Show wood that resists fire in x recent western fire it was again demonstrated in the clearest manner possible that california redwood as a building material comes nearer being fireproof than almost any other material of which buildings are constructed in this instance a fire broke out in the upper part of a one story building while the wind was blowing a galo that was recorded at the united states signal station as moving at the average rate of thirty miles an hour but notwithstanding this and the fact that it was several minutes before water was got to tho balding the fir baths laths under the plaster were burned downward nearly to the flo and whole squares of the side plaster thus loosened and fell in before the fire had burned through the thin redwood shingle roof it was a most wonderful illustration of tho fire resisting qualities of redwood had the whole building been as combustible bus tible as the baths laths nothing could have saved the city the roof was old and as thoroughly ready for the flames as redwood ever becomes yet the fact remains hat it resisted the ignition and bystanders could see a seething fernace of flames through the apertures aper tures under the eaves while nothing but smoke issued through the roof the peculiar manner in which redwood smothers flame and prevents its flashing forth ia an important fact in suppressing conflagrations as fires are communicated to neighboring building by means of the external flames and sparks which they send up chicago news |