The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-28

Building Inspector Daniel Rowland old TheFarmer today that Bridgeport As reasonably we'll safeguarded in both fits factory and it's tenement fire pro lection. Inspector Rowland, speaking from years of experience declares that 1t Is to the head of the factory the public must look for the safety of his employees, for 1t is only through the reflective employment of the fire drill .fhat factory employees can be saved fin case of factory blazes.
 While we cannot have too many fire escapes and other safeguards of i fhe came nature. said MT. Rowland, alt fs absolutely impossible to prevent loss of life. no matter how great the safeguards, without the aid Of the fire drill"
 MT. Rowland recalled the story of for a multitude who were being en- tertained in e vast open field. Refresh ! rnenfs were to be distributed free. In fha mad rush that resulted when re- | freshnents were being distributed. thuudreds were trampled upon and
 If such things can happen in the .open, how much greater is the danger Ffnside q building. when the occupants lose their headsf' argued the inspec- tor. That is what always causes lfoss of life in factory fires. No mat ter how great or how i1nprovedl may be the safety devices, the people them selves work out their own destruction.
 Bridgeport Is reasonably we'll safe guarded in the matter of fire protec- tion for It's factories and it's tenements. In Bridgeport we have no high build tnsg used for factory purposes. The uhot tower of the U. M c. Go. Is an Srceptfon. Conditions here are unus- ua1 and the construction Is to meet the exceptional demands. But reason able p-ecaution is maintained. ''In factories such as the Warner Broa. end the U. M. c. Co. there is established a means of protection that l 1 deem much better than outside fire escapes. I refer to the fire proof bridges extending from one building and affording an opportunity for peo- ple to run from the building where the fire has broken out into another structure thnt is safe.
 The trouble with fire escapes in many cases" said he, 'is that they se-e erected outside the structures. and sRs soon as the p&ople reach the open air. and look down to the ground. ythey become dizzy or confused and in their, fainting and hysterical condi- stton they retard those who are to follow.
 
 factory in Middle street where the Are drill is practiced with splendid re- sgults. The instant the warning is sounded, every employe is at atten- tion- Each knows just what to do, just where to go. There is not a sim gle hitch In case of fire there would mot be a bit of trouble.
 "Now. as for our tenement houses. want to say that We make every effort to safeguard the tenants against fire There are many old tenements, but under the new Tenement House not, these are falling into decay, and are either moved away or renlodelled Sn conformity to the law. We don't allow a single change to be made on ore of the old tenements until the owner promises. in connection with such change to remodel the building 90 as to make it conform to the new lava
 Under the tenement house act of 1905 which was drafted and passed fhrough the instrunentahty of profes- sors af Yale University, great strides were taken towards supplying the oc- cupants with light and air. But our .eoard of building connii issioners went still further and established the So- called lotlfne rule This was with the view of providing firenen with an ,op- portuntty to fight a blaze from all efdes of the burning structure. Our rules allow no single story building to come nearer than two feet to the ldfvfS&on line of the property. No two story building may stand nearer than feet, no story building nearer than feet and no three story building with three or more tenernents may stand nearer than { and one-half feet. The back yards. of course must be much deeper.
 .sCalemfties will always occur. The only proper course to pursue in my opinion is to properly instruct people Drill them Then when an emergency nrises, each will act like part of a thuge machine and all will be safe.