The Washington times., 1907-09-22
TALL BUILDINGS
SAFE FROM FIRE,
ARCHITECTS SAY
Blaze Would Be Con
fined to Floor at Most.
One Thinks.
Builder Shows Skyscrap-
erS' Frames That With
stood Baltimore Fire.

NEW YORK. Sept. 21.-Georse ".
Babb. president of the New York board
OF fire underwriters, has Caused a sem
sahon by prophesyfng that the financial
district OF New York city would sorae
day be wiped out by FIRE. Skyscrapers,
said Mr.. Babb. are getting too high.
ard their height Is a source Of danger
Builders and architects do not agree
with his belief that lofty buildings, in
themselves hreproof, can help on a con-
Migration. They say. on the other
hand. that the more hreproof buildings
there are-and every skyscraper put up
these days is fireproof-ths less liable
is the congested downtown section to
DC devastated. In enect, they say.
every fully protected structure is
barrier TO the spread Of heat and flames.
Two Billions in Property.
Some estimates put the value Of the
buildings and their contents on the
lower end Of Manhattan Island at two
! billion dollars. It is Of greatest I'M
portance that this vast aggregation OF
/ property snail be SAFE. and the men who
/ own Il have not been asleep. The own
ers and the builders know that the first
requisite IS not size or height OF beauty,
/ but that IL Is absolute safety. Every
| thing elsa Is sacrificed 10 that
Nicholas lie Brun is architect Of the
/ building that is to be the h ghest in the
| world, even higher than TIE Singer
building This record breaker-to-be IS
| the tower OF the Metropolitan Life In
surance building. at Madison avenue
] ana Twenty-fourth street II will have
! forty-eight stories above ground and
two below ground, Atty In all Mr.
lie Brun IN regard 10 Mr.. Babb's re-
marks said:
High Buildings Safe.
In my opinion, Mr.. Babo's idea IS 8
mistaken one he is undoubtedly sin
| cere. but thorough study OF the structural
| qualities OF the modern high building
| should convince any man that the sky
| scrspers are a hiDdrance 70 fire Tho
scIsrce OF freproohng has reached such
perfection In New York that there is
almost no chance OF disaster in the
downtown district-that is, as far as the
high buildings themselves are concerned.
More and more the trimmings. and even
! The contents Of buildings. are being made
! freproof. That window sill (Mr. lie
Brun pointed toward the window mar
his desk). is metal and cannot burr
| Look at that cabinet OF drawers; that
| Is made Of metal, too. Walls and noors.
are made OF material that is unbuTn-
able.
In a thoroughly hreproofed building.
! II a fire started. Il would be confined TO
one room, or 10 one floor at most"
Paul Starrett. of the Fuller Construc-
ton Company, perhaps the largest build
| ing concern il the metropolis. says:
Il am surprised that Mr.. Babb, fam
Il!ar as he should be with the records Of
great fires. could have made the asser-
uoa that the modern high building is
dangerous as a fire risk. All experience
has proven the opposite; IL has been
the skyscrapers that have stopped the
spread OF fires-that have stayed where
every other building passed away
Withstood Baltimore Fire.
The builder here directed attention
TO huge photograph on the wall, which
showed the district burned over in the
BaItislore fire, with skyscrapers still
standing. These lofty structures alone
Withstood the heat OF the connagrat1on,
their frames being totally unchanged.
The highest building now standing Is
the Singer. Not yet finished. 1t already
fovertops the hitherto record-breaker, the
Park Row building. The architect is
Ernest Flagg. Some years ago Mr.
Flagg opposed the erection of skyscrap-
ers. b 1t now appears as the designer Of
one forty-sevtn stories high. He could
not stop the skyward tendency. and 30
he fell IN with his brethren. Asked to
state what re thought of Mr.. Bahb's
statement, he SAID:
Il think that Mr.. Babb. in some re-
spects. Is right. There are high build
ings which are not fireproof. These are
those which have entirely too much wood
in them And that kind IS dangerous
But If a skyscraper has nothing about
ii thatfcan burn, why, naturally, It can't
burn