Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-02-22
CONCRETE STANDS
FIRE The BEST
NEW YORK BUILDER MAKES A
VALUABLE REPORT.
STEEL FRAMES DO WELL
But Concrete Is Best of AII-Value of
Hollow Blocks and Web as Fire
proofing Materials-Plate Glass
No impeachment to Fire Great
Structures Cited.

New York, Feb. 19.-Theodore Star.
ret, president of the Thompson-Star-
rett company of New York, whose
business is the erection of skyscrap-
ers and other buildings, returned
from Baltimore, where he went to
make a personal examination of the
results of the fire there. Starrett's
visit was for the purpose of seeing
how modern steel skeleton, fireproof
buildings withstood the fierce heat of
so serious a fire and determine If pos
sible what is necessary TO make such
structures more secure against SINH
lar fires.
The principal structures of this
class which Mr.. Starrett examined
were: The Union Trust company
building, erected about six years ago;
Calvert, five years ago; Contineh-
four years ago; and Equitable, ten
years ago.
Mr.. Starretts observations as to
the effect of exceedingly high temper
allure on one of these buildings may
be summed up as follows:
The steel frames stood the test
well.
That practically no harm was done
steel structure where it was ade-
quately protected by bricks, cement
or hollow blocks"
That of the building materials,
stone, brick, terra Gotta, and hollow
blocks" brick endured far and away
the most satisfactorily.
That plate glass did not impede the
fire at all, melting and exposing the
interior early.
That every web in hollow blocks
is an additional protection.
That concrete stands the test best
of all fireproofing materials.
That terra Gotta is easily destroyed.
His suggestions for lettering the
construction of fireproof buildings in
the future include the following:
Use as much brick as possible
Encase every steel column with
hollow blocks" having at least two
webs.
Use more brick on the outside; the
Chicago law, while good. permits too
thin a wall.
Outside window frames of metal
and smaller panes.
Doors of metal.
Cement floors.
Castings of cement.
Fireproof furniture.
Hollow Blocks and Web.
OF the terms used hollow blocks"
and web" perhaps are the only ones
which need to be explained TO lay
men. Hollow blocks are burnt clay
material with perforations in them,
which are used in fireproof buildings
between floors, making the ceiling
the floor of the story above. Every
one has seen them stacked up about
buildings in course of construction.
The hole in them making the air
space is called the web"
Mr.. Starrett said there are two gen
clay and cement. Cement is the
most perfect but most expensive, and
burnt clay that in most general use.
TIE National Firepl oofing company,
a Pittsburg concern, controls practi |
cally all the burnt clay materials. De-
scribing the effect of the Baltimore
fire. Mr.. Starrett said:
THE Union Trust company's ten
story was the most exposed of any
of the new fireproof buildings. In
addition to being subjected to the
fiercest part of the fire, dynamite was
exploded just across from it. doing
damage it would not otherwise have
suffered | found that the steel skel-
eton of this building was practically
unframed