The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-16
GAN LAUGH AT FIRE.
Builders Think They Have Solved q
Problem.
FF0nl the Philadelphia Record.

From the Philadelphia Record.
''The great fires in New England fur
nish evidence of the absurdity of the term
'fre-proof buildings as generally applied, !"
said veteran contractor yesterday
every one of those burned structures.
which the flames licked up so ravenously,
were, at the time Of their erection, pro-
nounced thoroughly fire-proof. The term
is really without significance A haystack
or Undertook might as well be proclaimed
tre-proof as 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 dan
gerous and destructible in the event of a
big conhagration as the hghtest wood.
Yet a real fire-proof building is not, on
that account, an impossibility. The in
vention of so-called hollow bricks has pro-
duced a means by which houses may,
with proper precaution, be rendered i'm
pregnable to the deyouring element.
EVERYTHING COATED WITH BRIcKwoRK.
"Of course, if building is to be quite
tire-proof it must be constructed of ma
terials 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 material, SO
that every particle of ironwork shall
be covered. This brickwork is thoroughly
fire-proof. but to insure still greater secur-
ity the bricks must contain cavities in their
centres. which will not only increase their
llghtness, but, by furnishing air ducts, act
as insulators that will stay the progress of
heat.
HOLLOW BRICKS IN WALLS AND FLOORS.
"The partitions of this ideal building must
rest on fire-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-cotta 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. warrant they will be absolutely
invulnerable. The woodwork, of course,
may catch fire; so may the curtains, car
pets, chairs tables and what not that fill
the room. But it will be impossible for the
flame to spread. Floor, ceiling and walls
all will present surfaces that are really
and truly fire-proof, aud your building
will stand complete and secure. II you
don't telieve tnat such pile would endure
even century of fiery rain build one
yourself and see
NO COLD, NOR MOISTURE, NOR NOISE.
"But there's still another and equally
valuable virtue in hollow bricks. It is the
immunity from cold and dampness which
building thus constructed enjoys. The
air cells in the centre of every brick abso-
lutely prevent rain OF moisture from per-
meating the walls The roof, too, is rain
proof, and in the good time coming, when
every well-regulated household will en-
body this excellent feature, there will lie
no such thing as water-soaked ceilings and
rain-stained walls Just as these bricks
cannot carry heat, 30 they are a protector
against cold. The air that is within them
cannot by any means conduct the frigidity
Boreas will roar in vain around the Chin
ney-pots of the family housed in a hollow
bricked snuggery. 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 suit of clothes and you will never
know it. Or the baby may squal in sixty
different sharps and fats from midnight
till the dawning, and you, soundly sleeping
in the next room, will suppose the infant,
too, in sunderland. The tones Of tintinab-
bulating pianos and medieval hand-organs
can never penetrate through hollow bricks.
Can you, in view of all this, doubt that the
millennial age Is knocking at our hollow
bri cked gate!n