6 



the htirning mass with the greatest jpossihle 

 force. 



The pouring of water from the 

 ground level into upper windows is 

 on almost all ordinary occasions (ex- 

 cept when it is impossible to enter 

 the floor on fire) an utter waste of 

 labour, and in such a building as the 

 British Museum would most inevit- 

 ably cause a large destruction of 

 valuable property by water. 



Should it so happen that, pre- 

 viously to the arrival of the Super- 

 intendent, the fire has got beyond the 

 power of the water from the Fire 

 cocks, or Engines, attention must im- 

 mediately be turned to excluding the 

 air by shutting up and keeping shut 

 as much as possible the part of the 

 building in which the fire is, as the 

 admission of the air causes a Fire to 

 burn rapidly, whereas its exclusion, 

 if complete, would alone extinguish 

 it ; and even its partial exclusion will 

 keep the fire in check until the arrival 

 of powerful aid. 



A comparatively small quantity of 

 water used in the manner here pointed 

 out will extinguish Fire much more 

 quickly and effectually, and of course 

 with much less damage by wet, than 



