The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-16
FIRE PROTECTION A
TOPIC OF INTEREST
Real Estate Men, Builders and
Contractors Discussing Re-
port on Salt Lake.
SEEK TO PROFIT BY
VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS
dayOr Promises Support to Gen
eral Movement for Better
Building Regulations.

Building regulations and fire protection
mong real estate men. builders and con-
ractors the last week many OF whom
nave received copies of the report of the
rational Board OF Fire Underwriters com
nit,ee on fire prevention in Salt Lake.
few Instances, this report has been
misunderstood by citizens of Salt Lake
md. wherever this has been the case
he report has lost its value so far as
hese individuals were concerned. Cen
rally speaking. however, the report has
been received In the spirit In which IL
las been compiled and issued. and wide
pread beneh; Is expected to result
Speaking OF this report Saturday. Mayor
!. S. Bransford said 1t had apparently
Decn made in a spirit OF fairness and
ull credit had been given Salt Lake for
Is many excellent features OF fire pre-
'entlon. Many OF the recommendations
ire most excellent. and l will gladly sup
port them as far as possible or prac-
lcable, said the mayor.
Karl A, Scheid. until recently secretary
II the Utah district OF the Pacific Board
If Fire Underwriters, says tho apparent
misunderstanding on the part OF some
citizens regarding the report comes from
he belief In the minds of these citizens
hat the committee on fire prevention of
IN some sense 81 ratc-making body, Mr..
5cheid said that some business men had
gone so far as TO express the opinion that
he report OF the engineers was only
an excuse for raising fire insurance
rates"
Extent of Report.
4 The report in question is one OF thirty
printed pages. which covers practically
every point In the fire hazard OF Salt
lake. 1t begins with a description OF the
~ Sr, .fS
paved and unpaved. direction and aver
lge velocity of wind, temperature and
'ecord of FIRE losses for the last five
iears. Under the head OF re-flghting
'acilities there is an exhaustive report
On the water system of Salt Lake. and
The management OF the water depart
nent: Another chapter is devoted TO
he fire department. its equipment. or
sanitation and management, and the fire
alarm system
Structural conditions and hazards are
he subjects OF another chapter, in which
The building department and building
avs OF the city arc reviewed. This
chapter includes the results of thorough
Inspection of the business district. with
Under the head of electricity. the report
reviews conditions as presented in both
inside and outside wiring in the city.
rhe confiagratIon hazard is outlined and
jangers from fires In the residence dis
lrjct are also outlined.
No Rate Proposition.
"lf there Is any ill-will expressed re-
sardlng this report. which has been dis
ributed among the city officials and
business men OF Salt Lake. il must come
through misunderstanding" said Mr..
Scheid. "In the first place. the engineers
,f the National Board of Fire Under
writer's are In no sense a ratc-making
body. and, in the second place. there is.
30 far as 1 know. no plan on foot or de-
sire at the present on the part OF the
insurance companies to raise rates In Salt
lake: The report simply represents the
-esults OF an inspection covering several
months. in which some OF the highest
salaried experts in the country We're en-
gagged 1t is a report for which the city
would have been obliged TO pay several
thousand dollars. and Salt Lake is given
Ehe benefit of this expert inspection and
advice absolutely without charge.
accompanying this report is a series
f recommendations for future improve
ments which are merely given by these
sxperts as friendly suggestions, with the
nope that for the bettcrrnent OF the city
as well as for the benefit of the fire In
pc carried out. In making these recon-
nendations. the engineers OF the fire
underwriters simply outline ideal condi-
lions. and In 50 doing the board simply
nopes that many Of them Will be carried
put as soon as practicable, while realizing
that 1t would be preposterous TO expect
stely"
Mr.. scheid says that. In hts opinion.
the greatest need for Salt Lake in the
building line is proper inspection of inside
electric wiring, and this need is set forth
oy the report of the underwriters. who
say that the condition OF inside electric
wiring in many of the buildings of Salt
Lake shows a lack of supervision to a
most marked degree.
On Electric Wiring.
Regarding the inside electric work the
report OF the underwriters says: '"The
materials used In new work are mostly
such as could be approved. but are not
put 10 their intended uses. and the meth
DDS OF installing lighting circuits is often
little better than for ordinary annunciator
work a few OF the newer equipments
were found 10 be In fair condition but
IN many installations, presumably made
while fathers were at work, wires of con-
ccaled work were noted To be In contact
with woodwork, Iron pipes. and with each
other bushings were missing. and a large
proportion Of the Joints were neither
soldered nor tapcd. Flexible tubing Is
used promiscuously for bushings and
he&iolc cord is exposed TO moisture and
used as line wire. being tapped at ran
DOM Old work Is In from poor to haz-
erdous condition. many of the materials
IN use being those which, through ex-
pcricnce, have been found 10 constitute
IRE hazards and have long since been
abandoned in other cities. The hazard Of
pocr electric wiring is recognized by
many merchants whose promises were In