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Show H Tho San Francisco fire, as well ns H that In Baltimore, says Colliers, has H demonstrated that tho word "flro- H proof," as commonly used, has a wldo fl latitude of meaning; and many lndlg- H nant owners of charred walls In San M Francisco aro disposed to look upon M tho torm as n misnomer, a delusion, M and a snare. Architects build their M walls, their floors, and their partitions fl of concreto and tile, and call that a M fireproof building, In contradistinction M to ono wlioso skeleton of steel 'or M wood Is unprotected. But then thoy fl go on nnd build tho rest of tho struc- M turo in n wny to invito flro decora- H tlons and furnishings of wood, open M stairways, nnd elevators which make M 11 ro possible, rapid, nnd of wldo rnngo M in its destruction. Yet to them, tech- M nically, that building has been "flre- M proofed." Tho layman, tho owner of M Hint particular building, or tho tenant M who Is to occupy it, lias heard the W term "fireproof" nnd applied it in its M fullest menning. He occupies that M building In perfect confidence) anil M good faith, thinking that by some Dl- H vine interposition nil the wood and M other lnflammablo material ho clearly M sees about him will not burn; ho even M abstains from carrying insuranco be- M cause of his occupancy of that fire- M proof building. Sometimes ho is sur- M prised, shocked, nnd suffers griovlous M loss on account of his misplaced, faith. M The average Inhabitant of San Fran- M cisco now says there is nothing flro- M proof, and has even got tho notion M that he Is just ns snfo in a wooden M' building as in any other. Novortho- M less, a really fireproof building is pos- M slblo ono in which nbsoluto lmmu- M. nity can bo assured tho occupant; and , ono of tho chief uses of tho San Fran- H cisco adversity will bo lost if out of that calamity there shall fall to como both an accurate knowledge of just wnat constitutes a genuinely fireproof building, and a determination on the, part ot San Francisco, and of other cities as well, to 'make their now construction con-struction of what will really resist fire. Wo and our fathers before us have built lllmslly. "Wo spend vast sums on tawdry decoration and on elaborate elabor-ate conveniences, and skimp on durability. dura-bility. Our nnnual flro loss exceeds that of any other nation. It averages $200,000,000, and, this year,' will exceed ex-ceed f000.000.000. |