Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-21
REINFORCED CONCRETE
 IN EDISON FIRE.
The inventor Considers the Result
 Shown by Test Great Triumph.

Tle Thayer Fu idin0- on Franklin
 square is. not only oe GeirEoEced con
 crete construction, bat 5 Of su-uctufal
 concrete as well. l i : .!lle example Of the modern f7repl.oo' buiId-QS and
 is q credit to not kSni5- the toTneH but
 the city as well. f
 The durability of concrete buildings
 when threat tened by a di4a eI'o3s Fire
 has been demonstrated b.! the, ou1ld- ings at the Edison plant, and the fof- lowing has been furnished -Tsaei 5iE45e- tin by 8, well .lzrloEn Norwich gentle
 man who is ever interested in this line of building constructions;
 Results Of fire at Edison -plant, Yves Orange, N. J., as given over Ml. EdI-
 sou's signature, win be very interest
 ing to opponents Of reinforced concrete for building purposes. They are as follows:
 Orange, N. J., Dee. Is, 1914.
 President W. $. Mallory of Edison
 Portland Cement Co. from Labor
 atory or Thomas X. Edison:
 Friend Manory:
 A very careful estimate by skilled engineers Of the damage to our. con crete buildings shows that s7 per cent.
 are in good condition, in spite or the Intense heat occasioled by the highly Z-lffaulmabIe nature of their contents. The total brick and steel buildings subjected to the fire were entirely de- st-oyed, 2s also were their . echanical contents. Of the machinery in con-
 crete bui,Ginsy, about sS5 per cent. can be used again after slight repairs. I personally consider this 8 great .tri- UT1tpE1 for concrete construction, con were am orlS the first built in this coun try Of Soncrete and before up-to- date
 methods Of reinforcing were used or the fifteen unrrs which lay direct lv i7 tina path Of tie fire, seven of these were Of concrete construction, without metal sash ant frames, and wire glass. Aside from the damage caused by streams Of water being dl- rected- on the concrete while in high ly heated state, there was no trouble
 experienced such as would tend to
 prevent the reoccupancy or the build inss just as soon as the debris is cleared away and interiors refurnish- cd. Ample foundation for this belief i6 based upon the 9ndin5s of the staff Of engineering experts employed fol the purpose of invest! gation and whose estimates form the gist Of MT. Edi- sons letter as printed.
 Divers reasons and opinions have been advanced concerning the easonS for the extent Of the disaster and the rapidity Of the progress of the fire. Consensus of expert opinions, however indicate that the highly inAamTna oie character of the contents of the build lngS, toSe ether with the inadequate water supply, are the chief reasons for better control Of the fire, until it's great destruction had been done. The absorbing subject that has attracted
 experts. more than all features com
 bined, is the behavior Of the concrete structures, all of W Wllich were subjected
 to excessive abnormal fire conditions. Without exception, every brick and frame. structure that lay in the pata Of the fire was reduced to q mass of
 snlouldertns ruins, while the concrete
 buildings, all of them were SlJl1iecte ed to greater stress and came out ready for almost immediate alterations which are being made in anticipation Of an immediate resumption of buSi- ness. Considering the very inflam- nlable nature of the materials stored in the different buildings, 1t is not very
 likely that 1t could have been saved iii any type of construction, which
 speaks doubly wellifor, concrete which was able to resist .1Ie clements terd- ing to ies. own destksA cton Of the diff ferent buildings, No. 4 IS situated at the northwest end of the plant and is a i've story concrete structure. On the tons of wax intended for the p-oduc- ton of Edison ArnberoIe. pflenosraph records. As indicative OF the intense heat Wl1icn must have prevailed at this point during the fire. and also show ing the result or five streams Of water being directed on adjoining concrete, while in its highly heated state four exterior concrete columns bulSed. but still held. their load not. cola Dsing, and by rebuilding one at a time the building was immediately tenable. No. p vas the office building, of concrete. four stories high, and with same in tense heating as other buildings This
 Building was reoccupied by the office force before the building -reas cooled less than two days after the fire