Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-05-22
FIRES IN DWELLINGS.
FEW HOUSES HAVE MEANS OF ES-
CAPE EXCEPT THE DOORWAYS,

FEW HOUSES HAVE MEANS OF ES-
CAPE EXCEPT THE DooRWAYs.
A Trapdoor In the Roof Seems to Be the
Only Suggestion For Means of Escape
In Case the Stairway of House In the
City Is on Fire During the Night.
Two deaths from suffocation in burn
ing dwelling have again called the atten-
ton of all thinking people to the fact
that dwelling houses are not provided
with any practical means of escape in
case of fire occurring in the lower floor
during the night. Investigation by a re-
porter shows that the law is mute on
the subject of escapes from dwellings.
Neither the laws governing the bureau Of
building inspectors nor those applying to
the bureau of fire touch on the subject.
Both bureaus agree in saying that some
means of exit other than the stairways
should be provided, and both favor the
introduction of trapdoors in the roofs as
the most feasible and most effective plan.
1t is stated on good authority that these
trapdoors, while one of the best means
of escape, cannot be found in more than
one house in 200 on the average through
the city.
Chief Baxter of the fire department
and president of the bureau Of fire
escapes said: "There were 1 ,531 fires last
year, and 495 of these were in dwellings.
Fortunately but few people met their
deaths from dwelling house fires during
the year. This is not always the case,
however, and l have seen quite large
number of fatal results from such fires
the deaths a few years ago as the re-
suit of the fire in the King residence at
Seventeenth and Pine streets, for in
stance, and many others not quite so
appalling nor of such prominence. In
most of these cases the fatality would
not have been SO great had some means
of escape, other than stairways. been
provided.
There certainly should be some new
clause in our fire escape laws, and the
most important one would be one re-
quiring trapdoors in the roof of every
house, or some equally feasible means of
exit. The present laws are particularly
stringent regarding fire escapes on hotels
in the city but neglect altogether the
dwellings, 1t would seem more proper
to take care of the permanent population
than transient visitors to the city, from
which class the hotels derive their in
come.
"Of the dwelling house fires which oc-
CURED last year." the chief continued,
"146 were caused by defective fues. 1t
is fair to presume that the majority of
fires from this cause occur at night after
the fires have been fixed and the family
has retired In fixing heater fires for the
night the general method used is to open
wide the fue draft and close the bottom
draft. The heat ascends up the chimney
then, and any defect in the fue may
cause fire. Before the family are
awakened the whole lower room may be
in flames, and escape by means of the
stairway may be impossible. The family
would then probably have to jump from
the windows, unless the house had one
of the illegal frame kitchens in the rear
They could then jump on that and
from there to the fence. If trapdoors
were provided in the roof, however, they
could easily ascend and escape either to
an adjoining house or at least escape suf
location by running along the roofs out
of danger until the fire department ar
rived. These trapdoors have been sug-
gested, but it is claimed that they would
furnish means for burglars to enter the
houses from those adjoining. The pop
ular sentiment, though, would seem to
indicate that most people prefer to take
chances of being robbed of few dollars
than to take the risk of being burned to
death.
Harmon Boorse, a member Of both
bureau Of building inspectors and the
bureau of fire escapes, said he had always
been in favor Of building trapdoors in
every house. The law he said, "for-
bids the erection of frame kitchens, but
at present these furnish the only means
of escape from dwelling after exit by
the stairway has been cut off. Statistics
prove that fire very seldom occurs in
these outside kitchens. A prominent in
surance agent told me only day or two
ago." he continued, that the majority
of dwelling house fires were caused by
defective hues in the cellars where the
heater flue enters the chimney
James G. Moore, prominent builder
erecting from 200 to 500 dwellings a
year and a member of the Operative
Builders association, denounced in out
spoken terms the present system of build
ing without providing a means of escape
from the upper floors except by the
stairways He said: ''Tt is an outrage
on the community.
LAS dwelling houses are built in these
days, not one in 200 on the average is
provided with a trapdoor or scuttle in
the roof have always favored this
manner of building" - Philadelphia
Press.