Engineering Bulletin No. 2 October, 1916, Edition 



Heavy Timber Mill Construction 



Buildings 



By C. E. Paul, Construction Engineer 



CHAPTER I. 

 MILL CONSTRUCTION DEFINED. 



The term "mill construction" as commonly used is the 

 name given to that type of building construction in which 

 the interior framing and floors are of timber, arranged in 

 heavy solid masses, and smooth flat surfaces, so as to expose 

 the least number of corners, and to avoid concealed spaces 

 which may not be reached readily in case of fire. 



A broader interpretation of the term includes the meaning 

 given above and adds the specification that the building shall 

 be so constructed that fire shall pass as slowly as possible from 

 one part of the structure to another. This means that each 

 floor should be separated from all others by incombustible 

 walls or partitions, and by doors or hatchways which will close 

 automatically in case of fire near them. Stairways, belt pas- 

 sages, and elevator shafts are encased, or preferably located 

 in fireproof towers. Openings in floors for passage of belts, 

 etc., are either avoided or fully protected against passage of 

 fire or water. The proper installation of an approved auto- 

 matic sprinkler system is of great importance. Ceilings in 

 rooms where highly inflammable stocks are kept or where 

 hazardous processes are followed, should be protected by the 

 use of fire-retardant material. The ceiling should follow the 

 lines of the timbers without an air space between the two sur- 

 faces. 



Origin of The "mill construction" type of building origi- 

 Type nated in the cotton and woolen mills of New Eng- 



land in the early days of that industry. Instances 

 of buildings of the mill construction type are found in the 



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