New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-09
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
CONCRETE IN BALTIMORE FIRE.

To the Editor Of The Tribune
ST.: ! am much interested in the communication
which appeared In your issue Of to-day signed by
William Clendenin. Editor OF the Fireproof Pub
fishing Company. of Chicago I am especially in
terested in your comments attached 10 the com
rnlnicauon, and take the liberty 20 differ from
YOU IN your observations as well as from the
writer of the communication. I should not regard
Mr. C-endenln an expert" His Judgment does not
seem TO be unprejudiccd lie is the editor OF a
paper devoted 10 the advocacy Of hollow tile FIRE
PROBING; and. what is more he uses language when
treating OF this subject tending 20 mslead his read
ers- In the last sentence I refer TO his comment
upon what he pleases TO term concrete" IN the
great Continental Trust building In Baltimore He
refers later In his communication TO the fact that
this Continental building was freproofed on the
tile system. and in his paragraph touching on the
subject he SAYS that the writer" has now in his
possession a sample Of cnder concrete which he
carried away in newspaper and which he can
crumble at will.
Let me enlighten your readers BY saying that the
structural portion of the floors in the Contiuen tai
Irust Company's building built Of hollow tile
ana the so-called concrete which he refers to was
nothing less than the cinder fiji nut on ton Of the
hollow tile blocks TO fill up a void between that and
'he wooden floors There may have been barrel
OF TWO OF cement used with the cinders. and the
contractor may have called it concrete but ia the
strict language o. the building fraternity. it
I'LL and nothing else. II was not Intended to
carry pound Of weight in a structural sense. If
~.I1Nec the contractor % nut IN very poor article
HE writer visited Baltimore also. and he saw
much OF the exhibition which enabled your CORE
sponqeIt OF February IS TO come 10 the conclusion
which he did.
! am going to combat Mr.. CIcndenin's statement
regarding the Fidelity. Casualty and Guarantee
hullalng by saying that 7 have my desk a door
KNOB or what could be recognized such. pic ked
Up on The first floor OF the building after the fire
mere was heat enough 20 have melted this into 4
mere mass. and l viii undertake to say that there
was not as much concrete broken down by the fire
on SGe hrst floor of that building would FIJI Mr..
tlenceIlius hat The building thus referred to was
20 iealltA reinforced stone concrete building.
erected within pair of old and much by time
DICK walls It consisted Of columns. beams and
Lnors or reinforced concrete but carried the weight
inoerenGcnt OF the brick walls. II FIVE stories
hle1. ana every other building IN the entire block
was mere pile Of bricks after the fire. This one
was standing fun height, Notwithstanding large
portions or the side walls Of brick well front
wall OF cast iron had fallen away. leaving abso-
iut"ly Intact all the concrete construction. Photo
graphs IN several OF the technical journals show
this fact 10 the world.
This was not the only instance Of good perform
aucc oy concrete. Mr.. Clendenin. posing an eV-
pert. mslnaQs your readers when he says that
there was only one in the test. The National Bank
gf Commerce VS. built with cinder concrete floors,
and the intelligent students OF the fire 30 showed
most excellent results FIRE retarding material
] confess that am engaged In the concrete fire.
prooGug business. but do not pose as an expert
] think. however. that your readers are entitled to
a fair representation OF both sides Of the case.
MERRILL WATSON.
New-York March .. 1904
IAN OF which goes 10 confirm the opinion al
ready expressed by The Tribune that experts
continue 20 differ to-day. as they did before the
Baltimore fire. about the relative merits Of con-
crete and tHinS as fire resisting material