The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-09-19

EXEMPTION OF EUROPEAN CITIES FROM FIRES.
&C. G. Tulton's Paris letter in Baltimore American
The great fires we are constantly having in
the United States gives to Europeans very
good idea of the construction of our great
cities. The cutlery against Mansard roofs as
the cause Of these great CONGREGATIONS Is
amusing to the people of Paris, where al
most every house is constructed with that
appendagc, and none but the public build
incS have iron supcrstructures TO them.
Fires in Paris are always confined TO the
buildings in which they originate, and if
they commence in the lower part OF the
building they seldom reach the ManSard
roof The fact is. these houses are moi
built 10 be burned, but TO stand until
time and the spirit of improvement calls for
their demolition. In the more modern build
ings iron is substituted for wood inside anu
outside, aud il takes 4 long time for tire TO
Get under way TO such an extent that II
cannot DC eXtingui>hed with buckets. Even
the lattice window-shutters are now made OF
| iron, and the: are so simple in their con-
structon that they are cheaper than the ordl-
nary wooden shutters. They are Of one
solid piece of sheet iron, and the lattice por.
| ton Of an entire window is made by ma
| chincry ut the rate of one per minute. by
| being run under 4 roller, which cuts and
| presses them into shape. In the whole city
Of Paris there is but one steam tlrc.cnSlne,
| and it is so seldom required that it is perlodl-
tslllv put in motion, t. be sure that it Is al
ways in order.
We have now been four weeks in Paris,
aud there has not been in that time even an
| alarm of fire, aud we see no notices in the
| papers of any CONGREGATIONS. When it Is
| borne in rind that the population is more
| than six times Is large as that of Baltimore.
some idea may be formed Of the general eX-
emption. The houses here are packed more
closely together than they are with US, and
extend some twenty or thirty feet on an av-
enge higher up in the air than ours do.
There is also from six to dozen or
more families III every house, winch Of
itself would seem TO render them more
liable 10 accidental combustion. The
stairs and banisterS are required TO be con-
structcd OF stone and iron. and the lower
floors are generally archcdand laid Ill cement.
The law is pCromptory is to the manner OF
construction but instead OF attempting TO
cyalle The law, builders contriYe i'll every
way to make their buildings more tho
roughly iire-proof. Board-yards and pack
in"-boX factories are never allowed to be IN
and hence when such tindcr-b boxes take tire
they burn out without damaging any one
bet themselves.
The trench of Paris, called ">apeurs POM
piers" consisting of a regiment OF 1000 men.
are organized on Il military footing, and
under the orders OF the War Department,
but in case O! fires they obey the orders OF
the Protect of Police. y portion are Oh duty
every evening Al the theatres. They are
| efficient as soldiers no less than as active fire
| men. and are carefully drilled aud trained in
| gymnastics. Medals are annually awarded
to such is have distinguished themselves by
| their cXertions and good conduct. The an
nual cost Of the force is 515,399 francs, or
about $4,000.
The buildings fired by the Commune in nc
case spread farther than the structures to
| which the flames were applied. They did
their best to destroy all the central portion
of Paris, and with any American city would
have succeeded. They had no combustible
buildings to work wth-no tinder-boXes in
the heart of blocks-and the flames were eX
tin"uishcd as rapidly as they were ignlteo
| by the residents Of the neighborhoodS.