St. Paul daily globe., 1892-12-30

brought into the fold. The following
recommendations together with others,
will be submitted to the council:
"Again l wish to call the attention Of
your honorable body to the matter of
hre-proof construction within certain
limits in the business portion of the
city. We have, and are now building
some very tiDe and expensive stores and
office buildings Oh our busiest thorough
fares; they are constantly filled with
expensive stocks and merchandise, Ii
brarieS and Office furniture, all Of which
will some time ''go like fiash,' for the
want of fire-proof construction. Under
our present ordinance Mr.. A or Mr.. b
can construct a veritaDle fire trap right
adjoining any of our finest and best fire.
proof buildings, provided he incloses
it with brick wall of prescribed
dimensions. Now while his brick wall
might protect him from his neighbours
fires, he has himself within those brick
walls risk that would make one Shud-
der to look at. and when once on fire
with any kind of start, would not only
ruin his own, but his neighbOrs' build
ings also. In other words, he has very
large four or five-Story Office constructed
of dry pine throughout, with simply a
brick wall on the outside.
sit is such buildings that l have just
described that in my opinion are dan
gerous in any locality, but more espe-
cially when surrounded by large, high
and expensive structures filled TO the
very tops with human beings and val
liable merchandise.
"a limit might be prescribed within
which no structure, except it be fire
proof throughout, could be erected;
then as our old wood and brick build
ings gradually disappeared from decay
or otherwise new re-proof ones would
take their places until eventually the
center of business would be entirely
built up with fire-proof buildings.
Whenever fire does break out in a prop
erly constructed fire-proof building in
nine cases out of ten 1t is confined to
the room in which it originated and is
eXtinguiShed without material damage
to any other portion of the building.
The ceiling of stores, offices and lodg-
ing houses with pine, also constructing
partitions, have been discouraged by
this department, yet it is done, ana the
ordinance, as it now stands, admits of it.
In this way thousands of feet Of dry
pine are annually used in the repair and
reInodelihg of buildings in the most
populouS part of our business center,
all of which when the time comes will
add fuel to the flameS,' which, IN the
opinion OF your inspector, ought not to
be allowed and the ordinance should be
changed so as not to admit OF it.
The east end of the Island, which is
devoted exclusively to manufacturing
industries, is out of the fire limits, and
large wooden buildings have been erect
ed there during the last season. In view
of the fact that such vast amount OF
machinery, tools and stock is concen-
trated in very small area of territory,
it would seem perfectly proper to take
all of Nicollet island east Of Central
avenue into the fire limits.
''The custom of moving buildings
over our streets that are beautifully
shaded with handsome and expensive
trees, more especially those streets lnaI
have wide bouleVardS, narTOWS up the
roadway and is universally condemned
by the property owners. The trees that
adorn our streets and spacious stone
sidewalks have been fOStered and nour-
lshed for years by their respective OWL
ers, and If time and careful attention
amount to anything, nave cost the prop
erty owners great deal of money, and
when once damaged or killed outright
cannot in some instances be replaced III
twenty years. So the owners have
right to obiect.and the city of Minneap-
oils as city has large interest there,
and it should enter a protest and amend
the ordinance so as TO protect the trees.