8 BULLETIN 801^ U. S, DEPAETMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Fundamental requirements for the arrangements of buildings not 

 only demand that they be isolated as much as possible from adjacent 

 property hazards, but that the several buildings should be arranged 

 in such manner as to minimize the exposure, or fire hazard, that 

 they present to each other. This is so important that it should be 

 the first consideration in the design of the jplant. Among exterior 

 fire hazards a passing locomotive should not be overlooked. 



The buildings necessary for a complete warehouse plant vary 

 according to the nature of the business conducted. In addition to 

 the warehouse storage compartments there may be the compress 

 compartment, sheds for receiving and delivering cotton, boiler 

 house, pump house, hose or h3^drant houses, office and classing 

 rooms (which may provide a file room for cotton samples), and a 

 watchman's room. Each of these buildings presents definite re- 

 quirements for construction and fire protection. 



The clasign of the warehouse buildings should be selected with 

 a view to the cost of construction, maintenance and operation on 

 the one hand, and resulting fire hazard and insurance rates on the 

 other. The most important item from both standpoints is the size 

 and proportions of the compartments. After the capacity of the 

 compartment is determined, its proportions must be considered in 

 adopting a particular type of construction. The design of the 

 building as regards the number of stories is usually determined by 

 local conditions, but, all things considered, the single story ware- 

 house is to be preferred in the majority of cases, if cotton can be 

 piled with reasonable convenience. If cotton is not piled, the build- 

 ing of several stories is more economical and convenient. 



The warehouse building should be divided into compartments 

 in order to reduce as far as is economically practical the amount 

 of cotton which may be subjected to a single fire. A compartment 

 may be considered as that portion of the building which is cut 

 off from all other parts of the building by fire-resistive division 

 walls, or such walls and fire-resistive floors so combined that a fire 

 will not be communicated readily from one of these sections to 

 another. This reduction of single areas and protection of each 

 against the other is a principle of the greatest importance in cotton 

 warehousing. 



THE COMPARTMENT. 



The size of the compartment should be such as to limit the cotton 

 which may be stored therein to an amomit of reasonable value. 

 It usually is conceded as desirable that the size of the compartment 

 should not permit the storage of more than 600 bales of cotton, while 

 in few cases should the num.ber of bales exceed 1,000.. This view of 

 the capacity of the storage compartment conforms to the usual in- 



