Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-05

ture. one that will not only not burn. but
is absolutely indestructible and unaffected
by fire. is one whose walls are of brick and
terra Gotta, the roof of tile. the floors and
partitions of well-burned, hollow, f1reproof
tiles. all materials that have already, In
the process of manufacture, gone through
far greater heat than they can ever again
be subjected to. The structural part of
such buildings, for lightness sake, is made
of steel, but this steel must be thoroughly
covered with cement to prevent rust and at
mospheric effects. and thoroughly protected
with hollow fireproof tile.
Dangerous Expedients.
Now. them such a building is fireproof and
indestructible, but people. naturally. in an
endeavor to get up something equally as
good" have resorted to all sorts of expe-
dents and limitations. We have "hreproof'
systems galore: floors built of wire support
ing monoliths of cinder concrete, partitions
of composition materials and the Lord
knows what not, that, very true, VIII not
burn themselves, are non-combusuble. If
you wish. but that are nevertheless affected
by fire to a most dangerous extent and Of
ten collapse by reason of their own inherent
weakness or faulty construction, gwen with
out any action of fire. l can give list s
long my arm of buildings of so-called
concrete construction that have collapsed,
and with fatal results. during the past few
years. In Europe they have carried con-
crete construction 10 q larry S1LlSIdClOIS
point. Time doesn't enter into their calcu-
lation as it does here; concrete is very care
fully mixed and is allowed proper time to
set Concrete flooring does not properly
set under years time. yet hereabout they
remove the wood centerings In very rev
days The schemes are a best experimental
and the records show the disastrous results
that have followed in the wake of this eX-
peTimentation.
Bad Local Building.
Washington is the very hotbed of this
sort of thing. The Willard and a few of
the larger buildings have been thoroughly
fireproofed, but the great number of flats,
apartment houses and such structures are
built of this. that and the other concrete
scheme. l am credbly informed that the
clnder concrete in one building was made
very largely of ashes. ifnot. in~eed from the
garbage pile; that In another the construc-
ton was poor that a section of floor fell
out when the wood centering was removed,
and that elsewhere the floors Sagged as
much as four inches when those wood CEN
tiers We're taken out. The foreman of one
building, an intelligent man, and one accus
toned to building, told me that he was
glad when it was completed and he could
get out, for the concrete that had been used
was of so poor a quality that he feared for
his life every day he was in the building.
That the city of Washington has not been
the scene of some dire catastrophe can be
attributed. 1 frml- believe, more to fortu-
tous accident than to good management.
and II The Star will continue upon the lines
1t has started out to follow IN the editorial
/ allude to. and use hammer and tongs in
propaganda, a crusade. a campaign in ia
vor of sound construction, strict building
laws and their rigid enforcement here at
home, 1t will contribute more to It's con-
stituents' safety, profit and peace of mind
than-well let US say, an equal number of
pages devoted to the issues in the forth
coming national campaign important as the
latter may be. f. w. FITZPATRICK.