Evening star., 1928-06-18
FIRE TEST RUINS
TOO HOT TO PROBE
Experts Win Be Unable to In
spect Burned Buildings
Before Tomorrow.

Smol6ering ruins within the par
tally demolished walls of the F. w. Boil
giano Seed and Fertilizer Co buildings
1907 and 1909 B street, today baked
scientists of the Bureau of Standards,
who are seeking access to SIS safes and
metal filing cases placed within the
structures for test purposes before the
buildings were flred early Yesterday
morning
Smoke and occasional flames still
were coming from the debris this morn
ing. and ii is not likely that any of
the safes will be removed before to-
morrow. Workmen today were clearing
away the debris around the eXteriors of
the buildings preparatory to pulling
down the cracked and leaning walls to-
morrow morning.
Simon H Ingberg. chief of the fire.
resistance section of the Bureau of
Standards. i'll charge of the test. made
an inspection of the buildings this
morning. Scrambiing In over some of
the cooler portions of the debris.
Too Hot To Handle.
After coming out he announced that
ne effort would be made today to deter
mine the effects of the fire on the
dummy" contents of the safes and
within the wreckage. he said, still re-
cord very high temperatures, which
would prohibit handling the metal cab
tnetS and safes buried there
The buildings presented a melancholy
spectacle today. Roofs and floors had
disappeared and large portions of the
walls were ra2ed. The fires raging un-
checked. created tremendously high
temperatures within the buildings.
Metal pipes and girders were twisted
and bent. and great humps of glass,
festooned like ice over pipes and ma
Sonry in the front of the buildings.
show that the window panes melted
and ran like water.
The side walls of 1909 3 street. &
fye-story building. are the only ones
which were not almost completely razed
Portions of both these walls above the
fourth story are broken away and the
west wall is cracked and leaning at q
dangerous angle. This wall viii te
pulled down tomorrow morning before
the removal OF the safes is attempted
The four walls of 1907 B street. a two
story structure. we're almost entirely
Gown. The front Of 1909 above the
second floor fell in and the major por-
hon Of the back wall also has fallen.
Temperatures Recorded.
Fifty thermo-counle units wcr,
placed in the walls of the buildings. The
recording ends projecting into the
buildings. and IS more were placed 30
IS TO be buried in the debris and so
maintain constant record of the tenn
peratures until the last vestige OF TIRE
disappears.
These units consist of double strands
OF wire OF special alloys whose re-
sistance TO the passage of electrical
current is affected by their tempera-
tures. BY the amount of current pass
ing through the wires the tempera-
tlre can be determined and autonati-
caly recorded over any desired period.
the wires. incased in asbestos. were
ncloSed IN metal pipes to protect them
from breakage as far as possible. MANY
OF them, however. were put out of COM
mission when the walls and floors fell.
All OF the thermocouples we're con-
necteo with recording apparatus In a
small brick and concrete "obServa-
tory" At the north side of the square
in which the buildings are located.
Each OF the safes and cabinets. in
addition. contains recording apparatus
which viii show the maximum tenn
perature Of the contents and the time
the floors collapsed and allowed the
Wills 70 OAUp Af1bD LIE DdS6USub.
When all Of the records are compiled.
1ngberT said. the results of the unique |
test viii be made public for the benefit /
Of manufacturers of safes and cabinets |
engineers. architects and the general |
public.
The debris will be entirely cleared |
away before the end Of the week and |
excavation is soon to begin on the site. |
which is mart Of the area TO be COW |
ered By the new Internal Revenue |
Building