New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-25
NOW SKYSCRAPERS STOOD BALTIMORE FIRE
sPCByTECTS md BUILDING EXPERTS F1IkLl ELL
SATISFIED BEST MEANS or FIRE REI1RDiN'''
CONCRETE OR THING.
Dissertations of Baltimore Of Fire
Results.

Baltimore Fe0. q Especial. -Architeets ara ou..a
inr experts ~ New-York and 'heaso' l'' -. -
= D. Bg-rham D.. t.. sharkland. D. ;. ii'fa
yFa--v n cue and Perez ~. stewart toiiiel'.
FuDerintendeut ~ the buildings hepai iil''S ''
,lsv--yorla have made careful INSPECTION o- 'l-
continental Trust Building. the bquila'.'r
MARYLAND and Union Trust buildings here ana are
fairly well satisfied with the manner DID winch ''..
tsyscrspors passed through tho fire
Tho RaIfirnaro couhaEratlou was the hrsi iea'
..st Of modern Hreuroof ellyscrapsr buildings ODD
fro Tor hours masses or flames from inc 'li--''-
blocks o. the west ~ It attacked me 'aif'I'--'-
lido 90 tl,r Continental Trust Building. and finally
rre viudov-s iu the trnth and twelfth stories were
smashed Hv the flaming debris driven before gale
o. wind Tho progress of the FIRE in this great
building Yves slow bat the heat was $50 intense liai
some 81 thc apron beams between the softs Of the
windows were marked and partly melted Ih'-
would indicate a heat OF 4s2 degrees.
Mr. Burnham declares that the hollow vie Hre-
r-ooerr % this building saved f. and other sky
sorspe-s Iio says that De- has carefully examined
,e sfoe structure ~ she Continental Building from
basement 10 roof. and finds 81 intact and good rs
when n was erected. The warped apron beams
Ns,,s nothing 20 do with the main structure and
they can he taken out story ny sioi2- "i'll'"' d.
secting the main structure.
Harry Cue. the NeV-Nork fire protection eaei-
,,ee- IN discussing the results OF The nre. SAID
The question is not iufreQuontly asked, is d. pos
20
,-oof- Al tho very outset ~ should he stated lAil
"a. ,e-rr .greI-oofr DEB speaking 81 q building, As
i. r,lenorncr. At the congress of IRE engineers III
r.on5or last wear it was decided that the term
.areproof' ga tho matter ~ the CONSTITUTION "'
buildings should be eliminated and that the term
Gre retariert' should be used in its stead u was
,be7 sustlv stated that great deal OF harm has
-, 5oro nv the term 'freprOof. Turning 10 our
question then 81 Il is possible 10 construct hie re-
tsrsent' buildings ] say that the great GONNA
grafton which has visited Baltimore forever an
tu,srs that question fn the affirmative
There were several buildings in the recent IRE
-birh demonstrate the possibility of erecting IRE
.,,te-5ort structures Even the Equitable Building,
she construction 81 which was not mp Go -aie' was
no, damaged in my opinion. more than /" per cent
II the steel construction is properly protected WIN
,f,,,- ,,oIlov- file or concrete the investment in
large structures II covered hy Insurance % ~ PCT
cent ~ tho cost Of the building rs safe ana If'-'
able one
CA H. Euson. an expert. who made "a thorough
Inspection of tho Calvert Buidiug. said.
Il rbinlz the alyace ou the Calvert viii amount
- rs rc- cent o. believe that building can be-
placed In as good condition as before che IRE AT 81
por cent ~ tho original cost feature OF me lTe
ir this building as On an OF the high buildings was
shat tho heat became more intense as II asetila''
Tho first floor ~ the Calvert is only slightly dam
Rged and throughout the whole structure i'ui'"
only one column which had bucklcd. This column
marble staircase has stood the test Of the IRE re-
markedly well This is the only building ln the
fire. district where such is tho case The hreprooi-
ing OF this building was excellent and the hollow
files here stood the test admirably or course, az
~ the wooden floors and fnishiugs viii have 70 be
replaced While tho marble In the Railways IS
broken and thrown down in many places. nearly all
az n can he used again
Mr. Euson also made an inspection Of the Equi-
table Building lie said OF this edince. The Equi-
bic is badly damaged on the interior and from
all could see the system of hreprooting was poor.
Had the steel construction Of this building been
protected a. well that in The Calvert the damage
would have been considerably less This shows that
great advance Is being made a. froDroolug. u they
had known as well ten wears ago as trey do to-
day how % protect the steel the damage TO thu
Equitable would have been inc0usiderabIe."
Washington Huh the New-Yorlz architect. de-
claros that the Baltimore fire demonstrates that
hollow filing is the best means for nreproonug
floors lie thinks that the tiliug in steel structures
does not adequately protect the beams. The arches
IN some cases arc down. and the tiles which were
supposed protect the iron have slipped Of. The
partitions are all down. and tie terra Gotta FIRE
nroofug on columns gave way iu many cases at the
floor. where a. mainly needed 10 protect the
columns which have I'm this case been touched by
the fire lie adds: we have 10 tud some better
means for nreproohng in the future. according to
my judgment
In speaking Of the skyscrapers Nr. Hun said that
SO had found that. ina THE case Of sgme ~ the
interior as well as the exterior columns. tho brick
covering had peeled off. demonstrating that tho
columns have been heated and expanded. lie also
says 1t Is an folly for any at present TO say
positively whether the framework is in condition
FOR reconstruction over 81 or not. outside iron
shutters have been shown TO be practically without
value Tor such a fire. have come 10 the conclu-
sion that concrete stood the fire much better than
terra Gotta, which c-umhled into dust in many
places under the heat Al the United States Fldel-
ity and Guaranty Building. where concrete floors.
with reinforced concrete columns were placed
inside OF the old brick walls found excellent
condition. The old brick wallis have bulged out.
leaving the concrete standing intact the floors like
table top set upon legs formed by the concrete
columns"