The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-02
MUST HAVE FIRE ESCAPES.
The New City Ordinance to be Put in
Force.

80 80" ivy " W w Al
Force.
The new fire escape ordinance, passed
at the meeting Of the city council Wednes-
day night, is causing some grumbling
among the merchants.
The majority of the leading business
houses occupy buildings Of three stories
or over IN hight, which come under the
terms OF the ordinance requiring them TO
| provide two or more means Of egress from
each story above the first The ordinance
also requires that all doors TO such build
ings shall open outward, SO that
there may be no danger of their being
held smut by panic stricken crowd in
case of fire.
Some Of the merchants are Directing on
the ground that the ordinance works an
unnecessary hardship as their third floors
are almost entirely used as warerOomS
and storerooms, and seldom have more
than small number of persons on them.
They also claim that fire escapes are I'M
slightly and detract from the appearance
of the buildings.
AFRAID OF THIEVES.
II is said, too, that they might be made
use Of by thieves to effect entry TO the
buildings. The ordinance, it is claimed,
was meant TO reach only few of the
larger buildings, such as the retail dry
goods stores and hotels, which have,
during great part of the time,
large number of people on their
upper floors. The champions of the ordi-
nance are ready to meet all these COM
plants, however. They say that Savan-
nah is behind the times in not requiring
all large buildings to be provided with
IRE escapes. A large fire is liable to
cause loss of life at any time by catching
people unawares upon the upper floors of
buildings where all means of escape are
cut OIL. Because such losses OF life have
not occurred before is no argument,
they say, that they may not
occur and as the number of tall buildings
is on the increase, the danger from this
source is also increasing.
PRE- PROTECTION NECESSITY.
1t will put the owners Of the buildings
to some expense, it is true, but better
large expenditure divided among a num-
Der OF individuals than the loss of even
one life by the neglect to provide the
means of escape. AS to unsightliness,
they say the FIRE escapes may be put in
the rear OF the buildings on the lane side.
AS the escapes are not required
to come below the top of the
first story they will not obstruct the
lanes.
The ordinance does not require fire.
escapes on the outside of the building If
floor above the Fl st on the interior of the
building. Whet Ter elevators will be al
lowed to con ulder the head of exits
has not been sattled. An elevator, it is
| claimed, is an uncertain means of exit in
time OF fire, as the person in charge,
usually a boy, is likely to desert it on the
first alarm, and then the elevator is liable
to be out of order or to get jammed at the
| critical moment.
WHAT IS AN ExIT2
The council will probably be asked TO
determine whether elevators come under
the head of exits in the sense of the or
dlnance. A building which has two sets
of stairways on the inside will not be re-
| quired to provide exterior exits
Suppose" said an alderman who cham
| pioned the bill 1.-THE Adler building should
! suddenly catch fire of an afternoon when
there were seventy five or a hundred
ladies shopping on the upper floor. Some
| of our wives and daughters would
be liable to be burned to death. Had the
Hogan building, which was burned in the
fire in April, 1885, caught fire half an hour
earlier there would have been a heavy
loss of life. The building had been filed
a half hour before with ladies' shopping
and the employees of the place. There
was very high wind, and in a few min
| utes after the alarm was given the build
ing was mass of flames. II was God
send that the fire did not occur earlier in
the afternoon. 1t is cases of this kind
that must be provided against.
THE DANGER FROM EXCITEMENT.
1t is argued that in case of an alarm of
| fire the ladies would be too excited to use
the fire escapes, but IL they know they are
there and for what purpose they are in
! tended, think the ma GRITTY would have
| sufficient presence of mind to use them
! The Pulaski, Screven and Marshall
houses are not provided with fire
escapes, and in case of q
fire at night, strangers who had been
given rooms on the upper floors would be
| liable to lose their lives. In the majority
Of the large cities the hotels are required
to have printed instructions posted in
each room instructing the guests in the
use of the fire escapes, should an emer-
gency make it necessary for them to do
| So"