Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-05-18
w. p. FRAZIER,
Surveyor, Civil Engineer
AND
REAL EATATE AGENT.
Office on Occidental Square. apa6tf



GlRE.REslAT1SG CONTRACTION.
1t is a common error to suppose
that stone and brick and iron
are the only material capable of
resisting FIRE. The brick arch and
cast iron girder system has been
found hopelessly dsfsctive-in
fact positively mischievous, and
the only wvy of rendering iron
safe was notldiscovered till large
factoryes and buildings'had been
wrecked. Then it was found that
the weakness of the system resid-
ed in the exposed lower flangss Of
such ..girders, and it was not long
ritter the increase of the ironwoak
with some refractory material,
suoh as concrete or freclay, sug-
gested itself. Concurrently with
the notion that nothing is safer
than iron, is the belief often held
that wood is the most destructi.
BILE of all materials. In reply to
those who distrust wooden con-
struction, we may refer to some
plans which have been proposed
to render wooden flooring resistive
of the action of fire. but which
appears to have escaped atten>
ton.
One of these 10 to CONSTRUCT
solid timber floors, composed Of
ordinary joists placed close to
each other, and spiked or screw
ed at intervals with bolts. The
bolts are fixed alternately. To
form q key for tho plasteaing An
gular grooves are cut under each
ioist, these grooves forming .
series of dove>tails. In a similar
manner stairs can be formed by q
series Of joists screwed together,
which are cut to the form of the
scffit, the latter being prepared
for plastering by grooves. This
system of construction was intro
duced by Messrs. Evans & Swain.
With Isgard to partitions, the
French plan of constructing
them with quarterings, filed in
with rough stone rubble, then
lathed on each side with strong
laths, and a coat of plaster ap-
Piled and pressed through the
| vacuities from each side, ought to
be moae generally employed. In
the construction Of roofs the solid
system of concrete or Of layers of
fibrous material covered with earth
and sand, as used by some Eas-
team nations, have undoubted
merits over the timber and hol-
low roof systems uced by modern
builders, which readily invite
fire. Solid concrete fats laid on
iron joists fixed to the inclination
Of the roof, and then filed in with
concrete on the French system,
| covered with Claridge's asphalt,
| would render our large buildings
comparatively safe from the des-
tructive ravages of flames which
now find their way through the
roof.
| Wood and concrete are not so
much used togather Is they might
be. In floors, a. well as in roofs,
the timbers might be filed in
with concrete. Mr.. Marrable
adopted very simple method of
constructing floors. Instead Of
the wooden joists being cut to the
usual rectangular section they
were cut diagonally of . wedge
shaped form and placed at about
eighteen inches apart, the wide
end being placed downward.
Upon these concrete was filled in
upon . wooden centering, and the
ioists performed the office Of
| skewbacs for the coucrste. An
other form of floor, suitable for
warehouses; Offices, and small
dwellings,, is composed Of wood
jois.s with . lower fange these
flanges being made also of wood
rabbeted together, forming .
boarded ceiling in appearance be-
low. This ceiling could be paiut.
ed. Such . timber floor resists
an outbreak Of fsrc for some time,
and is very strong. We do now
consider the many excelant,
though more costly, systems Of
flooring of iron and concrete, or
iron increased with fireclay or
embedded in concrete, such a. the
bennett, the Hyatt, aud Moreland
| systems, our object being to show
that timber can bs used with good
effect to resist - well - to eour2
the flames. A solid impsrmena-
bic surface or floor covered with
asyhalt has been known to resist
the flames for hours. and BY im-
prisoning it the danger Of q
conflagration Is lessened. It ID
th!s principle which has given to
the coucrsts floors their invulner-
able character, The value Of
concrete, such - that erected BY
Mr.. Lascelles, and wrough irou
aiding doors, are great, and