Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-08
FOR ADDED SECURITY
Fire Marshal Would Amend
Building Regulations.
CHIEF WAGNER APPROVES
Dangers From Storage Rooms in
Apartment Houses.
WOULD EXACT FIRE-PROOFING
Recommends That Ceilings and
Walls Be Lined With Metal or
Be Made of Resisting Material.

On the ground of needed protection of
human fife Fire Marshal Nicholson has
recommended to the District Commission
ers that the building regulations be
amended to require storage rooms in the
basement of apartment houses to be fire
proof
Approving the recommendation. Fire
Chief Wagner notes that the present type
Of non-fireproof storage rooms in apart
ment houses is recognized as IAN element
of great danger" Commissioner Macfar-
land will forward the recommendation to
the Board of Commissioners with his ap-
proval.
Storage Rooms Menace.
In most of the apartment houses in
this District which have been inspected
by me-" Fire Marshal Nicholson explains,
Il find the storage rooms located in the
basement. These storage rooms are con-
structed of wood. lattice work design and
have exposed wooden ceilings and floor
josts. All varieties Of household goods
and furniture are stored in these rooms,
and the combustible and inflammable ma
ture of this material. to say nothing of
the inf1ammable nature of the material
used In the construction of the rooms,
constitutes a serious menace to life and
property, as in event of fire occurring
IN the basement the same would rapidly
spread to the upper floors.
I'm view Of these facts it is respectfully
recommended that the building regulations
be amended as to require the ceilings
of all storage rooms IN the Easements of
apartment houses to be lined with metal
or built Of fire-resisting material, and that
the storage rooms themselves be lined
with metal on both sides or be constructed
of fire-restisting material
1T Is further recommended that this
paper be forwarded to the inspector Of
buildings for his consideration and ac-
tion looking to the adoption of these rec
concentrations.
Element Of Great Danger.
Fire Chief Wagner added that "the class
Of storage rooms referred to is recog-
nized as an element Of great danger, and
believe that the carrying out Of the with
in recommendation will result in at least
partially remedying this condition"
The danger lurking in the storage of
combustible materials in non -freproof
storage rooms in the basement OF apart
men. houses has been emphasized be-
fore the Commissioners on several Occa-
sions 1t was first brought to their at
tentlon at hearing in connection with
the installation Of fire ESCAPES on fire.
proof apartment houses. At that time
several owners Of that type Of structure
declared that a better plan for the pro-
lection of life than the installation of fire
escapes would be the prohibiting of the
storage Of combustible materials in the
Easements of apartment houses The
owners of apartment. houses who asked
the adoption Of such a regulation argued
that the combustibles In the Easements
were practically the only source OF dan
ger in the nreproof apartment house.
The subject again came UP May 10
when fire damaged the Raymond apart
ment house. The fire was thought by
many to have started in combustibles
stored in the basement of the apartment.