The American Architect and Building News,
Vol. XXXIII.Copyright, 1891, by Ticknor & Company, Boston, Mass.
No. 820.
Entered at the Post-Office at Boston as second-class matter.
SEPTEMBER 12, 1891.
Summary:—
The Capacity of Flooring to resist Fire.— Experiments on Flooring by the Building Inspector of Hamburg. — Death of J. M. McElfatrick, Architect. — The New York Institute of Artist-Artisans. —• A Southern Exhibition at Raleigh, N. C. — The Explorations at Delphi.—The Possibility of Mechanical Flight.—The Alleged Counterfeiting of the
Stamp on German Iron...................................................................157 German Architectdre. — VI.................................................................................159 Architect, Owner & Builder Before the Law.—VIII. . . 160 Stairways, Elevator-shafts and Division-walls..........................165 Report on the Accident to the Shoreham Apartment
hodse....................................................................................................................................167 Five Famous Domes.— 1..........................................................................168 Societies................................................................................................................................170 Illustrations : —
Club-house of the Athletic Club of the Schuylkill Navy, Philadelphia, Pa. — The St. Louis Mercantile Club Building, St. Louis, Mo. — Houses at Omaha, Neb. — House at Englewood, N. J. — Design for Hotel and Opera-house.
Additional: Portique Letarouilly for the College de France, Paris, France. — Doorway under the Same. — Decorative
Treatment of the Vaulting of the Same.........................................170
Communication : —
The Calvert Memorial........................................................................171 Kotes and Clippings...................................................................................................171 Trade Surveys..........................................................................................172
W
E are glad to see that a scientific investigation has been made in Germany into the capacity of various sorts of flooring for resisting fire. There, as here, asbestos paper is often used between the boards of a double flooring, with the idea that it protects the floor from burning; and, as it appears, there, as here, some, at least, of the architects think that this application of the material lias very little value. We do not wish to disparage asbestos paper or felting, which is invaluable for many purposes, and, when applied outside a combustible surface, will protect it against fire for a long time; but it has always seemed to us that the thin, fragile layer of asbestos paper which the law compels the Boston builders, at an enormous annual expense, to lay between the boards of double flooring, was about as poor an apology for a fire-resisting device as could be conceived. In itself, undoubtedly, the asbestos paper is incombustible, but between two thicknesses of board, curling and twisting under the heat of a conflagration, it must inevitably, as it seems to us, be torn to pipces long before the flames could reach it.
many, mean simply a thick asbestos felt. However that may be, the third floor resisted the fire one hour and thirteen minutes, eight minutes longer than that with the asbestos paper between the boards. The fourth floor was also double, consisting of an under floor of square-joint planks, two and one-half inches thick, covered with an upper floor of matched boards, one inch thick. The joints of the upper flooring corresponded with those of the lower, and nothing was put between the floors. This sample resisted the fire for one hour and forty-four minutes. In the fifth test, a double floor, of two thicknesses of boards, each one and one-fifth inches thick, with nothing between them, and with joints corresponding, was burnt through in fifty-seven minutes, — a period only eight minutes shorter than that required in the second test, to burn through the same floor with two layers of asbestos paper between. In the sixth experiment, the same flooring was used as in the fifth, but the joints of the upper flooring crossed those of the lower at a right angle. This floor, with nothing between the boards, took an hour and twenty-two minutes to burn through, the crossing of the joints being thus far more effective, as a means of defence against fire, than either two layers of asbestos paper or one of superator. In the seventh test, the same floor was used as in the sixth, but one-twelfth of an inch of superator, with woven-wire foundation, was put between the boards, which lengthened the resistance twenty-one minutes, to one hour and forty-three minutes. In the eighth test, the same was used, but without the wire in the superator; and the time of resistance was one hour and thirty-seven minutes. The ninth experiment was with the same, but with two thicknesses of asbestos paper in place of the superator. This floor burned through in fifty-nine minutes, or twenty-three minutes quicker than a similar floor with nothing between the boards. The tenth floor had ordinary roofing-felt between the boards, and resisted for an hour and twelve minutes. The last sample had the upper floor of matched inch boards, and the under of planks two and one-half inches thick, with square joints, running at right angles with those of the upper flooring. This sample resisted for two hours and twenty-two minutes, although nothing was put between the floors. All the asbestos materials, as well as the roofing-felt, gave out a suffocating smoke when heated; and Herr Wulff draws the conclusion that all the materials interposed between the floors were, to say the least, useless, while their foul smoke might be injurious. In the discussion which followed, according to the Deutsche Bauzeitung, of July 8, from which we borrow this interesting and important account, Herr Ilagn observed that the views of the insurance companies on the subject agreed with the conclusions arrived at by Herr Wulff.
