Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-08-31
RISKS A FIREMAN RUNS.
So Called Fire Proof Buildings Impast
Special Grounds for Fear.

Special Grounds for Fear.
If there Is any one thing that dis
heartens ahreman than another,
il is Ia be told that "a building on which
he Is M work is a modern fire proof
structure
The speaker was an old fireman,
who Is nov serving on the insurance
patrol. and lle had some reasons TO
back up tins somewhat startling asser-
ton.
II nav sound strange to hear of a
irauMi's being AT work on a fire
proof bgilding, but fires in so called
hire proof buildings are by no means
unusual. and everybody knows that
some OF these fires are the very ones
that result in frightful loss Of life.
Their Sl2, and height doubtless has
much Ia Ito with this. while "A sense of
iancled security frequently leads TO
gross caWlessness ON the part OF the
inmates
But while IL is only these occasional
holOcarlsis HAT attract the attention Of
the general public. liremen have 10
risk life aud limb almost daily. and
the main ing Of a man for the rest of
his DAYS is dismissed with the merest
mention in the newspapers. 1t is the
unseen danger Of an ordinary fire that
men fcar, rather than the exciting
emergencies Of a great couilagra.
ton. and il Is because some of these
modern structures are SO prolific in
these unseen dangers that they are so
much dreaded.
A peculiarly dangerous feature in
the construction of many large bust.
ness buildings is the use OF iron pill
lars. which frequently rise in series
one above the other from foundaeAn
10 roof These are especially common
in wholesale establishments covering
several ordinary lots, and sometimes
take the place Of inside walls alto
gether. OF course that is all right
where the floors = Of iron, cement
aud thing, but you won't find such
floors except in a few large office or
bank buildings.
The mere fact that you see iron floor
beams used in the construction is no
indication that il will be really fire
proof. Unless the floors are filled in
with some non-combustible material,
the iron beams are manifestly not Of
the slightest importance in preventing
the passage of the fire. while the iron
pillars are a source of great and posi-.
tive danger. The trouble with them
is that Just as soon as a hot blast of
fame strikes them they expand I'M
equally. warp. crack, and then comes
49,. H. ..s,.a .4,at.n All - e
all down 10 quickly that the poor fire.
man has no warning, and precious lit
tie chance to get out.
The extensive use OF iron "a such
brildingsat present is in fact q source
Of danger all around. Even when
pillars are not used, inside walls are
supposed to be strengthened at every
story with iron braces. In this case
the effect is similar, and as soon as the
heat has warped the braces out of
shape. the whole interior is liable TO
fall Unexpectedly.
AS regards pillars, good solid ones
of hard wood are much better than
iron. They will burn, of course, but
it takes a long time 10 burn three or
four inches right into hard wood. and
so long as the core remains solid, the
floors are safe. That gives the firemen
"A chance To work, and unless the place
is otherwise a regular finder box. a
wellequipped fire department will save
the building.
The massive office buildings now so
common in lower Broadway and in
Nassau aud Wall streets. are really
fire proof. and although there will
sometimes be n mighty hot fire among
the furniture in a particular Office or
suite Of rooms, il can never extend
from floor 10 floor.
Another very deceptive style OF
building is the iron front. of which SO
many were put up fifteen years or 50
ago. A peculiar danger of these is
that in falling the front does not come
down piecemcal, bat falls like Il sheet
Of solid metal. Half a dozen reporters
had a somewhat narrow escape "A year
and a half ago at that big million dol.
lar fire on Broadway. near Prince
street, from this. The iron front OF
one of these buildings fell over az
straight as a pole, without either bend.
ing or breaking, until it struck the
ground and the building on the other
side Il the street.
The reporters were standing on the
opposit' sidewalk, only about twenty
feet u oaa side, and all the telegraph
wires over there were brought down
on their heads. Some Of them had
their has, badly battered, and their
ears or noses scratched. New York
News.