The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-06-26
THE DANGER
OF SHINGLES
Experience of a Number of
Places Which Have
Used Them
THE "OTHER SIDE"
OF THE QUESTION

Some Facts Not Mentioned in Mr.
Holden's Letter-Pertinent to Build
ing Code Which Will Be Acted Upon
i'll Village Meeting Tonight.
The Reformer published yesterday
communication from L. f. Holden, who
deals in shingles, in which he strongly
opposed several sections of the pro
posed Brattleboro building code, par
ticularly that section which prohibits
single roofs. The code viii be acted
upon in the village meeting tonight
/ The other side of the question, bring
! ing out facts not mentioned by Mr..
/ Holden, is set forth in a recent issue
of the Atlanta Journal, which said:
! The city of Charleston, s. c., was
! twice destroyed by fire before the
/ residents learned the lesson of fimsy,
intlamnable building construction. To
/ day, however. Charleston is one of the
best-built cities in the country. Again,
after the fire.
"A few years ago fire destroyed
Jacksonville, Fla. Starting in a fibre
i drying yard, the fire spread by means
Of shingle roofs until half the city was
consumed. After this, Jacksonville
prohibited the erection of shingle roofs
! within the city limits.
- Early this year Houston, Texas,
was partially destroyed. Again the
Single roof was the factor which
spread the blaze. Since the fire
Houston has prohibited the shingle
roof
A few weeks ago fire destroyed
three blocks in Columbus, Ca. with Il
loss of $4,000. Single roofs We're
again to blame An ordinance is now
| before the Columbus city council which
forbids the use of shingles or any but
non-combustible materials in the con
struction of any roof within the city
limits The old bylaw confined thi.
restriction to the fire limits, but the
fire occurred in the residential section
beyond the fire limits. One more the
people woke up, after the fire.
. Birmingham, Ala, has a simila
ordinance in consideration. This is TN
Result Of 4 recent fire in East Birming
ham. Fire Chief Bennett, of that city
~-said: Nine houses were blazing whe
the first truck arrived. There was bu
little space between the buildings, an
with wooden shingles and a stron
= wind, there WASH t a chance to hea
:. the fire. Embers were blown severa
= blocks, the second fire being thre
. blocks from the scene Of the first fir,
The first house caught fire from
spark. | am strongly for an ordinanc
prohibiting the use of wooden shingle
within Birmingham s corporate limit
Wooden shingles are the most DANCE
Gus and therefore the most expensiv
- roofing material that can be used.
Chicago, Charleston, Jaeksonvill
= Houston, Columbus and Birminghal
let the fire get ahead of them and a
forwards they passed the necessary 0
dinances.
q Atlanta today has a city ordinan,
restricting the use of shingles as
roofing material within the fire limit
This is totally inadequate. The pla
where the worst fires start Is in tt
suburbs and residential districts, al
from the first blaze the burning, win
III carried shingles carry the fire fro
block to block, leaping from shing
roof to shingle roof faster than al
tire-fghter can head it, until the bla
. reaches proportions which sweep ever
thing in its path into destruction.
How serious a fire must we
Atlanta wait for before we have a ci
"a ordinance prohibiting the shingle rC
u anywhere within the city limits? Ne
we wait for any? Can Atlanta live
to her boast Atlanta Always Ahea
and pass this ordinance before the f
- or will the fire he ahead as it was
these other cities? Can Atlanta pre-
~ by the experience Of others, or m
. she be half destroyed before
awakes to her danger? Briefly, VIII
will be ahead on the shingle roof gu
ton. Atlanta or the freo''