New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-03-27
FIRE HORRORS LESSON
Insurance Men Think Better
Protection Will Come.
MIGHT AVERT NEW DISASTER
Revised Building Laws and Auto
matte sprinklers Among the
Things Demanded.

Nam, leading fire insurance mon In TINS
city YESTERDAY agreed that the disaster oil
saturday night undoubtedly would brins
about vastly improved conditions In fire
n,otection much earlier than would other
u.,se have been possible. Elhridge o. SNOW,
nre sident Of the Home Insurance Company
Charlie. q. Smith. secretary Of the German
American Insurance Company. and Theo'
dore H. Price. former president OF the
rsglo were among those who emphasized
the fact that any day might see another
calamity greater. II anything. In It's nor
rors The necessity for law competing
the installation OF automatic sprinklers IN
all buildings more than IL feet high he-
voted 10 mercant.le or manufacturing pur-
suits was pointed out by Charles g. smith
a member Of the Board Of Fire Cnderwrit'
ers. and who has served on the Buildihs
Code Commission since 1906.
"Our building laws arc deficient with re-
spect TO safety of life and property agaiiS'
destruction by fire." said Mr.. Smith. ana
should be revised completely and mace 20
1T the present methods of building con-
s,ruction believ1 that this horrible ex-
nerience is ample reason for taking imme-
date and active steps for the adoption OF
all necessary building regulations having
this end in view.
Warming from, Newark Fire.
THAT there should have been such flra
Is no surprise 10 me. am on record ne
fore an investigating committee In Albany
called when the Newark hre was the sub
,oc, Of much comment. az having predicted
that New York City must expect far worse
catastrophes. II the loss OF life mad been
twice as great in Saturdays Are ] should
have felt no surprise. And yet IL inc
building had been equipped with automatic
snrinklers doubt II there would have been
a life lost. In fact. my experience OF
thirty wears leads me TO repeat that there
would not have been one life lost.
Automatic sprinklers should be required
by law in such buildings. The difference
in the insurance rate goes largely TO pay
ING for the installation OF the sprinklers.
have known cases where the reduction IN
premium cost by reason OF tho installation
Of automatic sprinklers paid for the equip
ment almost at once. The average reduc-
ton in insurance rate is equal 10 n return
Of % per cent upon he money invested,
which means that the installation would
pay for itself by saving in insurance cost
alone in four Years
Mr. Smith said that stream from the
street level to do good service should not
have TO be played upon building higher
than sixty or siyty-five feet.
This IL the height of a five story build
ing" he said whereas the eighth story
of the shirtwaist factory. where the fire
started. was one hundred feet or more
above the street. Because a hose stream
cannot be played effectively at height
greater than sixty-hve feet. or five stories,
non-freproof buildings used for mercantile
or manufacturing purposes should De re-
stricted to sixty-fve feet. owners OF fire
proof buildings taller than sixty-hve feet
when used for mercantile or manufactur-
ing should he compelled 10 install auto
matte sprinkers.