火和水

火和水

NEW York has been visited with three disastrous fires during the last seven days—one unfortunately acccompanied with a sad loss of life. All these fires occurred within a short distance of each other, and as yet no cause for the outbreak has been discovered in the case of any of them. In one instance the proprietor, a cloak manufacturer, had been burned out twice before within a twelvemonth—the ruins of one of his places of business adjoining the building destroyed the other day. It may be that the firebug is again working “darkling,” regardless of the risks incidental to his nefarious calling as well as 'of the loss of life and property that may ensue in consequence of his operations. It may be that the fires had their origin in what is called “pure accident”—a species of accident generally attributable to gross, often to culpable carelessness. But, whatever the cause—and we may be sure the fire marshal will make every possible inquiry—one thing remains clear, namely, that had it not been for the splendid work of the firemen—in the case of the fire on Franklin street they had hardly reached their stations before they were called to that on Pelham street—the portions of the city swept by the flames would have been far more severely visited than they were and the destruction of life and property would have been much greater. As it was, nearly half a dozen people were cut off by an awful death, and some twenty more of the city’s firemen, including at least three of the chief officers of the department, Lally, O’Malley, and Reilly, came within an ace of losing their lives. The fire on Broadway and Bleecker streets was remarkable for the con. spicuous feats of heroism performed at the risk of their lives by several of the firemen in rescuing Foreman Fitzsimmons, whose pluck in sticking to his post after receiving such painful injuries is beyond all praise, and likewise for the bravery displayed by Policeman Walsh in rescuing seven people from death by suffocation, imperiling his own life in the act. Such men are heroes whose names deserve to be handed down to posterity on the role of honor. Yet, except possibly some in New York city who read the account of the fire or were present at it and themselves saw the brave deeds performed by these men, how few will hear anything about these heroic actions or remember even the names of their doers six months hence!

是否有这样的东西是绝对的防火建筑？许多人声称是这样的;但这种索赔显然尚未得到证实。确实，许多结构，尤其是这些天的摩天大楼，是由可能被认为是不可燃料的材料，它们的钢制在砖和平铺中的框架。也是如此，当普通的火灾在其中一个建筑物中开始在一个房间里时，通常是一个更容易将其限制在其原产地。但是，这也是这些建筑物的铁束和支柱无法承受强烈的热量，而不会膨胀和翘曲，从而强制砖块或石材框架，并导致崩溃，也可能是致命的爱尔兰大厦的遗产有缺陷的基础和滑动的工作。本期刊从未停止指出，不可能提出一个绝对的防火建筑，并没有未能警告出于勃起的危险的人，应该是一个凶猛的火灾攻击它们。纽约消防部门的首席博纳特，他和火灾在此问题上彼此完全符合，而这些前警告的力量现在将被屈服的命运突出“绝对防火“曼哈顿银行在选举之夜的火灾期间来到这么彻底的悲伤。 As the flames spread outside and inside it, it grew red hot; the iron beams warped and threw the walls out of plumb. Had the beams warped downwards and not upwards, Chief Bonner says that at least twenty of his men must infallibly have perished. He was most emphatic in his condemnation of the whole style of building, and declared his utter distrust of these so-called fire-proof structures, a distrust in which many others will now share. As we have said, they may serve on ordinary occasions; but at some extraordinary crisis as the one alluded to, they may prove absolute death-traps —the principal factors in some awful holocaust.