160 Chicago Bureau of Public Efficiency 



The Shops, Washington Park. 



These shops, which include the garage, storage warerooms, ice-cream 

 factory, and general repair shops, are long, one-story brick buildings, of 

 light-joisted construction, divided into various departments by pine parti- 

 tions or by brick walls not properly carried up above roofs. 



In the garage are violated practically all rules for the safeguarding 

 of the only too well known hazards due to storage and handling of used 

 gasoline automobiles. The building itself, with its wooden roof over a 

 blind attic, made with a wood-sheathed ceiling, would greatly help to 

 make a small starting fire a serious one. The use of wooden locker for 

 clothing, with the ever-present chance of greasy overalls being stored 

 therein, is bad ; the arrangement of the so-called oil room — a small brick- 

 inclosed room without a ceiling, thus opening direct into the garage — is 

 worse; and the location of the main gasoline supply tank of 500 gallons 

 directly under the oil room, filled from oil wagons driven inside the garage, 

 is almost without a parallel as a hazardous layout. 



The use of stoves in many of the shops, particularly in the boat- 

 repair shop, with steam readily available, seems to be an introduction of 

 an unnecessary hazard. There is also a carelessness manifest in the 

 machine shops and electrical repair shops regarding the use of nails and 

 other metal supports for extension electric-light cords. These cords, by 

 the way, are the ordinary braided cords and not of the safest type, a 

 well-insulated cord especially designed for extension and pendant use in 

 shops. 



There is unquestionably a conflagration hazard among the shops, due 

 to the length of the buildings without true fire walls and the mutual 

 exposures ; and, as the occupancy of the shops includes woodworking, 

 painting, blacksmithing, and metal working, even with the best of care 

 there is always a chance of fire due to the specific hazard of the processes. 



The fire-protection equipment throughout the shops is entirely inade- 

 quate. The yard hydrants are provided with cheap, unlined I'nen hose, 

 an unreliable type of hose for outside use, and there is a lack of hand 

 appliances inside the shop in the way of barrels and buckets and portable 

 three-gallon chemical extinguishers. 



Recommendations. 

 Garage. 



(1) Smoking inside the garage should be absolutely prohibited, 

 and signs to that effect posted. 



(2) Metal lockers should be used instead of the wooden lockers. 



(3) A properly built fireproof oil room, well ventilated at ceiling 

 and floor level, should be provided. 



(4) The main gasoline supply tank should be located on the 

 outside of the building, underground, and otherwise in accordance 

 with the city ordinance. 



(5) Several three-gallon chemical fire extinguishers should be 

 installed, as well as a number of pails of clean, d y sand. 



Shops. 



(1) "No Smoking" signs should be posted throughout. 



(2) Heating by steam should be installed in all shops. 



(3) All braided cord used for electric-light extensions should 

 be replaced by standard extension cord, and the use of nails and 

 metal pipes for supporting extension cords discontinued. 



(4) A full supply of barrels and buckets and chemical fire 

 extinguishers should be distributed. 



