The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-01-10

Fire Chic, Bonner. OF New York CitN
has como out hat-footcd against the
sky-scrancr. From his viewpoint it Will
lower his record as hro-chici and treat
his city 90 fire by the side OF which
Chicaco's historic coularrat0n of TWEEN
ty years ago viii Doe mere bonfire.
Chief Eonnors yicws are endorsed bY
tho fire chiefs of am cities where im-
mcnscy tam buildings are being cone
structcl Six of the fire chiefs. notably
those 600 the cities where the twenty
story buildings arc going nap. have &C.
pcalcd 90 the Legislature 10 ait thcm.
Failing 20 receive help there they say
.hoy viii appeal 90 the government 30
Washington
CANNOT REACH TOP
Tho objections set forth hy thc fire
chiefs are that in case of fine in skye
scrapcr, there viii Doe no way of h-Ai-
ing So. The most powerful stream of
water cur hardly reach above the Dehih
story of 81 building. and here iis Ioicc
IS weak and uncertain.
With "a fire oXtiueuishor the lrcmcn
al tho present day climb 90 the iali'-l
available point of 3D. building, ana from
there direct the water upward. Ihry
can thus cast tho stream higher ih'h
though using q hose standing upon inc
ground in the street below.
With fro in sky-scraper sd amy
building over twelve stories hiIn. inc
time consumed in getting up Co % Top
floor would ho very great Fifteen NM
utos' valuable time would be wasted
climbing stairs.
II "a fireman could step into am cleva-
Cor with q hose ON his back and he
could fight fire easily with the aid or
other nromen arriving boy other cicV2-
tors But I'm time of fire elevators do
not work and hose are not easily carried
ID. Tho electric plant becomes danger
Gus 10 handle and elevator operators DO
not care 20 trust their lives 90 ro.es
o,cmn which fire is playing. Ciimhins
up. either inside or outside. is Tie oiIF
cNrodiont len the frcmen, ana inns Ia
slow and dangerous.
Tho ncok and ladder service. too. falls
with the sky-scrapor Although very oh-
qort .n THROWING the hook from story Ia
story ond running up patched ladder. as
they are flung upward from floor to floor.
$40 man has tho head or the strength io
keep ON ascending after he has reached
"a dizzy height from the street. more
than that. his fire chief would not aiio"
him TO scale uIt Inc iloilL on 81 ''i-.'it'9
beyond certain number of ladders.
Architects assert that the sky-scrapcr
Is absolutely fire proof Recently how
ever. the Mills Building. that perfectly
nre-proof structure off Wall street,
whore Cleveland has his law Offices ana
where Henry Clcws ID. O. Mills and
third of the mulionairos of New York
transact famous money dealings daily
took fire. it is said. and three floors
were burned through before the flames
could De put out in this perfectly hre-
proof building.
FAILING IL THE MIDDLE.
In the slly-scrapcr 81 this were TO hap
non the fire authorities claim that there
would hc collapse in the middle. The
coors would fan through. IL the top floor
CAUGHT fire 30 would be compelled TO
burn. as no water could be carried up To-
81. Soon 10 would give way. Iron safes
heavy furniture and Office machinery
would crash through down TO the hoor
below This weakened 10y the spread
ING flames. would crash downward. and
thcn the building would Doe doomed.
The lower floors could not stand the
strain of the upper ones falling upon
them. Before the building could be
omptlcd the great loss of life would make
national horror
Builders and real estate owners have