Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-21
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
Plea for Good Buildings in the In
terest of Fire Protection.
THE WEATHER DURING FEBRUARY
Still Another Dispute as to the Nativity of
St. Patrick.
INFORMATION FOE EAGER INQUIRERS

Your timely editorial on The w ood street
fire the other day, in which deserved rehec-
ton was cast on the fimsiness of much of
our present building, has been strikIngly
justified by the occurrence since of the seri-
GUS fires in Chicago, Syracuse, the terrible
asylum one in Tennessee, the 81, 900, 900 one
in New York and the one in our own city
night before last, which, distressing as it
was might have been very holocaust.
This all in few days.
In YOUR plea for "better building" you
advocate very properly, among other means
larger use of iron jolst, terra Gotta filings.
etc, and this is very well, but this particu-
Recommendation as mitigation of fire loss
cannot apply to, by far, the larger share OF
buildings Limitation to this system would
be 50 largely prohibitory that general prog
ress would be impeded under present condi-
tions. We must continue to use wood, but
we must continue to use it better. Some
thing Cor a good deal) might be said about
how even the iron joist filled system has
failed frequently in fulfilling its promise of
absolute safety, but it is not to the defcien-
Cies of this class of buildings, which only
corporations and capitalists can afford, but
In the common everyday structures, such as
ordinary people can own or pay rent for,
that the greatest and most general reform is
needed. This is 10 be simply in the direc-
tion OF more extended use of "slow combus-
tion" methods. ANY feature of construction
that resists fire and retardS lis more than geo.
metrical progression, is TO be welcomed as
step in the right direction.
There is In universal use in all classes o.
structures a most perfect fre-resisting me-
dium in the shape of plastering-indeed, it
is the only non-combustible element enter
ing into the makeup of the larger portion of
the homes OF America to-day. Common
plaster, better STILL good plaster, is not sur
passed as a fire opposer, but its shortcoming
in this regard is not due to any inherent
quality, but simply to its method of applica-
tion on the fImsy and, as we shall see,
treacherous foundation of wood lathing. 1t
certainly is the commonest thing to find CELL
ings cracked and loose. Investigation
would develop the fact that the keying of the
plaster was more or less broken, and the lat
Ter NAV, and does, come down on the slight
est proyOcation.
Let us suppose a breath of fire strikes
such a ceiling. The plaster strips in,
stantly and there, just to hand. is what
the heretofore incipient blaze Is looking for,
kIndling properly placed. Taking quick
hold, the flames rush along the jost to par
titions, where wood-lathed vertical fues
add fresh fuel OF the same favorable nature,
and thence, quickend by the direction, up
TO attic and roof spaces, where the destruc-
ton is complete. All done so rapidly that
inadequate warning only is had. Is not
this the story over and over again? The
story of the Montreal Asylum, of public in
stitutions, school buildings innumerable?
To the fatal and facile exposure through
stripping of the plaster, must be credited
oF, 4 L.,
such tinder-like combustible as wood lath-
ing as part of building is bad, but to have
1t fail Of its function al The critical time is
extremely bad. In all fre-proof buildings
wood lathing is completely tabooed. Where
plastering must be carried on other than
solid masonry, if hollow brick are not used
il is applied to metal lathing fastened on
iron studdlng. Examples of such minor
partitions made in the latter way exist in
the Westinghouse and new Government
buildings in our city. Metallic lathing is
made in a number of forms and as frequent
demonstrations have proven its great value
IN successfully filling the desideratum of
carrying unfllnchingly the admirable fire
resistent named, there is no excuse for its not
being more generally adopted.
If partitions and floors were made more or
less invulnerable by any means, just to that
degree would they serve as cut-offs and re-
tard fire instead of adding Immediately and
at touch "luel to the fame" AS to the
much abused elevator shaft there is alb
solutely no difficulty outside of passenger
ones in providing automatic covers at each
floor. 1t is only a question of some outlay.
Open staircases are to be considered nearly
as bad as elevator openings in conveying
fire from story to story. If these were in
closed in the old-fashioned way and pro-
vlded with the fire resisting doors Mr..
Atkinson prescribes, at top and bottom,
danger from this source would
be reduced immensely. The Objectionable
total closing up of staircases could be miti-
gated by having such enclosure carried down
only sufficiently far to give head room from
each story, and to a platform there pro-
vided and with such door as mentioned. |
This would leave the lower portion of each |
& liEht open. Of course such enclosure |
should be constructed on lines indicated for |
safety
Walls should be true sire walls" wherever |
possible. TIE splendid fire wall of the |
Hamilton building, at the Masonic Hall |
fire, certainly prevented most disastrous |
Confagration.
The detective fue' is only to be men,
toned with reprobation, and in all con-
science ought not to exist. The use of the |
automatic sprinkler of such proven sue |
cess in New England should be more |
general as safety provision. |
These are a few of the directions |
not costly of attainment, wherein we might |
build better In our everyday, common |
place structures and thus diminish in good |
measure the enormous annual fire loss OF |
81 $50, 900, which is just SO much of our |
national treasure and financial ability gone |
irretrievably. Architects and builders |
know how to do better, but between limita-
tions imposed at first eff and the inevitable |
r'zeeing process, these worthy people have |
the ground taken from under them. Un-
fortunately there is nothing snowy about |
''better building" in a slow combustion |
sense, and we go ahead, build up the old |
way, burn down and take our innocent |
neighbor. maybe with us. But this latter |
raises an ethical question too broad for any |
discussion, even if space and the editor per-
United in this plea for
BETTER BUILDING.
PITTsBURG, March 19.