THE German experiments, which were made, apparently for his own satisfaction, by Building Inspector Wulff, of Ham
burg, and described by him in a paper read before the Hamburg Society of Architects and Engineers, fully bear out this idea. The burning of a great storehouse at Freihafen led him to inquire into the best way of building floors so as not to be burned through by fire from above ; and he prepared eleven pieces of flooring, each about five feet square, which were successively placed on four posts, under an iron roof, and covered with inflammable materials, which was set on fire, and kept burning until the sample floor was burned through. All the floors were of fir, unplaned. The first floor was of a single thickness of matched planks, one and one-half inches thick. This was burned through in thirty minutes. The second floor was double, of two thicknesses of matched boards, each one and one-fifth inches thick, with the joints running in the same direction, and with two layers of asbestos paper between, the total thickness of the asbestos paper being one-twelfth of an inch. This floor was burned through in an hour and five minutes. The third sample was the same, but with superator between, instead of the asbestos paper, the thickness of the superator being the same as that of two layers of asbestos paper onetwelfth of an inch. What the superator used was like, we are not quite sure. In this country, the name of “ superator ” is given to a fabric made by weaving asbestos into a wire cloth, but we find in the account a distinction made between plain superator, and superator with woven wire, so that the former may, in Ger
AN architect of note as a specialist, Mr. J. Morgan McElfat-rick, of the firm of J. B. McElfatrick & Sons, died recently in St. Louis. This firm, which had its principal office in New York, with a branch for Western business at St. Louis, devoted itself almost exclusively to designing and constructing theatres, and built probably more than half of the theatres which have been erected in the United States within the last fifteen or twenty years. Mr. Morgan McElfatrick was only thirty-eight years old, but he had been an active participant in the work of the firm for twenty years, and had studied Lis subject assiduously, both in this country and abroad.
W
E have before spoken of the New York Institute for Artist-Artisans, and, learning from a letter in the New York Times, from the Bev. Heber Newton, that, although rapidly increasing in prosperity, it will still need for the coming year, the fifth of its existence, about three thousand dollars to make up the difference between its receipts and expenses, we hope that some of our readers may be disposed to help in providing for the deficit, and will communicate at once with the director, Mr. John Ward Stimson, 140 West Twentythird Street, New York. If this can be taken care of by friends of the cause for the coming year, it is hoped that another year will see the Institute self-supporting. As our readers know, the object of the school is to make, not artists, but workers in various handicrafts, who shall combine with
Vol. XXXIII.Copyright, 1891, by Ticknor & Company, Boston, Mass.
No. 820.
Entered at the Post-Office at Boston as second-class matter.
SEPTEMBER 12, 1891.
Summary:—
The Capacity of Flooring to resist Fire.— Experiments on Flooring by the Building Inspector of Hamburg. — Death of J. M. McElfatrick, Architect. — The New York Institute of Artist-Artisans. —• A Southern Exhibition at Raleigh, N. C. — The Explorations at Delphi.—The Possibility of Mechanical Flight.—The Alleged Counterfeiting of the
Stamp on German Iron...................................................................157 German Architectdre. — VI.................................................................................159 Architect, Owner & Builder Before the Law.—VIII. . . 160 Stairways, Elevator-shafts and Division-walls..........................165 Report on the Accident to the Shoreham Apartment
hodse....................................................................................................................................167 Five Famous Domes.— 1..........................................................................168 Societies................................................................................................................................170 Illustrations : —
Club-house of the Athletic Club of the Schuylkill Navy, Philadelphia, Pa. — The St. Louis Mercantile Club Building, St. Louis, Mo. — Houses at Omaha, Neb. — House at Englewood, N. J. — Design for Hotel and Opera-house.
Additional: Portique Letarouilly for the College de France, Paris, France. — Doorway under the Same. — Decorative
Treatment of the Vaulting of the Same.........................................170
Communication : —
The Calvert Memorial........................................................................171 Kotes and Clippings...................................................................................................171 Trade Surveys..........................................................................................172
W
E are glad to see that a scientific investigation has been made in Germany into the capacity of various sorts of flooring for resisting fire. There, as here, asbestos paper is often used between the boards of a double flooring, with the idea that it protects the floor from burning; and, as it appears, there, as here, some, at least, of the architects think that this application of the material lias very little value. We do not wish to disparage asbestos paper or felting, which is invaluable for many purposes, and, when applied outside a combustible surface, will protect it against fire for a long time; but it has always seemed to us that the thin, fragile layer of asbestos paper which the law compels the Boston builders, at an enormous annual expense, to lay between the boards of double flooring, was about as poor an apology for a fire-resisting device as could be conceived. In itself, undoubtedly, the asbestos paper is incombustible, but between two thicknesses of board, curling and twisting under the heat of a conflagration, it must inevitably, as it seems to us, be torn to pipces long before the flames could reach it.
