The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1907-10-12
Sea Coast Echo.
FIRE PROOF BUILDINGS.

mitting none but. brick buildings to be
erected within certain business terri
tory and known as. the "Fire District"
is one that should become universal,
and the benefits to accrue therefrom are
numerous, general and minute. The
advantages need no dwelling on here,
and the most hazardous risk If there be
any) would be reduced to the minimum
insurance rate of today.
The writer, a few years since, visited
the beautiful city of Denver, COL, and
the attraction, besides Natures liberal
gift, to that chosen locality of Gods
handiwork is the solidity of the appear
ance of that city, where every building,
from the center of the city to the reno
test parts of the outer limits, is con-
structed of brick; the business houses
of stone. Every dwelling, every out
house, is of brick, and the city's immu-
nifty from fire is a satisfaction enjoyed
by those only who reside there or own
property in that city.
Gulfport is the only town on the Gulf
Coast with 'tfire limit, and soon, as
new buildings are erected in that city,
the commercial center will have nothing
but solid, and the most attractive, build
ings, which, in addition to the large
degree of safety thus had from the ele-
ment of fire, is an asset to attract the
investor, the home seeker and the visi-
tor contemplating location, Bay St.
Louis, if such be practicable, too,
should have its fire limits, if not its alb
solutely fire proof buildings; for recent
history of only few years has taught
a dear lesson and one that should be
needed for the future,
Sooner or later the people of the
United States will become reconciled to
the idea of making buildings fireproof.
The decreasing supply of timber will
make necessary continually larger use
of stone, cement, brick and steel; so
that, viewed from one standpoint, the
problem of fireproof construction will
tend to solve itself. But this process of
improvement under compulsion is too
slow. There is growing demand for
buildings that will not burn, from mo-
tive of safety and economy. The neces-
sity of using incombustible materials
and building according to design that
tend to prevent the starting and spread
of fires, is forcing itself upon property
owners.
Figures submitted by the Interna-
tional Society of Municipal Building
Commissioners show the tremendous
cost of careless building. We are told
that the tax in life and property values
in this country as result of fire is 700
per cent. more than that of any other
country. The cost of fire, including
fire departments, insurance premiums,
so-called curative agencies and other
incidentals, is given as $500, 200, 900 a
year, although our total construction of
new buildings is only S575, 100000 a
year. This fire tax is more than the
total annual production of gold, silver
and coal, and more than four times the
dividends paid by all our great railway
systems. Fire alone, eliminating insur-
ance, protection and everything else,
costs the United States 81 year per
capita. Side by side with this is the
fact that we have destroyed 5000 human
lives by fire in years time.
Undoubtedly the greater part of this
immense waste of money and lives could
be prevented by proper construction of
houses, factories and business blocks.
Such construction would not only cost
little more than the usual combustible
building in the first place, but would
result in real economy in the long run.
A report of the building commission re-
ferred to says:
ga building of steel frame and hollow
fireproofing tile, or of structural re-
enforced concrete protected from flre by
tile, costs but a fraction over 10 per
cent. more in first cost than does the
usual franz of wood with wooden joists
and studs. The life of such framing is
infinitely longer than the old wood af-
fair, the cost of maintenance IS less, so
Is the insurance Idtcs eaiu, esh III 1iis Ah
very few years. time, good construc-
ton not only means safety, but an actual
economy. The enclosing of stairways
and elevator wells, the protection of
windows and skylights with wired glass,
the making of building fireproof in
design costs nothing more in money
than the cheap fire traps, but is merely
the expenditure of little intelligence
IN tho mart af the architects.
asLooked at fairly" says the Ame-
Iican Architect, the leading architectu-
raj journal of the country, sit Is the
community at large that is the culprit,
since it suffers fires to take place,
when it really has the power to prevent
them. 1t looks calmly on at the expen-
diture of millions annually millions
that come out of its own pockets for the
maintenance of imperfectly effective
fire departments; and, yet, il but half
of the money spent in this way had
been used in the difference in cost be-
tween combustible and incombustible
construction, the greater part of our
cities would now be indestructible.'
MIR. w. II. Mayhin, OF Gulfport, who
has been In low state of health for
s-snme months, left last week for Los
Angeies, CAL, where he will spend the
winter. Mr.. MaybiR.was accompanied
M