The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-05-15

al aranroof aoora. an each floor. There is
niannst No h ance of a fire startins
~mnltaneonsly in both sections OF
building so divided. In case OF ~
starting In one section, the people ~
each floor would simply walk LII oh7t
the doors to the other sectioh, 80
them on the fire and take thelr I'iho y
reach the street. ,+
much Of his time getting this f1reWall
idea, before the people. With lantern
slides and diagrams he has lectureo ~
architects and employers and roper
owners and with letters and tepol.0
| got it before public officials. Inc lat-
| ter have been slow to act, but 1nere IS
| little dougt Of the f1rewall principe
! eventually being embodied IN state
building laws everywhere.
curious paradoxes will probaoi con-
! tinue to crop UP, as IN Phllaoelpiila
where the owners Of a fine new bulld-
nrovided Prevails and made the struc-
ture safe-and then was compelled 10
provide fire escapes on the OUTSIDE 10
| conform to the law.
A good man other buildings have
been safeguarded by Prevails ana III
| many cases at very little expense ioI
alterations. In some of the most noto-
rious old firetraps-brick buildings OIL
three to six Stories-an engineer can
usually contrive a firewall with a rev
changes, for brick construction mace
interior supporting walls necessary. III
| many cases Prevails have been pro-
vided to protect property, and they can
be utilized to protect people, too. IN
| one building, it is a matter Of
ing two sections of wall of new con-
struction. In another. the wall is there
but the doors must be provided on each
floor. In still other cases, the wall ana
doorways are ready, but some OF the
doors aer not %fireproof n new ones
must be substituted. 80
For Illustration, the charities depart
ment Of a large city had 100 scattered
buildings, full of more or less helpless
inmates. Many of the structures were
old f1retraps. It was estimated that 1t
would cost $500, 900 to make thirty OF
the worst buildings safe by adding
new stairs and fire escapes. That is,
an average of nearly $1,000 per build
ing. The firewall principle was follow
ed, however, and for about $500 per
building or a total of $4,000, the
whole 1870 were made safe. Even when
a firewall must be built entire the cost
is estimated to be no more than would
be required for the usual outside fire
escapes. III. $685..
In n tease a. horizontal firewall was
put into an old building, a public hall,
with a stage, but no scenery. The fire
danger in the hall itself was small,
because there was nothing to blaze up
except perhaps a seat cushion; but I'M
derneath the hall was a basement
crowded with partitions and rubbish-a
regular finder heap. The whole floor
Of this hall was made f1reproof, and
transformed into a firewall, and that
danger cut off.
Prevails can be constructed Of
common brick. reinforced portland ce-
ment Or porous terra Gotta brick with
cellular spaces. To serve the pur-
they should be at least twelve
inches thick in o -flreproof buildings,
or eight inches thick in fireproof struc-
lures n should extend from the eel
lar floor through the entire building to
the roof. Wooden beams should not
pass through them, nor should there
be any openings except for doors.
should not be more than
sixty feet in area. No two doors on
the same floor should be nearer each
other than forty feet. Cement, stone,
or other unburnable floor finish
should be laid at every doorway for
the full thickness of the wall, so as
to completely separate the woodwork
of the floors on each side. Each door,
SS SAASNAAu DS. RA olCSICo ou polu StUSS
with a tight-fitting fireproof door, clos
ing automatically in emergency. The
standard ~fireproof door is one of wood,
covered with tin sheet iron or other
suitable metal.
The metal resists fire, while the
wood prevents radiation OF heat. A
door of that kind will stand I'D under
heat until it's wooden interior has been
reduced to charcoal, and still act as a
barrier against fire. The automatic
closing arrangement is usually a ther-
mostat and spring. If fire breaks out
the heat shuts the doors. They can be
opened to let people escape, of course.
Each section of such a building would
have stairways to the street, and an
important point would be to have ev-
cry occupant of the building fully
posted as to what to do in emergency,
with clear understanding of the con-
struction of such a building there
ought to be no panic and even il there
were the chance of people injuring
ach other would be reduced to the
minimum.
The irewall principle NAV be an
piled to old buildings and new, to
residences as well as factories, to
tenements., schools, theatres, hotels,
warehouses. It protects property as
as people and does away with
many complicated, Intellectual and
wrong methods of trying to guar
against fire danger. Mr.. Porter is a
hre drill expert, but since he worked
out the fire-wall principle he has held
that fire drills should be abolished by
law ecaus with this simple interior
hre escape there would be no need for
them.