128 THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE AND FIRE. 
of all sorts and descriptions. Wooden floor finish should not be 
allowed in any portion of the building. All doors, door frames, win- 
dow frames, and window sash should be of metal or of wood covered 
with metal. All important openings should have doors on both sides 
of the wall, the idea being to so design the interior of the building 
that a fire starting in any one room could be left to burn itself out 
not only without being communicated to other rooms or to the corri- 
dors, but also without causing any great money loss to the building 
itself in the room or rooms where the fire occurs. The interior con- 
struction of the building should be such that, should a fire by any 
chance be introduced from the outside, it could be confined absolutely 
to the room or rooms to which it finds access. Such a thing as a 
conflagration sweeping through a building can be made impossible 
at reasonable expense, provided unnecessary architectural finish is 
omitted and the money ordinarily expended on it is applied to other 
things. 
Even such a building, however, might have a shutter left partly 
open, or some other of the various fire-resisting devices might be left 
in such condition as to defeat the purpose for which it was installed ; 
so that if the building contains a large amount of combustible con- 
tents, it should still be provided with sprinklers. The municipal 
water supply should be under sufficient pressure to supply the 
sprinkler system. In a city like San Francisco an artesian well and 
fire pump in each building should be provided for the same purpose, 
if possible. Even then, if there is a conflagration raging, the me- 
chanical staff of the building and as many more men as can be 
obtained should be kept on duty inside the building, watching for 
points of weakness and extinguishing fires should any begin. A 
small amount of water and a small force of men would suffice for 
this duty in a building constructed as described. 
It appears that in San Francisco a number of owners who were 
organizing forces for the active defense of the^r buildings were 
driven out by the police and military authorities in accordance with 
instructions from the municipal authorities — no doubt to prevent 
looting and also with a view of saving people from the effects of the 
dynamiting. It would seem, however, that in some cases proper 
judgment was not exercised, and that some buildings might have been 
saved themselves and might also have acted as barriers to the further 
progress of the flames if their occupants had been permitted to carry 
out their plans. For good illustrations of what can be done in this 
way one need point only to the post-office building, the mint, and the 
appraisers' stores. There is also every reason to believe that a more 
or less active defense was carried on in the Kohl Building; otherwise 
it must have suffered more severely than it did. As it was, however, 
this building was saved with slight damage. 
