Show 1909 TO LEAD I IN fiRE LOSS LOSSIn In Sixteen Days of April Flames Destroyed Seven Millions in Property TWENTY PERSONS KILLED Federal Experts Make Study of Building Materials That Will Withstand Flames Washington May ray Federal 21 21 Fe Federal cr 1 experts experts experts ex ex- who are making a n study of ot buildIng buildIng building build build- Ing materials that will withstand lire fire an and who are therefore taking a keen Interest In tho tiro firo losses as they thoy are aro reported for Cor the tho entire country countr declare that In spite of or all efforts toward better better bet bet- ter bull building conditions the death and destruction duo to fires and conflagrations In 1909 will eclipse all previous records with tho the exception of ot the years In which the Baltimore and San Francisco Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco fires occurred They point to tho the t fact ct that In sixteen sixteen sixteen six six- teen days of April five fi big fires I In In- different different dif dlf- ferent terent parts of ot tho United States re resulted resulted ro- ro suited In a loss of ot about the thc death of at 22 2 persons tho Injury of or 17 and the rendering homeless of moro mora than greatest of at thc these a fires was at Fort Worth orth Tex resulting In Ina Ina Inn a n property ert loss of ot between and and the second In Importance Im Im- was at Chicago where hero the Illinois Central l elevator ator firo cost J and anel the loss 1088 of two lIesl lives lI l No u Tho The people of or the tho United States SLates have not yet et learned tho the lesson of ot tho the Baltimore and San Francisco fires said Richard L. L Humphrey Humphre engineer In charge chargo of or tho the structural material laboratories laboratories labor labor- atones es of tho the United States geological l survey Fort Worth's recent experience experience ence once when moro more than homos homes were destroyed b by the lames flames Is but a repetition repetition repe repe- of at what has hns happened In tho the pa past t and what will occur In tho future until American municipalities wake walto to the situation and enact legislation which will absolutely prevent tho the further construction of ot buildings that arc are not fireproof It seems difficult to make mako the people people people peo peo- believe bellevo that In 1907 fires In the United States cost moro more than a 0 million million million mil mil- lion and a quarter dollars for tor every overy drIn dr day In the year ear an on annual tax of at more than 5 6 for tor every overy man woman and child In the country We e are arc spending a billion dollars a a. year ear on new buildIngs buildings buildings build build- ings and construction work worl while our fires cost half a n. billion dollars Worst In Jn World orill Y YNo No Xo other nation has su such h an unenviable unenviable unenviable un un- enviable record as os this Our fires are oro costing from six to eight times as much per capita as any country countr In Europe By the tho total cost of ot fires I refer not only to the actual destruction of or property prop prop- crt arty erty which amounted to but also to the cost of at maintenance of ot lire fire departments and the tho amount mount of or In Insurance Insurance In- In paid pall over and above o the money returned to reimburse owners of ot buildings While wo we are aro wasting soaring several se times as much property per capita as s Europe we are also destroying in these fires five Ive times as many rives lives as s are lost In Inthe Inthe the other countries In 1906 1900 according to o the United States census persons persons persons per per- sons died of or burns and perhaps were seriously Injured The rho Federal government Is directly Interested In thIs tills question because It ft Its itIs Is s the owner of valued at mort nor the than half haIr a 0 union a d dollars which Tact kte-Tact re 1 H d I s a In Int more I than han OO 00 laach ch year for new i i structures This building and construction construe construe- Uon tion lon work Is all Intended to be of at permanent permanent per per- manent nature It Involves in Interests i of at such magnitude that the government government govern govern- ment can ean afford to t take ke no risks concerning con con- either the methods of ot construction construction tion lon or the materials to be use used Plans Must Munt DC De Definite It 1 Is therefore necessary necessary that tho the architects and engineers have definite Information concerning tho the fire resIst Ing resist ng qualities of at the different materials of ot construction to the end that the tho governments government's governments government's gov sov- buildings may be properly I safeguarded from Ore lire within and with wIth- out Carrying out this Idea the geological survey urvey through technologic branch some orne time tImo ago completed a series of ot preliminary fire ro tests of or buIl building materials ma- ma which will soon be printed by the tho ho government In the form fonn of ot a 0 bul- bul letin The building materials were placed in tn a furn furnace ce where gas flames were vero formed b by a blast of ot air against one ne side of or the material Alter After two hours In which the tho material ma- ma was heated to the point expected In n a conflagration tho the material was taken aken from Crom the furnace and nd the water turned on from tram a hose to get the condItions con con- conditions I which obtain after tho the firemen begIn egin their work Tho con conditions under under uner un- un der er which these tests were made mollo were unusually severe and nd as none of at the 1 materials 18 passed perfectly It proved a ago go good od test for Cor comparative purposes Tho The tots tests are not In any Way ay conclusive con- con 1 elusive being the first of an extended serIes erics of at In Investigations but they point out tho the weaknesses weaknesses of at the different ma- ma I |