Mr Fairbairn on Fireproof Warehouses. 103 
who may feel disposed to adopt measures for saving a large 
rate of insurance, and for the further protection of their pro- 
perty, I would respectfully submit the following observations 
for consideration :— 
On the subject of fireproof structures we have few ex- 
amples in the ages of antiquity ; and provided we except the 
monuments of the early Egyptians, and some of the public 
edifices of the Greeks and Romans, there are but few in- 
stances of buildings so erected as to afford any security 
against the ravages of fire. During the middle ages, some 
of the Gothic churches and cathedrals were constructed 
almost entirely of stone ;* and, with these exceptions, there 
appears no evidence of an existing knowledge as to the be- 
nefits arising from the use of an entirely fireproof structure. 
Probably a want of cast-iron, and the consequent ignorance 
of its use, was an insurmountable barrier to the develop- 
ment of the fireproof system ; but, in the present age, these 
difficulties do not exist, and to neglect the means thus so 
liberally supplied for the protection of life and property, 
would augur a want of discernment incompatible with the 
spirit and enterprise of the age. Latterly, the extension of 
commerce, and the great value of property which is daily 
consigned to the keeping of individuals and companies, have 
produced a different feeling ; and, viewing the present en- 
gagements of merchants, with the amount of transfer from 
one hand to another, it is no longer matter of surprise that 
measures, calculated for the better security of property, 
should be imperatively called for, and that in every instance 
where it is exposed to risk. 
The general character of warehouses has, for ages, been 
the same; the roofs and floors invariably being constructed 
of timber, with strong girders and wooden props ; and these 
have, in most cases, been so injudiciously placed as to cause 
considerable injury to the structure on every occasion when 
great weights have to be supported. On referring to the 
greater number of these erections, it will be found that the 
Wt) 2 ee ee rr 
* The cathedral of Milan is constructed entirely of marble and glass. 
