Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-15

as furnace room and as passageWay
to the toilet and play rooms. These COM
bination furnace rooms and halls very
frequently have the prevalent WOOD
ried around the walls and up to the fur
mace fronts.
I'm some buildings the doors to toilet or
play rooms are placed SO near the FUR
naces that when opened they cover part
of the furnace front and the doors show
the effects of the heat. Wood floors were
occasionally found in these rooms. with
a small hearth Immediately in front of
the furnaces.
Woodwork was found near stoves
which was not thoroughly protected, and
in a number of cases smoke pipes were
too near insufficiently protected wood
work.
.Stack heaters which are stoves for
creating draft in the ventilating system
are occasionally located close to wood
work. and in one case one was found III
closed in wooden partition. In another.
one stack heater is located two and one
half feet from gas engine, and in one
building the smoke pipe passes immedi-
ately over a board partition and gas en-
gine.
MANY older buildings were not built
fireproof over the furnaces. but during
the past year most of these have been
fireproofed or fire protected. Several
cases were noted where portions of plaster
had fallen off of ceilings over furnaces
or boilers.
within the second class of fire hazards
the committee noted barrels Of oil stored
in sheds. engine rooms. ETC.; bags of
waste paper, rubbish and miscellaneous
articles materials stored in stack-heater
rooms. atttcs. etc.
Conditions Have Improved.
'The conditions in this respect, how
ever. are much better than in the recent
past. This was evidenced by the finding
of oils and paints generally stored outside
of the buildings, and the record of the re-
moval Of more than 100 loads Of trash
and old furniture from the buildings.
THE committee only found one build
ing with any considerabl amount of in
fammable materials therein, which have
since been removed. Two others, how
ever, have amount of material which
should be moved-the NJ Street High
School and the Curtis building. The
committee noted the ashes generally kept
in wooden bins.
penter shops, usually located in the base
ments of graded schools. together with
the shavngs produced by the work there
in. and quantities of dry lumber stored
nearby and In some cases adjacent to
the staircases.
THE use of Oil rather freely i'm some
buildings was observed. SO that the wood
work was, perhaps, saturated. In one
Case, the JanltOr mixed petroleum IN the
Oil.
Construction and Finish.
THE third class of hazards has par
ticularly to do with the construction and
finish Of buildings.
"A large part of this class arises
from the use of seven-inch pine board
ing to partition off closets, rooms of all
kinds, ducts for ventilation and the
finish of walls. Closets under stairs
were particularly noted, which had
been formerly stored with infiammable
materials. also partitions in furnace
rooms.
"Wainscoting of wood was genera
ally used (until recently throughout
every part of the buildings. including
furnace rooms and wood ceilings were
used occasionally. Several stairways
are partially inclosed in these wood
partitions. The committee observed
wood partitions erected or being erect.
ed in newer buildings.
Several furnace room floors were Of
wood: also many playroom floors.
Wooden lockers of pine are used eX.
tensively in some buildings. NJ street
High School an6 Franklin. in particu-
lar.
I'm about ten buildings wooden joists
are exposed in the Easements. In one
of these buildings, all of the basement
ceiling was plastered, except in the
furnace room and where fuel was
stored, the joists being left exposed.
Where the old Smead system %
studding and the passages under the
floors and between joists are continu.
Gus (the timber exposed) for the pas.
sage of foul air. Wooden ducts u-tnch
boarding) were found to convey cola
(Continued on Seventeenth Pare.l