The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-12-26
Can Laugh at Fire.

"The great fires in New England fur
nish evidence of the absurdity of the
term Sire proof buildings as generally
applied" said veteran contractor yes
terday. Everyone of those burned
structures, which the flames licked up so
ravenously, were, at the time of their
erection, pronounced thoroughly fire
proof. The term is really without sig.
nifcance. A hay stack or tinder box
might as well be proclaimed fire proofas
many of the great buildings that tower
skyward along our business streets. Iron,
because of its malleable qualities, and
granite from its liability to crack when
overheated, are just as dangerous and
destructible in the event of big coDha-
grafton as the lightest wood. Yet real
FIRE proof building is not, on that ataccount,
an impossibility. The invention of so
called hollow bricks has produced a
means by which houses may, with
proper precaution, be rendered impregna.
BILE to the devouring element.
"Ofcourse, if building is to be quite
fire proof it must be constructed of
materials that are not only incombustible,
but also perfect in respect of tenacity aud
durability when subjected to excessive
heat For this purpose we must suppose
the outer wall of our model house to be
of brick, and, while iron will, of course,
remain essential for girders, columns,
and beams, these must be incased in from
two to three inches of burnt clay mate
rial, 80 that every particle of ironwork
shall be covered. This brickwork is
thoroughly fire prorf, but to insure still
greater security the bricks must contain
cavities in their centres, which will not
only increase their lightness, but by
furnishing air ducts, act as insulators
that will stay the progress fheat.
''The partitions of this ideal building
must rest on re.proof floors and be made
of burnt clay blocks. Furring blocks Of
the same material must be substituted
for the usual wooden Turing along the
inside of the exterior walls, and the roof
must be of thick porous terra Gotta
bricks. The floors are, of course, very
important feature of the structure, but if
they are made of rolled iron beams,
properly spaced and thoroughly protected
by hollow burnt clay arches, I warrant
they will be absolutely invulnerable.
The wood work, Of course, may catch
fire; SO may be curtain, carpets, chairs,
tables and whatnot that fill the room.
But it will be impossible for the flames
to spread. Floor, ceiling and walls-all
will present surfaces that are really and
truly fire proof, and your building will
stand complete and secure. Ifyou don't
believe that such pile would endure
even a century of fiery rain build one
yourself and see.
"Bnt there's still another aud equally
valuable virtue in the hollow bricks. 1t
is the immunity from cold and dampness
which building thus constructed enjoys.
The air cells in the centre of every brick
absolutely prevent rain or moisture from
permeating the walls. The roof, too, is
rain proof, and in the good time coming,
when every we'll regulated household
will embody this excellent feature, there
will be no. such thing as water.soaked
ceilings and rain stained walls Just as
these brick can not carry heat, so they
are protector against cold. The air
that is within them can not by any
means conduct the frigidity of the
outside world into the home circle.
Boreas will roar in vain around the
chimney pots of the family housed in
hollow bricked anuggery. One thing
more, these bricks are impervious to
sound. Your neighbor may sing all day
about the unfortunate man who was
dressed in his best of clothes and will
never know it. Or the baby may squall
in sixty different sharps and fats from
midnight till the dawning, and you,
souudly sleeping in the next room, will
suppose the infant, too, in Sunderland.
The tones of tintinabbulating pianos and
medieval hand organs can never pcne.
trate through hollow bricks. Can you,
in view of all this, doubt that the mil.
lennial age is knocking at our hollow
bricked gate ?"-Phizaaelphia Record.