The San Francisco call., 1906-05-21
SUGGESTS FIRE
DISTRICT PLAN
Says There Should Be
Class A, B and c
Sections.
Even Best Buildings Men
aced Unless Seq
regated.

The following article on how to
make class A buildings fireproof and
also concerning the fire limits was
written by p. H. Bosworth:
The history of all fires, both large
and small, where the class A con-
struction has been involved, has
proved that flreproof- buildings Will
burn, and burn readily, and all the
fire resisting qualities that architects
and engineers can devise will prove
ineffective so long as the building laws
will permit a wooden building to be
erected adjacent to or even across the
widest street from a freproof struc-
ture.
By a wooden building is meant a
class c structure, which, to all intent
and purposes, Is a wooden building,
being, as II is, merely q brick shell
filed with wood. 1t is most certainly
possible to add more f1reproofing quail
tiles TO class A buildings than they
now possess, but only al the expense
Of comfort and elegance and archi-
tectural beauty. This is not a condi-
ton to be desired IL 1t can possibly
be avoided and it can be avoided by
some such arrangement Of the fire
limits suggested in the following: To
make the class A building as it stands
necessary to divide the fire limits into
districts: Glass A district, class B dis
trict and class C district.
This does not change the boundary
OF the IRE limits in any respect; 1t
merely means that in class A dis
trict no class B or buildings can
be built; in class B district no class
c buildings can be built; however, this
does not prevent class A buildings
being built in class B and C districts,
or class B buildings in class C dis
trict.
The district should be arranged
something as follows: Glass A dis
trict, both sides OF Market street,
from First to Ninth; both sides Of
each street branching into Market
street for varying districts to be de-
cided later on, and no one or both
sides Of streets parallel to Market and
intersecting the streets branching into
Market street where these streets are
in the class A district for one or more
blocks.
Glass B construction should sur
round the above formation one or
more blocks deep as a barrier against
fire from the class c district. The
class district should have more
stringent regulations, making the
The balance of the fire limits could
be given over to class C construc-
ton, with this exception, that no busi-
ness or manufacture OF a hazardous
nature be allowed within the fire linn
its.
In effect this arrangement would
mean that no fire could possibly start
in the district given over to class A
construction. Any danger from fire
therefore would have to come in from
the outside through the class B dis
trict. The danger of fires gaining
headway in the class B district is
slight, as the semi-fireproof construc-
tion is a great retardent; therefore the
only danger from fire to the class A
and B districts would come from the
class c district.
A fire starting in the class c dis
trfct would have very little chance.
even under the worst conditions. as
there would be no alI-frame structures
to spread the flames and if enough
solid walls were interposed between
buildings each building in class C dis
trict to have at least one or two
solid walls as necessary from top to
bottom of building without an open
Ing, as a fire check, the flames could
be confined, without water to one or
block, but allow that fire gained
enough headway in the class dis
trict to reach the class B district it
would have to burn through two or
more blocks of semi fireproof con-
struction before it could reach the
class A district which is a practical
impossibility: but stretching the i'm
agination to the utmost, If a fire did
work its way through the class B dis
trict it would necessarily be so weak
that it would have absolutely no eff
feet on the class A construction, ever
as it is now built.
! This plan then would obviate tho
necessity Of disfiguring class A build
ings with wire glass, fireproof shut
ters and metal-encased doors, castings
window frames, etc, which at the besl
are extremely ugly. and would maks
ii possible to continue finishing the
finest buildings with the handsomest