Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-16
10 REMEDY FIRES
DESIGNER OF IOWA CAPITOL DIS
cussEs MEANS OF PREVENT.
ING. FUTURE LOSS.

cUssEs MEANS OF PREVENT.
ING FUTURE LOSS.
In Technical Paper M. E. Bell Tells
of the Origin and Nature of the Fire
in State House at Des Moines and
Way to Make Building Fireproof.
M. r. Bell, one of the original de-
signers of the state capitol in the
course of an illustrated article in Fire.
PROOF, a magazine devoted to fireproof
construction, declares that the only
way to prevent a repetition Of the
state mouse fire is to tear out all COM
bustible material in the building and
make 1t absolutely flreproof. He es-
Inmates the damage at $125,00O and
gives a technical account of the origin
of the fire and damage. He says
in part:
The Iowa capitol building was COM
pleted and occupied during the winter
OF 1SS3-S4. The cornerstone was laid
in 1871 and at that time the general
plans had been completed and the es-
Inmates made involving an expendi-
ture of approximately S3,OO0.000.
AS a draughtsman I had worked
and assisted in the preparation of these
plans and specifications for Messrs.
Cochrane & Piquenard, who We're the
original architests, and after the build
ing was basement story high and upon
the death of Mr.. Piquenard, 1, in part
nership with William F. Hockney of
Des Moines, was appointed by the
complete the building.
Progress of the Times.
ut will be appreciated that thirty
three years ago we did not know as
much about freproof construction as
we do now, or as we did when the
building was completed in 1888. At
the later date steel was not in use for
structural work, and wrough-iron
beams, cast-iron columns and brick
arches were the best known fireproof
materials.
Before the building was read for
the roof work the subject, of terra cot
ia tile was brought to the attention of
the capitol commissioners and the ar
chitects. and after the most careful
consideration was adopted for the roof
sheathing, the blocks being about six
teen inches square, supported on T.
irons. and to which the slate were
nailed with the galvanized iron nails.
while all the main interior walls
We're constructed of brick in the up
per stories certain partitions and false
ceilings and ornamental girders for
architectural effect were constructed
with wooden Turing, studding and
wooden lath, and plastered with gyp-
sum plaster and ground coke cinders..
Decorative columns of sc&giG}a were
executed upon a framework of wood
and plaster.
The floors and ceilings proper We're
all OF wrought iron beams, girders
and brick arches, and where level or
not raised, as inSthe house and SEN
ate chambers, the brick arches We're
concerted level with wooden strips to
receive the wooden floors, the same
as is now in use.si
"All the work, therefore, which is
generally understood as false work,
was constructed with wood and plas-
ter, while the ventilating and fresh air
ducts were framed up and plastered
with the same material and connected
with the outlets by galvanized iron
ducts. There were no parts of this
false work which were left exposed to
y sAAAo
being the case, when / read in the
newspapers that fire had started in
the building and that the building was
doomed to destruction, / made up my
mind to visit the ruins as soon as
possible.
Where, the Fire Started.
at appeared that certain electricians
had been employed by the state Off
GERS to install their wires, and it was
during the progress Of this work that
the fire started, and when discovered
was located in the angle of a small
room across the hall in the rear Of the
hall of representatives and adjoining
the speakers room. The electrician
had cut an opening approximately 20
inches above the wainscoting of the
room in which to insert his cutoff box
and insert his wires.
"Th'e space into which he cut was
not an air duct at all. but the space
between the air duct. lined with gall
vanized iron and the corridor parti-
ton. The officers of the state exam
ined witnesses under oath the day af-
ter the fire and decided that the cleo
trician had used a lighted candle in
the work of installing his wires ana
left it burning to go to other parts of
the building and that is what started
the fire.
"The space into which the electrician
cut his opening, terminated at the floor
where the brick arches prevented
downward communication, but unfor-
tunately it connected at the top with
the false ceiling work over the gall
leries and main representative hall,
which, with the air supplied by
the fatal opening allowed the flames
to continue their work until it died
a natural DEATH without water to put
it out.
Died Natural Death.
IT have said that the fire died a
natural death. This is literally true,
as the fire department of the city
could not get water higher than the
floor of the hall of representatives.
At least, this was what was told me
by those who witnessed the efforts of
the fire department. The fire evil
IDENTIFY was arrested by the closing of
the doors leading to the air ducts,
under the stylobate of the dome, thus
combining the flames to the north wing
of the building
Previous to the closing of these
doors the smoke had penetrated
through and into the attic over the
east and west wings and into the dome
where it was seen escaping through
the lantern or cupola. The galvanized
iron ducts ventilated through the cuE
polas of the northwest and northeast
pavilion domes In that, at the north
west angle of the building the fire had
i OH -