New-York tribune., 1903-03-23
REAL FIREPRoOFING.
A Correspondent Points Out the Responsible
itY Of Architects.

To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: In the editorial column Of this days Trib-
une under Dangers of Skyscra pnrs." you refer to
remarks Of Mr.. George B. Post before the Nine
teenth Century Club the dangers OF our mod
ern skyscrapers
AS skyscrapers are daily increasing In number 1t
devolves upon the architect designing the same TO
avail himself OF every safeguard which the expert
gained in previous fires and the tests mace
by different bodies. chemists ETC. show to be et-
cient and thereby of the evil day predicted
by Mr.. Post. Take two instances OF recent occur
rence-the Park Avenue Hotel fire and that IN the
Roosevelt Building. Roth these structures were
presumed to be freproof; both had segmental terra
floors soIidly constructed, almost indestruct-
ibe by fire, which came through the ordeal un-
scathed vet in each building were found derects ot
construction to which the subsequent loss Of bota
life and property is clearly traceahle: and those
defects could have been easily and cheaply pre-
vented by the use Of proper freproof material. IN
the Park-ave. case the wooden lath partitions IN
the hall and rooms. the wooden trimming OF the
elevator etc. when reached by the flames, giving
out dense smoke sufocated the victims; in the
Roosevelt fire the iron columns supporting lle
roofs being unprotected by any freproof material
speedily collapsed bringing down the arch ana
crushing the fremen.
The cry again is that corroston or the steer
members Of our skyscrapers will eventually eat
out the life of the metal. General sooy-smith al
lowing twenty-five years, and Mr.. Toch but fifteen
In the PaH@Iaf foT f fota BY
corrosion such members. and necessarily the COL
ESperiments designed to secure some preventive
OF corrosion clearly show that liquid portland &C.
nent, or as Mr.. Toch calls 1t, an aqueous mixture
OF cement prevents corroston OF steel SO wiz IA
metal while the concrete Is quite wet: Edison aiSo
Endorses the claim. Having thus safeguaroed ttle
metal members from corroson ana QIoIeII QIoI
iron columns by some freproot material seloner %
porous terra Gotta a proper mixture OF CON
crete1 it remains to provide that the parttlonss IS
6iTales oonne 0f IRE n within Such bounds Partitions Of
lath, either wood or metal. ana pIaSter I'd 80 80
often proved unreliable: will those or teri l !
Gotta or any other freproof material II const-Hca
as We often see thern-but part way up to the cell
ing and continued by wooden sashes win M M
class panes The fireprOOf portion Stands, Dut IHe
fect designed by the freproof partition IS lost a
freproof partition should start from the moor q
itself and be continuous to the ceiling openings
for light should be provided by metal sashes Win
Our present building code and the underwriters
are doing their share toward prev ets " VI
hut II rests primarily the arChtect hllIse!I
# is not alone incumbent upon him to design WIN
al necessary reprOOf features, but also cIoSeIy
sIneTvise the construction itself and to see tnat
the material specified by him is used Take con
crete for example. That word denotes 70 ire
architect compound of one part PortIahd
sag broken stone or good cnders To the orqi-
narT observer basing his definition upon EAat ne
sees called concrete. the word COnnoteS az soLs
Of mfXtures-sorne OF them undreamed OF oy It me
orcti+act When collapstng concrete floors result
frono +Fe 11sa Of such material; when entre sec
tioas Of segmental hollow tile arches utnaT IN m@ m@
by the fire. collapse through the IaiiS ~ biPrna
tected iron columns. on whom shouId the pldlll0
rest? - 49,. 5-.o5+,,1 rossi-
bilities' is the duty OF the arcle%ft % -rooIfnI 70
rGssbiiitj9s Marrb is I93. VERITAs