CONSTRUCTION AND FIRE PROTECTION OE COTTON WAREHOUSES. 49 
sites set forth for such openings in the fire-resistive roof. Special 
care should he exercised to see that a tight joint is made at the venti- 
lators and skylights. . 
PLATFORMS. 
Platforms should be paved or, if elevated, built of reinforced con- 
crete. Wooden platforms are a source of great expense for upkeep 
and present a good opportunity for the origination of fire. All 
things considered, the paved or reinforced concrete platforms are 
more serviceable, and, eventually, are more economical. If wooden 
platforms are used they should be of heavy timber, and the ware- 
house doors should be protected as previously described. 
In view of the frequent reference to requirements of the construc- 
tion for warehouses several stories in height, it is scarcely wise to 
conclude this portion of the discussion without pointing out the 
hazard such additional stories entail. The single-story warehouse 
of any construction affords decided advantage in dealing with a fire 
and is especially advantageous in the case of slow-burning construc- 
tion. However, if conditions demand the storage of cotton without 
tiering, this single story entails a prohibitive cost of the plant per 
bale capacity, particularly if adaquate yard hydrant piping or 
sprinkler equipment is provided. In such cases there is no serious 
objection to providing three low stories if all stories of the com- 
partment formed by the division fire walls contain a total of not 
more than 144.000 cubic feet. The resulting area (stories being of 
equal height) is suitable for convenient storage of 1,000 bales of 
uncompressed cotton or 1,500 compressed bales. Additional stories 
not only involve subjection of an excessive value of cotton to a single 
possible fire, but render the use of hose streams less effective. For 
slow-burning construction, not more than four stories should be 
countenanced under usual conditions, and these stories should be low, 
permitting the storage of only one tier of bales on end. 1 
Extreme caution should be exercised in the use of unprotected 
steel in combination with any timber construction. The weakness! 
of steel for such use is shown in Plate XXV. In this building both 
steel beams and timbers were used owing to a shortage in available 
steel beams. A fire which damaged the timbers but slightly caused 
the steel beams to twist and sag as shown by the photograph. The 
.-n| 
1 Additional stories may be provided by making alternate floors of fire-resis- 
tive construction, such as reinforced concrete. Even in such event, a limit 
of four stories is preferred and six stories should be the final limit, the third 
and fifth floors of reinforced concrete and all floors provided with platforms of 
reinforced concrete. 
12S9S3 — 19— Bull. 801 4 
