Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-06-09
NO TALL BUILDINGS WANTED.
Berlin Authorities Forbid Construction
OF Skyscraper5.


The German government will not
consider any American idea as to the
construction of buildings in her cities
and only recently refused a petition
from the Central Association of Ger
man Industrials. which asked that the
present building laws be so far relaxed
as to allow steel framed buildings OF
more than twenty-five meters GAS
feet in height to be erected
Frank Fl. Mason, United States consul
general at Berlin, Germany, in sending
his report TO the state department.
says that the ministries are opposed 20
any system OF building which Will lead
TO an increase In the number OF large
buildings divided into q great number
of small apartments or tenements,
which are leased to families OF work
ing people, with the result that a great
number ef Of hath 4ssxas nd
all ages are huddled together under
conditions which are necessarily sub
versiye OF normal family. life and
~prejudicial 10 public morals.
Buildings 50 high as to be beyond
the level of the present water supply
could not be made clean and sanitary.
Any important increase in height be-
You'd the present limit would put the
upper stories OF the buildings beyond
the protection OF the fire department
as at present equipped and organized.
Whatever might be the material inter-
ests involved, says Mr.. Mason. the min
istries held themselves bound TO con-
slider and protect not only the archltec-
tural unity and beauty OF the city, but
the health and the moral and physical
safety of the people. all of which would.
in their opinion, be compromised by
the propCs q Innovation.
With this result" says Mr.. Mason.
the authors of the petition are by no
means satisfied and have replied that
they had o proposed to carry build
ings In Berlin to the excessive heights
which are common in the United
S'ates. and that had the desired per-
sion been granted. II would have
b. , provided by careful and compe-
to- engineering that all the require
ments OF Are protection, water supply
and every sanitary necessity should b.
carefully and completely met. More
over, ia regard TO resistance TO confla-
grafton, at Baltimore high steel-fram-
ed buildings. which offer least food for
a fire, fully indicated thei- superior
safety ard were left standing like
manuments amid The wide waste OF
the ruins OF four and five story blocks
built OF stone and brick in the ordinary
way.
Thus the discussion stands at pres
ent, and IL does not appear likely that
the ministries. fortified as they are by
considerations OF municipal beauty and
public health and safety, will recede
from their present position. 1t Is diff
ficult to persuade German conserya-
tism.i In SO important a matter as the
architectural construction of cities,
with arguments drawn from expert
ence I'm a country which like our own
has paid during the past twenty five
years an average annual tribute OF
1925. 000. 900 to the u or fire. and
which for the losses of the current year
1904 must pay nearly OF quite double
that sum. However little OF our an
nual holocaust the SIX yscraper' may
BE- responsible for. the fact that il Is
q distinciyely American type OF con-
structior will not recommend II to
European municipalities"