Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-10-25
S-iFETP OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS.
Risks OF Fire Tn Public Buildings
Report Of the Commission to Investigate the Matter

! The commission, consisting of Co. Casey
/ Architect Hill, OF the Treasury apartment.
| ard Architect Clarke, Of ;he Capitol, charged
| 10y the President and Cabinet with the laves-
! legation OF the various public buildings aud
| Offices rented by the United = a'es govern
mint 10 ascertain a. 70 the cusfo ty a "a safe
| " OF the government records, Il -. sc sob
| United their report 10 the President yeSter-
| DAY, Ia whlcn ihey Recommend as follows.
Ite tdFfot-i hat tn ceilinSs aud those pr ms
81 te foyI which are no fire pro ELMO, II aud
rebuilt % non con busibe ma;eTi,s; ths' irnn gal
err - substituted To- he 40 ,d-H r"w IA thn
IA all lib rooms al lag the s-aaye aud 4 lus,
g. 81, III; IA the openluss Dc Eeeh vs'isu.
| ~, ICONS lie sui Piled with ire pro,t d. -. shi
! that be wooden cas- containing the has dseu
nt hts De removed snd iron sGes sGbstitH tasrs-
&C., -He1eni Pyistias Oh 1T i imprs tcso'e
two ado i"I Al standing w4'cr mains upgi-I s.Sa
t.se aztec ueht-, gu eaca soy; a-o f,c IN, sAf,y
CD st. ucl.d AZ otner end OF tne tuiidlrg rla-si
! sutln oi Wal bnShets should he placed IL after
s si aaf'' 81 The building and all lept e-"s'o'y
Treasury u par'5ssHt-Tha can,hu-,ib'a n ,r.j,,
! If tie roof sld ihs C,mt1stl,e ce,liugs over fas
tseierb {. iol ade sh uid b. removed snd f. pro {
ths MS gisctuIe If the national cur. ency h or-
yd,d ior 10 come NOR" suitable place, znd that the
Hstriiss stor' IN he carpenter auI c8biIet shops
"a re pas eLt OF TIE ouiIUl1g bc reU aced T.
/ Cas- Sfrr.y Eriliiag - fire proof do r ,b5,tt
be sLbs ute' t1r the hs~tiro ones sefa-aias the
| m1Iu ON the rear lei DING
B'ii5iH. 81 Stare AL Eoy d .gfr,aqsa..-This
hT proof tUIl' iHg sECuld d e. uiptl,d a. rapidly
az v VA bstl-tt, the IL
NhluS ote ~ CuNt7 Il Jung 20 'he military sew
! low stored msl1iy IN buiIcings Of haz ,Idyus
! WINTERS BatdiHs.-Fhe upper caiiilgs and roof
| should oe Te9o' ed ID rebuilt # hre-prOof con
struciOi,, aud lT"E do-rs iron shutters shpuld
be stpp'l. 10 OPENINGS exposed to danger from
| Nara O5,srroioyy.-Tho tn idiugs are old nd 80
much wor1 a. not To De susc' Pub IF beng
M Il, led into FIRE proJI sJrdctuses. The pr.servs
tion OF the valuable instruments sni a icunents m
/ this observatory would seem to demand taa, neg
I(l Ia Il he en-
! HaytHt bGVdtk> "A sm.I hFe proof banding
skonld D, cons Iuct6d In Nh CD u store the files Il
Nary Yart-it is recommenl ID that from time TO
time portions Of The work ps aud store DO .sss
require renewing g, they be rebuilt Of conousti
| Post Office BNtlding All the cambu stible cell
IL gs in the attic, aid combustible portions Of the
root, should re remOy and rene xed wi h axe proof
should he re placed by noa ccmbustiole Apartments
! Cuy Hau-:he inc?byeiiSnt arrangement and
nfal character Of this building would not in our
| judgment, wsrrsnt he expeadIt1ra necessary n
the snd oor Of NE District BE- remaRa 90
the fire proof rCOns ia the basement, DR. per m +su,
cam pr ess, Or that so muoh OF The pu Idias made
hre-pTcoi i'll give security TO tho land rec rs
| Paisat Gtfcs Br,,djag.-The existing portions of
The roof sbouid be removed ami entire ne Y root
The rooms over he south ,rtie1, used for th-
storage & valuable papers, sho aid be reb AIT nDn
| Peasioa 0tcs.-This building would lee made
mere secure by the tiou of fire proof doors
| Shat,hsoniaa InSii.nte AN The tomjnsill.le ma
: rails used in Tie cons uci1D Of the museam n
ton Of he building should be Renewed aud the gar
new ed OF fire proof construction, and the g
come citing with ether psrs OF the BUILDING should
| Agriclifrrq} Deralt,a.nt-, he ,ors, ceilings
ana roof Il THE building ssond be Removed snd
| D.wed with Dro pro OF construction.
