SECURITY ASAIKST FIRE. 



nr 



as a substitute for mahogany and other expensive woods. I 

 will now add to it a mode of substituting it in the place of 

 oak, and other less expensive woods. 



The chief use I would recommend it for is in stairs, and 

 stair cases, but especially in the metropolis, where so many 

 fires are constantly happening, and where so many lives are 

 annually lost by them ; where fo many plans have been de- 

 vised for fire-escapes, and so few, if any, that have ever an- 

 swered the end. 



I have long wondered some plan has not b,een thought of, Security 

 which provided security within doors, instead of waiting for against fires 



■ . n -.t. r, ■ . • should be pr»- 



precanous assistance trom without. It is not so easy to in- ■ v ; ( j ec j w i t hia 



troduce a remedy, such a remedy I am now proposing, into docus. 

 houses already built ; either from a parsimoniousness of the 

 owners, or from a fancied security in the idea, that with them 

 there is no danger, and therefore they will not go to the ex- 

 pense of adding a new flight of stairs ; which beside the ex- 

 pense, will be attended with much trouble and confusion. 

 The other class, that are likely to hinder the adoption of the 

 remedy, are those that are not able to go to the expense of 

 the alteration. But those persons that could afford it, and 

 wished to provide for the danger of fire, if a probable re- 

 medy was shown them, might certainly do it ; and as houses 

 are continually altering, and new ones constantly being 

 erected, certainly it would decrease the evil, and be introf 

 ducing, if but slowly, a system that in years would increase, 

 and be of essential utility. 



The remedy I mean is stairs and stair cases made either This wculd be 

 of cast and sheet iron combined, or cast iron only, 

 framing for the stairs, to which the boards are nailed in the 

 present mode, might all be cast, and screwed together. Of 

 course this framing would be considerably lighter in appear- 

 ance, than if made of wood. The front and top of the step, 

 if made of sheet iron, might be attached with six or eight Mode of con. 

 screws, to the cast iron framing ; and in order to give it a structing 

 neat finish, a light bevelled moulding might run all round 

 the front of every step, and the jointings be neatly screwed 

 to it with small screws, with heads countersunk into the 

 mouldings. 



But if the front and top of the steps were cast in plates, 



which 



stairs. 



