The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-04-01

and think; and it made a good many
of them, who were building or ex-
pecting to build, take up with the
board the designs adopted, with the
result that a good many suggestions
were received and adopted for the
betterment of the buildings from he
standpoint of fire prevention.
And, in the same way, either by
their own initiative in acting on the
advertisement, OF through the in
quiries made of the board by the own
ers themselves, many of the architects
picked w some pointers that were in
the nature of news to them, and were
worth remembering. And that was
really what the board was after-to
educate the men who were designing
the houses.
Beginning to Ask Advice.
Some of them, on the other hand,
realize their need for information and
education along these lines, as wit
ness the fact that a prominent insur-
ance nan was recently invited to ad-
dress a strong local architects as
ISOLATION, numbering among it's num-
bers nearly every member of the pro-
fession in a good-sized city. They
recognized the fact that there was
a good deal to learn about fire protec-
All III ~ SAlS NkStASh "a Uu1lAlAEG
that was worth their learning; and
they are going about it in the most
direct way.
Instances could be multiplied of the
effect of the failure of architects to
eliminate hazards which an insurance
man could have pointed out as readily
before as after the completion of the
buildings. There was one handsome
little building, intended for offices and
stores, which the owner had intended
to be absolutely and positively fire.
proof; he instructed the architect to
that effect, and left the rest to the
care Of the man of blue-prints and
specifications; but was that building
~1reproof? Hardly; for the architect
had designed, and. caused to be built
of wood, a very pretty cornice for the
building, and the insurance inspector
couldn't forget that wooden cornice.
a. 3. c. of Building knowledge.
The fi~reprooing of steel beams, the
inclosing of elevator and stairway
shafts the use of f%ireproof doors and
wire glass windows-all of these
things should be as elementary to the
architect who is designing a ~fireproot
building as the veriest alphabet of his
business; and until they are, there re-
mains a lot of work to be done in the
""J vi ~ SONAiA& AAALOA AuLASA dIllOI&
the profession by insurance under
writer's and their agents and inspec-
tors by personal contract. by adver-
Using, by the written and spoken
word.
And while there is possibly not sc
much to be done along this line among
the much more numerous class OF
builders, in small towns, who design
their own work, yet they, too, should
be given the attention which the vast
aggregate volume Of their operations
warrants.
improvements Always Possibla.
1t may be in many cases difficult Ia
make changes calculated to decrease
the fire risk on a small residence, be-
| cause the changes would likewise re-
suit in an increase of the cost; but
nearly always some Improvement car
be suggested, to be used generally by
the builder, in the f1ues. the gas con-
nections, the character of the ROOT
construction, or other points where
fire may either originate or take
| hold.
The cultivation of cordial relations
between architects, including builders
who design, and insurance men and
others interested in fire prevention,
will do much to pave the "a for a
wider knowledge on the part of the
former classes of those matters which
go to keep down fire losses, not I'd
mention fire rates; and architect
owner and insurance ma will all be
better off when their i-nterdependeut
relations are better understood. and
their condolences In each other is
developed accordingly.