The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15

II the Board OF Aldermen accepts the
suggestions Of Rudolph p. Miller. for
mesly Superintendent OF Buildings and
now expert to the building committee OF
the board for revising the building code,
all dangers OF n great confiagration in
this city will be removed speedily. Mr..
Miller has now completed his draft of
the proposed articles for the new code
dealing with f~ireproofng and the protec-
ton Of life and property. and he has
made tho section 10 stringent that every
building hereafter will act as Its
IRE break and by its own ability to re-
sist fire will prevent the spreading OF a
blaze. For the protection Of life Mr..
Miller has gone TO extremes.
This section has been written after
hearings with material men. builders
and architects. II Is not stated that the
section embodies their views. In fact
some OF the provisions go NO far ahead
OF the general practice to-day that there
Is . possibility Of opposition to them
before the section becomes a part OF the
new code.
Fire walls under the new section be-
cause OF their Importance are required
to be constructed in as substantial a
name rs the exterior walls. This is
or the theory that "A fire wall serves
practically the same purposes as a party
wall. In non-freproof buildings fire
walks must be continuous from the foun-
, dAtion to a point three feet above the
o Openings in fire walls are re-
stricted to eighty u feet In area
and the aggregate width OF all the OPEN
ings at any one level to 25 per cent. of
the length. of the wan. In the first
story of buildings that are equipped
with automatic s%prinklers larger OPEN
ings and n greater percentage may be
used IL the written permission of the
Superintendent OF Buildings is obtained.
Openings in fire walls must be pro-
vided on each side OF the val with APP
proved automatic fire doors. and in case
= fire val serves also as a Are parti-
ton In providing the necessary exit
facilities from "A building. then no other
than door openings are permitted and
one Of the automatic fire doors at zach
opening must he replaced by "A self
closing fire door. A seif-closing fire
door Is one which is normally kept
closed by some mechanical device and
must be opened each time 1t is used.
An automatic fire door. on the other
hand. is one that is normally held open
and Is released by a fusible link and
closes automatically In case IF Are.
Fire Partitions. which are partitions
"fCr the purpose OF protecting life by
providing an area OF refuge shall be
constructed In one of several ways:
First, Of m approved masonry, that Is,
In the same manner that exterior wallis
are constructed second. Of any form OF
freproof partition construction provided
In the article on tireproof construction,
with the thicknesses. however. increased
above what Is provided there for an Or
binary partition. The minimum hic
nesses specified for the different ma
aertals are eight inches 'or brick. six
srohes for stone or cind.r concrete OF
hollow blocks Of terra Gotta, oncre or
gypsum. REINFORCED at the openings with
adequate steel shapes. and our q
for REINFORCED stone or cinder concrete.
In non-hreproof buildings it Is again
provided that . the FIRE partitions wher
required In any story shall continue for
the full height Of the building from the
foundations to three feet above the roof
Fire partitions shall have no other
openings than the required door open
ings. The doors are limited TO as square
feet in area. and II there Is more thar
ono door opening, the distance between
any two successive doors shall be MOI
more than 60 feet. Such openings mus
b protected by approved self-closins
IRE doors.
FireprOof shafts are required for an,
eertes OF two or more floor openings II
successive floors, counting the roof as 6
floor. whether the space thus enclosed /.
used for the purposes of light, air. ele
vator or anything else, Any existing
series OF floor openings that is materi