The San Francisco call., 1906-05-20
AMENDMENTS
TO FIRE LAWS
Architect RoWeIl Suggests
Changes in Building
Ordinances.
Proposes improvements in
Both Brick and Steel
Construction.

Joseph w. Rowell of Armitage &
Rowell, architects, will, at the invi-
tation of the, reconstruction commit
Tee, submit at its meeting tomorrow a
number of suggestions in connection
with the revision Of the building and
fire ordinances. Rowell in an inter-
view relative to the changes which he
considers desirable said:
In the case of wooden frame build
ings the ordinance has up to the pres
ent time prohibited the use of ribbon
piece bearings for floor joists, prescrib-
ing the use of story lengths of stud
ding with wall plate bearings. A stiff
er frame can be constructed by ex-
tending the studdfng up in one length.
or when the height Of the building
makes that impracticable double stud
and break jointing can be utilized.
The practice of stopping off the
ends of diagonal wall boarding on the
floor levels should be discontinued and
the boarding extended past floors con-
tinuously, break jointing where neces-
sary above and below floors. Double
floors give great lateral stiffness and
bridging in place of herring bond
bridging, which latter works loose from
vibration and is usually not cut to the
proper level
FRAME BUILDINGS SLID.
II have observed that innumerable
frame buildings have slid bodily on the
foundation walls. showing that the eff
hciency Of building iron anchors into
the foundation and boiling down the
wall plates is commonly ignored in
practice. Many one and two story
dwellings with high Easements have
no cross partitions and having no
diagonal transverse bracing in the
basement could not resist a shock in
that direction.
Brick chimneys should have three
or four inches clear space all around
between the trimmer joists Of Turing
and brick so that strain may not be
communicated to the chimney at the
floor and roof lines due to the differ
ences in the inertia of the frame ahd
masonry. The flushing around the
chimney at the roof should be galvan-
lied iron apron let into a raggle joint
and sufficiently spread to oversail the
underfiushing and make it water tight
without connection. All foundation
posts and columns should be doweled
at top and bottom to prevent lateral
shifting from bearings.
AS to steel and masonry construc-
ton, would suggest that masonry
HreWallS, DaluStradeS and pedimentS
above the roof line on street fronts
should be eliminated and metal rail-
ings substituted. Heavily projecting
cornices and members should be OF
copper or other metal which can be
riye steel frames.
STRUCTURES SAFE.
II ~ -hquake has proven that the
well constructed steel skeleton struc-
lures are perfectly safe to the inmates,
but In future constructions of this
class greater attention should be paid
to the anchoring of the masonry cur
tain walls to the steel skeleton by
means of intermediate steel channel
studding and framing around openings
imbedded in the center of the masonry
walls and riveted to the girders carry
ing the exterior walls of each story.
"The practice of laying wooden
flooring over the fireproof floor arches
and of using wooden doors, castings,
window frames and standing finish in
buildings of class A construction
should be discontinued and metal
sheathed doors and. finish and even
furniture substituted as in the case of
the Kohl building, which suffered but
little from the fire while the other So
called fireproof buildings were gutted.
trust that these and other proposed
Improvements may not be overlooked
in the reconstruction which is about
to commence"