New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-21

ings or sections will have separate shalts
for carrying the electric light wire. teie-
phone wires and the fire connections WIN
the two IL, 800 gallon tanks on the thirty
eighth floor. the two 5000-gallon tanks on
the twenty-sixth floor, the two 5'""-sai-
lon tanks on the sixteenth floor ana the
nipes from the street UP through Whlch
water is forced at high pressure by tiiis
system. II through some unavoidable az
cident a fire should break out in any ONO
Of the different sections, the rest are en-
tircly isolated by the fire walls.
Superintendent Rudolph i. Miller OF the
Manhattan Bureau of Buildings said not
long ago in discussing the American type
OF skyscraper:
"Above the street level the skyscraper'
like every other building, is hlled WIN
combustible furnishings. The contents ~
catch fire occasionally. in the Ordinary
-Ailding they endanger the entire struc'
90: in the fireproof building they burn
themselves out i'm the room I'm which they
are located"
'There is hardly problem presenter
by the skyscraper that does not inu n
ready solution. The solution OF s'ee"
brick. concrete and terra Gotta IN care
fully studied sizes and combinations lui
nishes not only the strength but also '"e
safety AGAINST destruction by hre Even
earth shocks have less terror lot
the steel skeleton building than for the
heavy masonry structures OF oid' ""i,e
the heating, lighting. water supply Veh"-
Iatjon and fire protection become more
difficult as the building increases III
height and size. they tend only in smaII
degree to fix the limit. Successful neat
ing means greater pressure and an III
crease in operating expenses. win the
pressure tanks. standpipes. sprinklers'
etc, there need be no apprehension as 10
the safeguards against fire
The new Equitable Building has these
in four separate units. and the empty
tanks. caused by tie water oeing dra"h
off for other purposes, which has caused
so many disastrous fires, has beeh
guarded against in the plans for the ne"
structure. The tanks are connected by
two sets OF pipes, only one OF which can
be used for ordinary purposes the o'her
being the fire connection, so that there
always will he ten thousand gallons in
the tanks
Some other figures which give an idea
Of the work involved in the construction
OF a building may be had from the fol-
lowing figures: There will be 22.0o.oJO
bricks used. $4,000 square feet of marble
trim and material for flooring. l,35O'WO
cubic feet of sand. $1,000 barrels OF ce-
ment In the foundations, 10000 cubic
feet of cement in the building itself.
1.2l5.OOO cubic feet of broken stone. lS,oOO
gallons of paint used for the structural
steel $4,000 cubic feet OF terra Gotta ana
ZOO 900 hollow tiles. There will be fifty
elevators in the building, so arranged
that If a firm takes several floors II will
have its own private elevator. All the
elevator shafts will be inclosed in BRICK
and will have freproof doors. The stair
ways incosed completely in tile and
brick, will also have freproof doors The
entire structure will be connected with
the intercommunicating telephone. The
building will contain five thousand win
dows and ali the Offices will have wash
basins. with hot and cold water connec-
tons.