New Haven to Boston on a special
train with steamer to assist in extingulshing the
fire. The fire in Chicago to a certain extent was q
gas fire. The fire in Boston was in fact gas fire.
| after the first beginning-which beginning, from
the very nature OF the case, must have been incen
diary
Once commenced the fire proceeded subject to no
an up
OF stately massive granite edi1ces were crumbling
one after another as though superhuman power
was placing the torch In every building and in
every story. 1t Is certain that emitting to put
gas stOpcOcks in sidewalks has proved to New
n,
have no stopcocks IN the sidewalks do not get
shut or in cellars and Easements at nres therefore
every building burned in Boston having its flames
OF gas from supply pipes pouring into the fire was
sure to burn, explode, SO heat the next building
that its pipes would explode from heat and set it
flames across the street into the windows OF oppo-
site buildings. This is the way the fire in Boston
progressed, and having been stopped for a few
minutes revived itself again by heat, causing new
explosions Of gas and came very near devouring
the city.
at least First, gas stOpcOcks in the sidewalks
have been discontinued, and the only shut-ois are
in cellars, and either out Of reach or unknown
to nremen and occupants. We see cities employing
scores OF steam fire engines and salaried men to
master fires, and the expenses are enormous.
They employ fire commissioners and fire marshals !;
but what do these things amount to when the city
government and their array Of officials live on,
| from day to day. in the face OF astounding facts
without once looking OF casting about for reasons
| whyp
the city the fact is so-and the best men are not
| wanted in local Offices Slop-shops and corner
! politicians run our cities and their friends make
every office they can and they are annually multi
piled out Of disasters such as has Overtaken Boston,
Mansard roofs. come in for q black eye, and more
1remcn with salaries and an array OF inspectors OF
private houses and public buildings.
Of = cv m ~
ness men above corruption and Incapable OF fraud9
Indeed fortunes are made by some who cast them
selves about and discover how property can be
saved when mans folly or crime has applied the
TORCH The fact Is men in Offlce do not understand
the business they supervise any more than do a
majority Of the managers OF fire insurance COM
panies the business OF fire insurance. Even the
! travelling adlusters and general agents do not
understand their business for 1t is fact that just
to the extent the official machinery or cities and OF
| fire insurance companies is extended nominaly
for safety, the greater have been the fires and
How many public buildings, tenant buildings,
| buildings Tor congregating and the storing OF
goods, wholesale and RETAIL buildings for Offices,
factories, &c, &C., have gas stopcocks in the side
walks, or in order, II there, to apply the wrench
| IL fires take place? We venture the statement
that, in Boston. New Haven and New York, not one
| in twenty-five. If this is so then we have intro
o"ra WSc in age s2 Of
pouring out fuel ior the names.
This is one reason why the disaster in Boston Oc-
CURED; TO deny it Is arrant nonsense, for explo-
sion followed explosion there, and the Jets OF blaze
from gas pipes could be seen over the whole burned
reason Of the universal discharge Of pipes
in burning buildings. How many stop.
's in sfeets How often can the 'I aas be cut OF
entirely rom burning district. What Chief
FIRE Marshal Knows Where gas cut os are in the
city he pretends to server How many Of this
Of men Are are 81 Key TO hr smut Oh gas
their implements, one or more such Keys fer use II
necessary How many "building inspectors'' any.
safety-is properly inserted in buildings Do they
| ever see that stopcOck is inserted outside Of the
DuildngY But IL Is SAID the gaspipes are OF iron.
| Very well; 1t may be so; but all gasppes have
| meters and these meters are connected by lead
| pipes, which melt down the instant heat reaches
| them, and the whole volume OF gas from the main
pipes is poured into the building and saturates its
| entire atmosphere, Mansard roof or no Mansard
| root.
We undertake to say that no one of these public
servants, OF fire insurance agents. or adusters or
| general agents or officers looks alter any one OF
| these things; and we add that New York Will be
burned in part unless these things attended to-
| Fire hydrants which are supplied by water with
no head, steamers with horses sick in the stables
officials who will not to the control OF gas out
| side OF buildings, and insurance companies who
only know enough to pay losses or percentages
! thereon and raise the rates, ought by this time to
be set aside for better appliances as connected
| with public safety.
Heretofore in my offlcial reports as Insurance
| Commissioner have commented on most OF these
| things and, now that we losing whole sections
| OF cities, 1t is time to use stronger language