The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-21
FIRE TESTS MADE
 ID PREVENT LOSS
Government Engineers Experi-
 ment With Building Materials
BRICK STAND TEST WELL
Natural Stone and Concrete Suffer Most From Fire Test, While Fly draulic Pressed Brick Is
 Found To Be Best.

Washington. D. C., April 2O.--(Special)- The conflagration at Chelsea, Mass, last Sunday, which rendered 10,O0O persons homeless and resulted in a property loss of several million dollars following as it did closely upon the heels of the Boy ertown, Pa, and Collinwod, O., holo- causts with their terrible loss of life, has added much significance to the fire tests of building materials that have been conducted recently by the United States geological survey in behalf of the gov ernment.
 The federal government owner of buildings valued at more than half a billion dollars, and spending $20. .cO0,OOO every year for new structures throughout the country, conducted these tests in order that it's architects and engineers may have definite information concern ing the fire resisting qualities of the diff ferent materials of construction to the end that the governments buildings may be properly safeguarded from fire within and without.
 The government engineers have long eontended that with present methods of construction a conhagration resulting in the destruction of millions of dollars worth of property and the sacrifice of human life is possible in every city of any size in the country. Their position has been proved in a tragic manner by the Baltimore fire, the fire following the earthquake in San Francisco, and that in Chelsea just the other day.
 Fireproof Buildinos.
 It is the belief of the engineers that these great fires are unnecessary and can be prevented by the erection of proper fireproof buildings. The govern ment does not insure it's buildings against loss by fire, but bends its enegres to- ward making the structures fireproof. A small fraction of what would be paid to insurance companies in premiums is being spent in finding out the materials that are best adapted to resist fire.
 The first of a series of elaborate tests has just been completed by the structural materials laboratories of the geological survey, under the direction of Richard L. Humphrey, engineer in charge. The tests were conducted at the Fire Under writers laborat' ries in Chicago and were made possible by the cooperation of the National Board of Fire Underwriters and u. National Fire Protection association. Thirty panels of various building ma terials, including concrete building blocks, common hydraulic pressed and sand lime brick concrete of graNsl, cinder, lime stone and granite; gla2rd building and partition terra cotta tile; sandstone. granite and marble building stone were tested The materials were subjected to the direct application of heat for two hours and were then immediately quench- ed with water. An effort was made to obtain maximum temperature of 17OO degrees Fahrenheit within half an hour after starting the tests and to maintain this temperature as nearly as possible constant through the succeeding half hours.
 Test of Materials.
 The building materials were placed in a sliding panel, which, when arranged for the fire. tests, formed one side of : the furnace. In the furnace gas flames were forced by a blast of air against one side of the panel. After two hours the panel was brought from the furnace anG the water turned on from a hose with a pressure of 30 pounds to the square inch.
 The conditions under which these tests were made were unusually severe, and as none of the materials passed perfect ly, it proved a good test for comparative purposes. The temperatures used would hardly be reached in an ordinary ire, but might be in a conflagration.
 While these tests are not conclusive, being but the beginning of a general line of investigations" said Director Smith of the geological survey, they bring out a number of important facts. The brick panels probably wthstood the tests bot ter than any other materials. There were two lots of common brick tested-one was an unused, recently manufactured brick and the other a brick that had been in an engine foundation for some years. The latter seemed to withstand the test the better. Fifty per cent of the new brick were split. while 60 to 70 per cent of the old bricks were not damaged. The bricks at the back of the panel were entirely unaffected. The hydraulic pressed brick stood the test better than any other material. No damage was appar ent whatever after the firing and before the water was applied; and although number of the bricks cracked, 70 per