WIN ief,Ieh &c 10 those rent tuiidings hose in.
endstiS ns ae tisde oihsH han t6.I rbe, .aa
be vacated as sooI as possible and in the mes ltms
theJ shC u d be sc ppiied each floor with water
4 To-
| csbl-. Sith water buckets kept Constantly tucd,
-a,js o. the pCf pg- Very little o.r be do e Wit
'ut uIthsr legislation tn insure greaser sesnrit.
adequate apparatus, and tie them chanes he en-
recon me- Ged, III cont ibute ia N assure to tn
.truc oral cnaTacie- Ct tbs D ilding. "a in-elyss
sno the changes nee ssaiy t. rem dy this e.n otl5
| be n.ade aier au her. eaton by Congress Ia TN
0piIisn OF the commission only IRE proof mst.riss
| sld fr% iruof netho0s OF construction sho1i1 b.
| permitted in i'll puf structures now bang, OF
| IA r. sier TO u, built Tor the Pablo use.
| II IL respectfully recommended that Congress oe
asked 10 81 authority carry out sucn II TIE
nmenoa'ions OF this eport as may inset the p
General, The pubic buildings not of fire proof
cCisII nc;ion and used ter ONCE Purposes much
files Cases ano xes, books papers, &C belongrs
70 the si'eial departments of tao eoverum lat have
| spacts provided them, ana a fire fairly under
various lines are aso eonuec ed With Il the be
bpildii &c IN " hicD are kept ma erias Of a combus
TILE character, thus Contributing TO the causes II
| 1t is believed the danger to the buildings from
Il contents i'll be much decreased by following
the recommendations contained in article sixth of
| In the Treasury building the operations of the
| Bureau Of Engraving ana Prinliag are conducted
Tor the manufacture Of the currency and various
XII dc CT enue stsmps GEqlestior ably this X,
with Its necessary machinery, furnaces, ch emcss,
| opiDitn of the commission provision shOu "a be
made at as early day as practc able for the removal
| While Il sons of tie Departments th-re are files
in Art that date back the earliest tags Of
| numbers of papers longer n eded for c. 1s;snt
Teerence that MY asd 10 the quantity IF Dmb"si
We tLerefIre: recomm. Id FIR the relief of tie
ovtTCroW ded budi aud in yisw Of tie rapid ia
eIeasf OF lie rnb.le r cords ttat FIRE prooi bpild
| cCnnodAiOn OF Tie archives Of the Govern lent II
| longer required for constant use. This lure
nie prof. nsnner with sa'ls of br'cG. and 81 O.
signed that additions can be made from time 10 time
! lures It's location should be 50 reInots from All
otter tuilfirgs as TO PLACE it beyond danger FROM
In addition the srecial recommendation con
famed unG'r the fret section OF The report ths fc
| wing general Recommendations toat may b. ap
| piCable to Sal the puOnc buildings: l. That smple
| sppar atns for extI gushing fires, such wafer
constantly filled with wafer DO suppIied upon each
ae9r tGat 5fSr ugh Of lice an susrd 6y
ali woo work tnuchine fines be removed, aud that
ee aSed Sronnd IL Saetner Tor mok7
wok 2. The removal of all comb usfibls shelvings
10 IN tne1r s'eao the IA
Iranged upon them to be protected by neral doors
IL etal ne The use in all rooms f,r stor-
purposes end 10 those which have not 10 be Wis
tied reQueI thy, of some electrical communc to
be placed. 50 that usual degrees of Feat may be
| signalled to The chm thus making known The
fact Of the presence Of ire should any ia
aeari meats. 4. This of electrical recording sig
nsI4 tn turned ia by the atchmen at fl Ted inter
walls OF time through the night and day. from given
stations in the buildfr &. TIE establish men. Of
regu atoms In the several departments limiting the
| nrmbsr of files TO De stored in any apartment g.
| That the large apartments, aud acss deyo.ei
hes IN the fire proof struc ure ne div ed into mod
eraeiy sized Apartments, to lessen the degrees
OF heat that would be generated by the c0msus ioa
OF the materials aud the c)rseluent pJary u this
building and difficulty Of subiuing the conf Agra
tion That wher! practicable, all power OF ste
boilers be removed from the basemen the build.
lngs TO structures exterior 70 tn main bnilding
IN conclusion, this commission wish IL 10 be un-
d.rsood that the buildings he rein described as
holly or In part ire proof, tn built Of thick
masonry walls, with stone or iron ttairxays, having
the stories sepsl sted by sroined arches OF brick T
by arches OF the same material, resting GU iron
tcEns, in which wood IL Us only for sash aud
doors, src, in cases for g Jors, laid on he
brick arches. IL is not claimed that these sre aes y
utely IRE proof nor DO they know of aly sitsnsbI.
constr uciion hich will resist without jury b. "a
d grtls 81 hea snch as might be generated b.
crow ding lai &c rooms with c5nbustib ma'e.ial..
They are. how ever, 81 opiaon that VITA tee me-