4 BULLETIlSr 801, U. S. DEPARTMEITT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



exposed walls and frame construction for the walls not exposed. 

 In the case of a number of parallel buildings with courts between 

 only one exterior side wall of each entire building may be masonry. 

 Such an arrangement is good but is not nearly so satisfactory as 

 when all walls are masonry. 



Slow-burning construction is illustrated by the photograph of a 

 warehouse of three-story design in Plate III, figure 2. This build- 

 ing has floors and roof of timbers and heavy planking, exterior 

 and division walls of brick, with tin-clad fire doors throughout. 

 The platform is of reinforced concrete which requires practically 

 no repairs and does not communicate fire. In this building the 

 story height is only 8| feet and cotton is stored one bale high on 

 end. Such buildings should not exceed three stories in height un- 

 less there are floors of reinforced concrete to serve as fire breaks. 

 The type of exterior door used in this building is shown by Plate 

 XIII, figure 2. 



A similar building, well suited to conditions which demand con- 

 centration or where the area is limited, is shown in Plate IV, figure 1. 

 For buildings of this design it is best that all floors be fire-resistive. 

 The fire-resistive floor has the advantage o^f limiting the amount 

 of cotton subject. to a single' fire and, what is more important, it 

 serves as a tie tO' the walls and prevents their subjection to such 

 severe and prolonged heat as to cause their failure from expansion. 

 For such buildings the automatic sprinkler equipment is practically 

 essential, while the installation of stand-pipes with hose equipment 

 on each platform is of great importance. A view of such a stand- 

 ]3ipe and hose equipment is shown in Plate XXXII, It usually 

 is not necessary to have platforms on both sides of the building, 

 but if platforms are omitted on one side, doors of sufficient number 

 and size should be provided on that side to permit of cotton being 

 thrown out and, more important, to admit of ready access by 

 firemen. These features of construction are illustrated by Plate IV, 

 figure 2, In this view the minimum number of doors advisable 

 is shown. If any floors in the building are fire resistive, or if the 

 exterior exposure is hazardous, doors should be covered with tin 

 as described for fire doors under " Fire-resistive construction," or 

 should be otherwise equivalent to fire doors. The iron ladder gives 

 ready access to the doors. 



Fire-resistive construction for the warehouse does not involve 

 any radical departure in design from the slow-burning construction 

 described.. The difference is that all floors and roof are of fire- 

 resistive material, such as reinforced' concrete, and that openings 

 are fully protected' as required by their location and exposure. 

 The construction of the floors and other features are discussed 

 under " Fire-resistive construction." An interior view of such a 



