USE OF DYNAMITE. 67 
to the breaking of the conduits and mains, left the fire practically in 
control of the situation. Some attempts were made to stop its 
progress with dynamite, but from what evidence I was able to obtain 
I doubt very much whether a great deal was accomplished by this 
means. It is probable that at one or two points where the fire had 
become much less fierce its progress was entirely stopped by the use 
of dynamite, but even this much is not certain. I am personally of 
the opinion that dynamite might be used so as to check the progress 
of a conflagration, but it has never been properly applied to that 
purpose as yet. It seems probable that if a strip of property, a whole 
city block in depth, extending across the entire front of the fire, Avere 
selected sufficiently far in advance to enable it to be completely razed 
by dynamite before the fire reached it it would prove an effectual 
barrier-, especially if there were Avater available to keep the ruins 
thoroughly Avet. In the absence of the water the only way to make 
sure of the result would be to have an enormous number of men 
ready, as soon as the buildings were demolished, to move the debris 
to the side nearest to the approaching fire. It is probable that the 
ruins Avould be set on fire by the dynamite itself, but with a suffi- 
cient number of men, properly handled, the amount of combustible 
matter along the side next to unburned property might be so mate- 
rially reduced that the fire Avould not be able to cross the gap. I 
rather think that unless such heroic measures are applied the use of 
dynamite is just as likely to do harm as good in resisting the advance 
of a conflagration. It will readily occur to anyone at all familiar 
with such things that to get together the requisite number of men 
and properly direct their Avork would require full military- control 
of the situation; otherwise the measures described, while not im- 
possible, would hardly be practicable. 
One or two attempts Avere made, apparently with not a great deal 
of judgment, to dynamite steel-frame buildings that were on fire. I 
understand that the explosive was simply placed in the basement 
loose, practically without any tamping, and detonated. The only 
result was to knock a feAV basement columns off their foundations and 
bring doAvn a portion of the floor construction above. I doubt 
whether any good results could be obtained by trying to dynamite a 
steel-frame building as a means of stopping the advance of a fire. 
If, in a strip of property such as that described above, any steel-frame 
buildings exist, especially if the frames are protected with any sort 
of fireproofing, it is probable that more good would result from 
alloAving them to stand, Avhile dynamiting their combustible 
neighbors. 
It would be practically impossible in the time available to demolish 
a steel frame so completely that all of the combustible debris could 
be properly handled. It would burn more freely and more disas- 
