The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-06
SKY-SCRAPER DANGERS.
FIRE a FEARFUL MENACE TO Ex-
IREB ELY HIGH BUILDINGS.

FIRE A FEARFUL MENACE TO EX.
TREH ELY HIGH BUILDINGS.
The Direct Danger 10 Life IL Compare.
lively Small, but the Danger from
Panic IL tareat Investigations which
May Lead 20 Restrictive Legislation.
When the Building Department OF this city
was asked to pass the plans for the first OF the
extremely high Office buildings which have been
going up in increasing numbers in recent years,
Chief Hugh Bonner Of the Fire Department OBJ.
Jected to granting the permission. He said that
the upper stories of such buildings would be
beyond the reach of the apparatus of the depart
ment. and IL II fire ever got a fair start up there
1t would be impossible to put II out. Apparently
no one in authority took Chief Bonnor's protest
very seriously. and nobody else made objection.
The Building Department has jurisdiction only
as to the question of structural strength, and so
the plans were passed, and the building was
put up.
Chief Bonner went to tho Legislature and
asked for a law forbidding the erection of any
more such buildings. He failed again, but ho
kept at 1t, and renewed his objections the next
time plans were sent to tho Building Depart
ment for q sky-scraper. Steadily, from that
time to this. the Chief has fought the
construction OF extremely high buildings. but
always practically, alone. Recently how
ever. the matter has been taken up by
the Board Of Trade and Ira nsportatIon. and n
committee. consisting of G. Waldo Smith. Rich
ard Deeves, John II. Washbournc. Charles L.
Wills. and Simon Stern, has been appointed to
go into the subject thoroughly and report with
recommendations as to what legislation it is
advisable to work for this winter at Albany.
Chief Bonner appeared at n meeting OF this
committee on Friday and went into n detailed
explanation of his attitude. The greatest height
at which the apparatus now in use by the Fire
Department is of services about l25 feet, which
is a little more than one-third the height Of
most of the big sky-scrapers which have been
erected recently. To compensate this to some
extent the new buildings have stand pipes
for fire service. and in the larger ones
these pipes may be connected directly with
powerful pump s in the buildings. This service
has now been put to a thorough test. but in the
few cases where u bas been used the firemen
have had much difficulty, and have been more
or less seriously delayed. Chief Bonner believes
that In all the big skyscrapers there should be
ers of the buildings, who should be ready at
all times for instant work. lie argues
upper story Of one Of these buildings. where the
conditions were such that il could gain Consld-
special hremen would more than %recompense
their employers, for the unavoidable delay
before the city,s hremen could get to work
might result In the complete destruction of the
building,
But Il is not with the danger to the property
the danger To life. AS II matter OF fact the
direct danger to life from fire in q skyscraper is
comparatively small. 1t Is very doubtful If a
actually would be burned to death. The real
u %hefs fires is 'rS Save pa Occurred ed the in ,a afw b SaiSs
ings tho occupants OF the upper stories
have almost invariably been frightened near.
long ago there was a fire in the basement of u
twelve-stcry building on Nassau street. About
N man pyArA n : NN-nFk ~, tha TOW 1rt - 81
time. The basement was stocked largely with
paper. and the dense smoke from it went up the
upper part OF the building. Chief Bonner|says
that when his men got 10 the top floor they
side, and they had to chop their way in to where
the frightened workmen were. He never
found out what they expected TO gain by lock
Ing themselves in. and ascribed their action
only to the uncomfortable panic which, he says.
is liable to result in every such case. In this
particular instance. if there had been need OF
occupants Of the buiidinE. their f'; WORK Wv Would uT9
The stairs and elevators of these skyscrapers
are ridiculously inadequate. as means of escape
main danger To the buildings lies in the elevator
shafts which would act as great chimneys.
help the IRE along. A sun man asked Chief
Bonner yesterday afternoon what he would do
TO cooperate with the Board OF Trade and Trans
portation Committee.
I've made my fight" he replied. and am
through: A good many OF these buildings are
~ '' - tE. " "koihnt wv 10" " NphoN =
them. ! did what l could TO prevent their cree
ton. Now they are filled with tenants and am
hue and cry about the danger of occupying Of
fees in them. Results must speak for them
Although Chief Bonner has been practically
alone IN ANYTHING like active opposition to, the
ana engineers VIII have been concerned in the
making of such buildings have long been inter-
sst.d deeply .F%p in the problems which They pre-,
or disaster more clearly. probably. than any
Others; About q year ago n joint commit
tee OF architects, engineers. and builders
were appointed TO. consider the entire sub
iect. and especially to make, tests from
which definite conclusions as to the actual fire.
withstanding qualities of skysCrapcrs could be
reached. Five thousand dollars was subscribed
for these tests. So far the only tests which
room was built in Brooklyn for the
tests. Columns were erected such as have
been used in the big steel or iron frame
buildings, under conditions as nearly exact as
to strain as It was possible 10 obtain. Each
average column in actual use in a building. |
Then q fire was built OF wood and fed with
ing were arranged to enable the experts
TO observe closely the effect on the
tRtu room to "" record t hysG hesr. IRON Gns and pi stssi co 5h
were treated. and it was found in every
the column it began to give under the weight
and bent more and more rapidly. In each case
the column began to glow at a temperature OF
The inference from these tests is apparent.
The ordinary fire in a storeroom where tho
stock of goods is OF an ordinarily ~intnmmable
usually develops n temperature OF
about 1000 degrees before the water tower can
do its effective work. There is nothing OF an
character now in the construction
OF The new-fashioned steel-tramed buildings.
The only chance for IRE Is in the furnishings
of the Offices or in the goods in the stores on tho
first floors. But II IA fire should occur in an Of
nee where there was enough inttaminahle ma
tcr!al to develop n temperature sufficient TO
make even one or the supporting columns of the
building red hot. the result wonid almost GER
tainly be Calam!tous: for even though only one
column were directly affected II would be very
likely to affect others by its own failure. They
are all bolted together, but are not trussed: so
IL one column gave way II would he Likely to
drag others out OF plumb and might cause the
whole structure to collapse.
The possibility of such II disaster was demon
strated by the collapse of the Ireland building.
There the foundation OF one column in the
middle OF the building gave way. The whole
columns out of plumb, and the whole interior OF
the building went down in one smash. Engi-
neers who have been concerned in the
of two Of the recently built
IN