The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-28
Precautions Against Fire.

Builders of modern office and other bust
ness buildings are constantly striving to
the end of making them fire-proof The
perfectly fire-proof building probably does
not exist, since it always occurs that more
or less of infiammable materials are either
used in the structure or stored in it after
it is completed. There are, however num-
bers of business houses which may be
called comparatively proof against fire.
But what is being done in the way of
rendering the average dwelling house safe
from the fire fiend? A writer in the Engi-
neering Magazine, who asks the question
answers, almost nothing More than
one-quarter of the number of fires which
occur in residences, he says, drawing his
information from official data, are caused
by defective hues and heating apparatus
Defective fiues, he says, are permitted in
dwellings, especially those which are con-
structed to be rented as an investment
because of the fact that poor hues can
be built cheaper than good ones. Wedges
or joists are permitted to rest in the brick
work of chimneys in close proximity to
tireplaces, and the flues of heaters are run
wherever it is most convenient to place
them at the least possible cost 1t would
seem, says the writer in the Engineering
Magazine, that cheapness, and seldom
safety, were made the consideration
Chimneys, he says, should always be built
from the ground, and framed around. The
house proper should never touch them,
and there should be brick, mortar, sand.
terra Gotta or other conductors of
heat, between the body of the house and
the chimney or other flue.
In the average dwelling, very little
thought is taken of building so as to
retard combustion in the event of the
house taking fire. All of the walls are
built with an inner and an outer casing,
leaving an air space between, which be-
comes a shaft, produces a strong draught
in case of fire; and these shafts, reaching
from the ground floor to roof, take the
fire through the hight of the house in a
surprisingly short space of time If the
hollow walls were obstructed at intervals.
the draught would be broken, if not de-
stroyed, and the progress OF combustion
would thus be greatly delayed. Where
combustion is retarded, the chances of
suppressing the fire are correspondingly in
creased
II is not probable that dwelling houses
having even comparative immunity from
fire viii be constructed in this section of
the country for long time to come. There
is nothing which can approach pine. cy-
press and oak as building materials in
cheapness and adaptability to the wants
of the average house builder Wood will
! continue 10 be used, by both private own
ers and owners who build for renting. At
the same time, every precaution which is
taken against fire is public as we'll as
private benefacton. The fire loss in Sa-
vannah, Tor instance, has been a heavy
| drain upon the community directly and
Indirectly. More careful construction
might reduce this loss. or at least assist
toward that end The matter of more
| careful construction should have the
consideration of all persons building
houses, either in the capacity of owners
or contractors. The suggestions embraced
in the foregoing would not involve a great
deal of Increase in expenses of house
building. They are in line with the old
adage, IAN ounce OF prevention is worth
a pound of cure"