National Republican., 1883-04-30
A CRY OF FIRE.
But Only False Alarm to Test New Fire
Department
What Mr. Rounds Has Accomplished at
the Government Printing Office,
A Preliminary Test on Saturday That Worked
Satisfactorily.
Two Thousand Employees and Tons OF Tn
fanimabIe Material safe From Fire.

nanlmabIo Material safe From Fire.
The preliminary test Of fire alarm was
given at the government printing Office on
Saturday afternoon to show the employees
how to get out of the immense structure in
case of fire, and that there is no need OF
panic under any circumstances, as the modes
of cgress are ample to save every life in any
part of the building. Tho new plans, de-
vised and promulgated by the public printer
Mr.. S. p. Rounds, to prevent loss of life and
property in the great establishment under
his charge, may be briefly stated as follows:
MEANS OF EXTGNGUGsHtNG FIRE.
There has been located in the boiler room
powerful steam force pump, being of much
larger capacity than the steam fire engines
now in use in the district fire department.
This pump is amply supplied with water
from the city mains, and has connection with
i've iron standpipes leading from the ground
TO the roof of the building each standpiro
having hose connection on every floor, max
ing twenty in all. To each of these nOzzcs
at every floor there is attached one hundred
feet of the best hose, which is kept at all times
ready and with the pipe on, so that in mo-
ment, or before II fire engine could reach tho
place. streams of water could be thrown on
or III any portion OF the building.
ALARM SIGNALS.
system of alarm signals has been adopted
30 that when II fire is discovered by day or by
night the alarm is Immediately communi-
Gated to the Offices of all the foremen and to
the engine room. showing exactly where the
fire is located, whcrcupon the engineer starts
the pump and makes connection with the
standpipes located nearest to the fire, and by
the time squads of men whose duty it is to
attend to these particular standpipes get their
hose laid out, the water is ready to play upon
the fire. Four or more inch-and-a quarter
streams of water can be ready to play upon II
fire in any part of the building Instantly.
There are also on each floor good supply of
large fire extinguishers, ut all times ready for
work, and an ample supply of water buckets,
axes, and other paraphernalia.
PROVISIONS FOR SAFETY.
Four now and commodious balcony iron fire
escapes have been erected, atlording easy
. communication from each floor to the ground
IN the court below There are, in addition to
these, upright iron ladders alongside each
standpipc, reaching from the roof to the
ground and also two circular brick fire es-
capes with iron stairways making from the
top story to the ground. All these are in
addition to the ordinary means of exit, by
which alone the buildings are cmptied in less
than an average of three minutes. Metal
openings in the walls connecting the various
buildings so that the fire and smoke can be
cut of or confined to the place where it
started.
CANVAS FIRE ESCAPES.
The most approved canvas fire escapes have
been provided for the third and fourth floors,
where the women are mostly employed. An
iron rod is TO be placed under the caves
around the entire building, with an iron fire
escape, basket, and ropes, so that it can be run
around the entire front from the top to the
bottom and into any window, SO that in case
any stragglers are cut of from all other
means of escape they can be landed salely to
the ground.
DIVIDING INTO SQUADS.
The entire female force in the bindery and
folding room on the third and fourth floors,
numbering over 900, have been divided into
squads of forty each, with eight men--a cap.
tain and seven aids-to take charge of each
squad and in case of an alarm of fire each
squad is to form in the aisle nearest the loca-
tion of the fire and go to the fire escape de-
voted to thati and certain other numbered
squads, provided it is not cut Off by fire, in
which case the second nearest one is to be
used.
Repeated trials of this plan will be had
until every man, woman, and child in the
building will thoroughly understand it and
until il works smoothly. 1t is believed that
the confidence thus established will in case of
fire prevent any stampede or loss of life or
limb which must inevitably occur without
these ample facilities for egress from the
building.
Tho public printer was in his early years
an officer and member of the volunteer fire
departments of Buffalo, New York, Milwaukee,
Racine, and Chicago, and has, therefore, had
thorough experience in fire matters. During
n recent visit to his old home in Chicago he
took occasion to thoroughly examine the
different plans in use in all the large manu-
featuring concerns in that city, notably
among which was the mammoth reaper factory
OF Mccormick, and the plans devised by him
are the result of his observation aud expert
cncC. In addition to the plans above enumer-
atcd every door in the immense buildings
has been swung ON hinges SO us to open out
ward.
Mr.. Rounds is certainly entitled to the
credit of the fact that for the first time in the
history of the government printing Office IL is
reasonably safe from destruction by fire and
its inmates safe from loss of life or limb by a
real or false alarm of fire. There is, in short
every facility for every human being in the
vast building to get out alive, and the rela-
tivcs and friends of those employed thorc will
doubtless experience II feeling of relief ut the
plans put in operation by the painstaking and
hard working head of the Office
Chief Engineer CrOnin, of the fire depart
mcnt, and several friends of Mr. Rounds were
present at the preliminary test ON Saturday
afternoon. The buildings were emptied in
less than three minutes, and the test was il
every way satisfactory.