Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1922-11-11
BUILD SCHOOLS
THAT WON'T BURN
Safety of Pupils Should Be First
Consideration in Planning
to House Them.
.FIREPROOF MATERIALS URGED
So-Called "Fire Escapes" Are often
Maksshifts That Become Death
Traps in an Emergency
Death Toll Is Heavy,


won't burn can be built as readily as
those that do, and at much less addi-
tional cost than many persons imagine.
Ii Is largely matter of selection of
building materials, and in many cases
materials with high fire resisting quail
tiles can be obtained from local
sources, according to men connected
Intimately with the building construc
ton Industry. 1t is just as important
to have a fireprOof interior as n fire
proof exterior. Buildings with exte-
rlor walls of masonry, but with d
wooden Interior are in no sense fire
proof. a so-called fire escape" does.
not meet the deficiency, for time and
again these makeshifts have become
death traps in an emergency. Lack of
familiarity with their use locked doors.
obstruction in passageways or other
results of carelessness and indilfer-
ence have contributed to the larg,
death toll charged against the fire
escape"
One type of fireproof construction
becoming generally adopted for large
schools consists Of a reinforced con.
crete structural frame, comprising all
structural parts such as floors, roof.
stairs, girders, columns and wall piers.
and fireproof interior partitions. Thi.
form of construction has been adopted
as the standard in Philadelphia. Buff
falo, Cincinnati, Seattle and a host O.
smaller cities.
Has Many Advantages.
Advantages claimed for this type are
the homogeneous character of the
structure, better sequence of con
Struction with Il consequent saving {
time, great strength and rigtlity, an
a slight reduction in the general d
mansions of the building because e
the thinner exterior walls and interio
partitions Saving in time is possibl,
because the entire structural frame
including the floor and roof slabs. may
be completed without interruption
after which the brick veneer or cor
crete surface finish, as the case ma
he. may be started and completed with
out interruption.
Another type frequently employee
for exterior ana corridor walls Is
double wall of reinforced concret
formed by an adjustable metal mole
The dead air space between tn
two wall sections provides insulatiO
against cold and heat. The eXterit
is usually coated with stucco, whici
should be Of specially selected mate
rial such as white sand and white Port
land cement. The interior plaster
applied directly to the concrete, sine.
the dead air space within the wa,
makes Turing unnecessary. This elm
mates the cost of luths.
So-called artificial stone, which Is j.
reality a east block of concrete, usu
ally made with high-powered mach;n
cry and faced with specially selected
aggregates, often mixed with white &c
ment is used quite extensively ii
many sections of the country wher,
well developed. Only experts can dis
tlnguish it from natural cut stone.
Fireproof Interior.
For the interior, reinforced concrete
floors, stairs, and roof provide q higI.
degree Of fire resistance Because of
the comparatively light floor loads, one
| Of several of the lighter types of re
inforced concrete floors are generally
the most economical. Interior parti-
lions can be made of concrete parti-
ton block, usually obtainable from
local sources. Plaster may be applied
to these blocks without the use of lath.
the corrugations in the block providing
firm grip. Portland cement plaster
on metal lath also makes a highly fire.
resistive partition. The floor finish
itself may be a so-called mastic or
composition finish applied directly to
the concrete slab. This makes floor
that Is quiet, comfortable, easy to keep
clean and pleasing In appearance.
The general plan of the building
must be so arranged that a fire orig
mating in the contents cannot spread
in a horizontal direction and all stair
ways must be enclosed so that it can
not spread in vertical direction. In
such buildings school children are en-
tirely free from the menace of fire.
! l. l.. - nv II