The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-11
HOW TO FIGHT FIRES
ENDANGERING A HOME,
Careessness Causes and Permits to Spread Nearly all
that Should Be Invariably Observed
Livery Member of Family Should Know Location Of
Nearest Fire Alarm Usefulness of Hand Chemical
Extinguishers

the avoidance of materials that, tho
not combustible, are Manageable and in
deed destructible by fire and heat, or it j
we use them, then so protecting them
with materials that are not so damage /
able, that is, brick, terra Gotta and tile,
that hire cannot get at these Manageable
parts: ;, Under the heading Of such de.
stones, steel, iron, cement, slate, marble
and glass. The ideal building is one
whose materials have in their manu-
facture passed thru far greater heat
than that to which they can ever be
subjected in any conf1agration, however
intense. -.
Mr.. Fitzpatrick notes that few cot
tages costing about $4,000 that were
made thoroly of freproof have been put
up recently in Pittsburg. He then de-
scribes an ideally Greproof house as one
whose outer walls are of brick or tile;
indeed, even the commonest brick can
be covered with stucco and made very
attractive. Strange, how very little
enameled brick is used; few materials
more beautiful can be given a greater
variety of color, are as effective, or cost
less than that splendid brick. If eX-
ternal ornament be much desired, then
make the decorations Of terra Gotta or
nodded cement; even the latter is much
preferable to stone or granite, which 60
all to pieces in a good hot fire., Cover
the roof with tile, or if you can't stand
the expense, and like the single effect
| of your forefathers, use. an asbestos
| single that looks for all the world like
| wood, costs but trifle more, lasts for
ever, requires no painting, and is better
than any slate, tin or composition that
has yet been put on the market. ;.
| The interior partitions should be OF
freproof tile. It is easier to plaster, it
takes less of it, besides being fireproof
and adding greatly to the warmth of
the house in winter and its GOODNESS In
summer, not to mention that there can
be no cracks in the plaster and no set
thing or unsightly shrinking. The floors
should be constructed of wide span tile
construction; no steel beams are re-
| CURED, the floors are. sound proof, abb
solutely vermfn proof, substantial and
easily constructed. The finished floor
should be cement, or tile, or marble II
in preference to wood that is unsanitary
as we'll as fruitful means OF carrying
fire from room to room. =. e IL.
The interior finish should be plastic as
much as possible. Soon we will have
doors, sash, baseboards, etc, made OF
asbestos that looks just like wood and
costs in most case less than the wood it
initiates. But if that will be too radi-
cal step forward for you, then use
wood in your interior finish, but use it
sparingly, avoid all those paneled cell
ings, high wainscots and wonderfully
constructed stairways, and in the finish
of the wood use freproof paint or take
being too fruitful an agent in carrying
fire.. .- ...-~. $50. ...a.. ~.
-. Allow no vertical openings thru your
floor, enclose your stairways and put
freproof automatically closing doors at
each landing. 1t will be little trouble
at first to open door every time you g; 60
house, fire almost invariably starts
from the basement or kitchen and In
minute Is up to the top of the house
or at least the upper stories are sufto
eating. with smoke, and the drafts vii!
H92w and th ls q IS enated
incipient fire is confined to the place
; where it starts. Neither smoke nor fir
goes up the stairway. Besides you
house will be easier to heat. When 70,
are down stairs with company, for IN
stance, you will not hear all that l
going on up stairs. 1t mas a thousan !;
advantages, so close up all your stal
wells. ~ . >,
stair question, Mr. Fitzpatrick estimate
that the open stairway adds about Il
per cent to the housekeeper' s cares
worry and inconvenience, and an add q
= ton of 10 per cent to the fuel bill
u "Altogether, he says, CT consider tn
= :, open stair we'll one of the worst TEA
> ures in modern house construction
menace. to life, health, comfort an
l peace Of mind Besides, by enclosin
! your stairway you can make it serv
u all the purposes of the house, and b
y, properly locating it you can do ava
I I with back stairs, servants stairs an
all that sort Of thing that normally cal
d ~ d Wy 'on'A-''l'