SEeUPwITY AGAINST FIRE. ] Og 



upon as an expense, they would always look well if brushed 

 ■with black lead ; and, as all houses, except the houses of the 

 lower orders, have carpets up the stairs, the tread would be 

 quite as pleasant as on stairs made of mahogany; and in 

 case of fire, a safe escape would always be ready. Dread- 

 ful must be the situation of those persons, who, waked by 

 the cry of fire, rush to the landings, find the lower rooms 

 are burning; the staircase blazing and falling; and no es- 

 cape left but the dreadful one of precipitating themselves 

 from a window, running the risk of being dashed to pieces, 

 or of remaining in the house, to perish in the flames ; when, 

 if the stair case had been of iron, all might have escaped 

 with little or no injury. 



If iron was introduced for joists, rafters, and beams, they i ron beamsand 

 might all be cast hollow, they might all be screwed and pin- rafters, & fire 

 ned together, and have a very light appearance, at the same pro ° ' ° 01!> ' 

 time possessing much more strength than wood. If the 

 spars, on which the floor is laid, were made tight and laid 

 near each other ; and cast with a small projecting edge on 

 each side at the bottom of each spar, so that, when laid 

 down, to form the floor, a flat tile, or thin quarry, would 

 just fit in between two spars ; when all the interstices of the 

 floor were filled up with cheap tiles or quarries made on pur- 

 pose, the floor would be fire proof, and made so at a very 

 little expense ; as the spars might be cast light, there being 

 more in number, and would be nearly if not quite as cheap 

 as wood spars ; and all the additional expense would be the 

 common flat tiles, which would not be of much extra value, 

 nor give much trouble in the laying; on which fire proof 

 floor, the boards might be laid. 



By the introducing of iron for timber, the danger of fire Comrrmnka- 



would be much less to be dreaded; for, if a room took fire, 



to roum. 

 its contents and floor could only be destroyed ; and the fire 



could not easily be communicated" from room to room. In- 

 deed I do not see how it is possible for it to extend. The 

 large timbers, that now connect rooms together, would be 

 taken away, which timbers being burnt through, the floor 

 falls, and overwhelms in destruction the rooms and furniture 

 below. 



Floors could not fall in, if laid on iron. As only the 

 Vol. XXIV Oct. 1809. K boards 



tion from room 



