New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-04
FIRE WALL THE SOLUTION
Only Feasible Way to Prevent
Disasters, Experts Assert.
FIRE ESCAPES INADEQUATE
Standard Requirements Recon-
mended in New Building Code
by Civic Organizations.

by ClVlC organizations.
After numerous conferences and thor
ouGh expert investigation, the various civic
organizations which have been considering
the proposed new building code have boiled
matters down until they have reached
standard" requirements, which they be-
lieve should be installed in every loft and
factory building to afford adequate protec-
tion to human life against fire. The re-
quircments are embodied I'm a report made
by the Citizens Union. and is understood
TO have been indorscd by the other civic
bodies.
First and foremost. the Investigators IN
slst that the only sure means of exit from
loft or factory building in time Of fire
is the horizontal exit" which is provided
by fire wall built up through the entire
building. with accessible doors on each
floor. or by doors on each floor through
the party wall of the adjoining building.
Under such conditions the workers on
any one floor are as safe as those on the
ground floor, as they have ready means
of exit at hand through the fire wall, out
Of the fire zone. without having to go
downstairs. once beyond the fire wall
there would be plenty OF time for them to
reach the street without panic or incon-
venience Fire escapes are considered en-
tircly inadequate.
Stairways are suggested as second CON
sideration. but arc found to be inadequate
under real fire conditions. except with
strict limitations as to the number Of per-
sons employed on each floor The forty
. Oh
date two persons abreast, is suggested as
the standard, and IL has been demonstrated
by practical fire drills that the greatest
number Of persons who can hope TO get
down from any floor above the first on
such stairway is twenty-four And this
would happen only when nearly normal
conditions prevailed. with little or no panic.
with these scientific facts easily avail
able. as the engineers who have studied
the problem say they are the present CON
ditiOns i'm loft buildings have been found
TO h" all the more startling. There are
anywhere from - TO 80 workers employed
on the upper floors Of many OF the modern
loft buildings. I'm these structures there
was only ono main stairway 10 the street,
and that less in width than the standard"
fortyfour-inch. according to the report.
Tn" requirements set down by the investi-
gators to assure absolute safety by such
exits provide for a special forty four-inch
stairway for the exclusive use OF every
two hundred occupants, or fraction thereof.
I'm excess OF tho twenty-four n n floor that
one main stairway could accommodate.
This would mean. under existing condi-
tons. that there would have to be practl-
[ 81 al ~.
there are floors to the bmldiug-a require
mcnt which, Of course is highly impracti-
cabl, because of the large amount Of extra
space and expense that would be- neccs-
sITy And the report points out this fact
"- pertinent argument in favor Of the
horizontal exits. or fire wall.
Commenting on the requirements sug-
-est"d the report says.
Most important OF all reasons for passing
Il new building code is 10 provide adequate
safeguards against loss OF lifc by FIRE and
panic Exits should be sufficient to get all
lie occupants OF q building TO a place Of
safety in case OF FIRE. This principle has
no exceptions II Is quite as important Ia
! iireprooI building or buildings equipped
with spTinklcrs az In nOu-irrproof build
! ings without such protection L.. IL
/ should be SO treated Ia the building code.
| In making provisions for safeguarding hu-
| man life We must not assume that there Is
! such a thing az an unburnablc building
| The theory upon which the Titanic was
! sent 10 sc1 with an inadequate equipment
/ Of lf"bOdtS L. now exploded. because n
/ was believed tn, ship could not sink she
! had only enough li'chOats to accommo-
! date a portion Of In" total number OF
! passengers II would hay. been as logical
! TO give her no lifcboats AT all. When she
| needed those given her she needed enough
/ for all her passenger. II the ship had not
/ sunk she would have needed no ponts. So
tF. 81
needed they are likely to be needed for all
! the occupants.
! II H. easy TO make the occupants Of the
ground floor safe by PROVIDING "A sufhcicnt
! number Of exits TO the street But Ia" up
| Der floors. particularly in tall buildings,
/ present different problems. Elevators are
| 50 unreliable In a burning building as 10
| be- quite unworthy Of consideration as
| axitg StairWavs are more serNiC"ablc, but
are likely 10 be blocked or damned by the
/ streams of people from one story III col
! lislon with those from another story. inns
/ could Ice avoided by providing a separate
] A4-inch vide stairway for each story. but
/ the amount Of space so taken ana the cK-
| pcnse would make a ten or ifteen story
| building Improbable.
| What. then, can De dOHe 10 H'dh' SUN d
| tall building safe 5000,
! Provide it with horizontal exits. Let the
/ people Of the upper stories nave way 10
| safety without going down any stairs, Just
! as the 1cOple on the first floor have. rms
! can be done % by connecting the upper
! stories Of the building with the upper
stories OF an adjoining building, or 90 by
erecting a fire wall within the building. 80
| that II fire occurs on one SIDE the occu-
| nants can 20 across to the other and be as
! safe as if in the next building. Then there
| viii he plenty Of time for them 10 descend
TO the street and the elevators can DE
| used. - oe,
rho fire wall should, Of course, AFFORD
practically permanent safety from the
| flames There should be no openings III IL
rXcept for the doors. which should be fire
Droof and self-closing. II Will be. found so
| ,rnuch cheaper to provide the horizontal
| exits that they will come into genera use.
| II these provisions are adopted auch
| disasters az the Asch Building fire VIII be
A thing OF the past.
BRANDT TO CLINTON TO-DAY