House and Garden 
Vol. VIII 
November, 1905 
No. 4 
INEXPENSIVE METHODS OF FIREPROOFING 
By Emile G. Perrot 
r I 'HE adage, “A burnt child dreads the 
fire,” while applying to the individual, 
does not seem to apply with as much force 
when referred to man in general. This is 
significant when taken in connection with 
the subject of this paper. Notwithstanding 
the dangers and hazard associated with non- 
fireproof dwelling-houses and the loss of life 
and property incidental thereto, it is astonish¬ 
ing what little advance has been made in 
the construction of fireproof dwelling-houses. 
This state of aff airs is all the more surprising 
when we consider the progress that has been 
made in fireproof construction, especially in 
types applicable to house construction. 
The risk of life in dwellings from fire is 
considerable and causes much anxiety to 
householders with antipathy to fire due to 
former experience or an intimate knowledge 
of the sufferings and loss from this cause by 
friends and acquaintances. The danger is 
all the greater in dwellings on account of the 
fact that the modern dwelling is a tinder-box, 
and little time elapses from the incipient 
flame to the fully developed fire. 
Again, the plea for fireproof dwellings is 
strengthened by the fact that for many hours 
at a time dwellings are left unwatched and 
uncared for, either because of the absence 
of the occupants, or their retirement for the 
night. Thus it is that a fire in this character 
of building frequently gains such headway as 
Figure 22 A FIREPROOF BUILDING USED AS AN INFIRMARY 
Copyright, 1905, by The John C. Winston Co. 
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