many, mean simply a thick asbestos felt. However that may be, the third floor resisted the fire one hour and thirteen minutes, eight minutes longer than that with the asbestos paper between the boards. The fourth floor was also double, consisting of an under floor of square-joint planks, two and one-half inches thick, covered with an upper floor of matched boards, one inch thick. The joints of the upper flooring corresponded with those of the lower, and nothing was put between the floors. This sample resisted the fire for one hour and forty-four minutes. In the fifth test, a double floor, of two thicknesses of boards, each one and one-fifth inches thick, with nothing between them, and with joints corresponding, was burnt through in fifty-seven minutes, — a period only eight minutes shorter than that required in the second test, to burn through the same floor with two layers of asbestos paper between. In the sixth experiment, the same flooring was used as in the fifth, but the joints of the upper flooring crossed those of the lower at a right angle. This floor, with nothing between the boards, took an hour and twenty-two minutes to burn through, the crossing of the joints being thus far more effective, as a means of defence against fire, than either two layers of asbestos paper or one of superator. In the seventh test, the same floor was used as in the sixth, but one-twelfth of an inch of superator, with woven-wire foundation, was put between the boards, which lengthened the resistance twenty-one minutes, to one hour and forty-three minutes. In the eighth test, the same was used, but without the wire in the superator; and the time of resistance was one hour and thirty-seven minutes. The ninth experiment was with the same, but with two thicknesses of asbestos paper in place of the superator. This floor burned through in fifty-nine minutes, or twenty-three minutes quicker than a similar floor with nothing between the boards. The tenth floor had ordinary roofing-felt between the boards, and resisted for an hour and twelve minutes. The last sample had the upper floor of matched inch boards, and the under of planks two and one-half inches thick, with square joints, running at right angles with those of the upper flooring. This sample resisted for two hours and twenty-two minutes, although nothing was put between the floors. All the asbestos materials, as well as the roofing-felt, gave out a suffocating smoke when heated; and Herr Wulff draws the conclusion that all the materials interposed between the floors were, to say the least, useless, while their foul smoke might be injurious. In the discussion which followed, according to the Deutsche Bauzeitung, of July 8, from which we borrow this interesting and important account, Herr Ilagn observed that the views of the insurance companies on the subject agreed with the conclusions arrived at by Herr Wulff.
THE German experiments, which were made, apparently for his own satisfaction, by Building Inspector Wulff, of Ham
burg, and described by him in a paper read before the Hamburg Society of Architects and Engineers, fully bear out this idea. The burning of a great storehouse at Freihafen led him to inquire into the best way of building floors so as not to be burned through by fire from above ; and he prepared eleven pieces of flooring, each about five feet square, which were successively placed on four posts, under an iron roof, and covered with inflammable materials, which was set on fire, and kept burning until the sample floor was burned through. All the floors were of fir, unplaned. The first floor was of a single thickness of matched planks, one and one-half inches thick. This was burned through in thirty minutes. The second floor was double, of two thicknesses of matched boards, each one and one-fifth inches thick, with the joints running in the same direction, and with two layers of asbestos paper between, the total thickness of the asbestos paper being one-twelfth of an inch. This floor was burned through in an hour and five minutes. The third sample was the same, but with superator between, instead of the asbestos paper, the thickness of the superator being the same as that of two layers of asbestos paper onetwelfth of an inch. What the superator used was like, we are not quite sure. In this country, the name of “ superator ” is given to a fabric made by weaving asbestos into a wire cloth, but we find in the account a distinction made between plain superator, and superator with woven wire, so that the former may, in Ger
AN architect of note as a specialist, Mr. J. Morgan McElfat-rick, of the firm of J. B. McElfatrick & Sons, died recently in St. Louis. This firm, which had its principal office in New York, with a branch for Western business at St. Louis, devoted itself almost exclusively to designing and constructing theatres, and built probably more than half of the theatres which have been erected in the United States within the last fifteen or twenty years. Mr. Morgan McElfatrick was only thirty-eight years old, but he had been an active participant in the work of the firm for twenty years, and had studied Lis subject assiduously, both in this country and abroad.
W
E have before spoken of the New York Institute for Artist-Artisans, and, learning from a letter in the New York Times, from the Bev. Heber Newton, that, although rapidly increasing in prosperity, it will still need for the coming year, the fifth of its existence, about three thousand dollars to make up the difference between its receipts and expenses, we hope that some of our readers may be disposed to help in providing for the deficit, and will communicate at once with the director, Mr. John Ward Stimson, 140 West Twentythird Street, New York. If this can be taken care of by friends of the cause for the coming year, it is hoped that another year will see the Institute self-supporting. As our readers know, the object of the school is to make, not artists, but workers in various handicrafts, who shall combine with