Fireproof

Proof against destruction by fire; incombustible; as, a fire - proof building.-Designed to protect from fire; as a fire - proof dre . -. a. To render fire-proof; as, to fire -proof a dre material. See FIRE-PROOFING. Fire-proof Build'ings. ( Arch . ) Structures that are, as nearly as po ible, rendered free from danger of destruction by fire. However desirable it is that dwelling-houses, warehouses, stores, ., should be made absolutely proof against fire, the problem has not yet been solved, though many so-called F. B. are constructed and are approximately such. No building material has been found that will entirely withstand the energy of intense heat. The problem is two-fold: protection must be afforded both within and without. To prevent a building from taking fire without, the walls should be of brick or stone, with iron doors, stone or iron lintels, casings, ., with iron window-shutters, and the roof of iron or arched bricks or stone-work, no wood being anywhere used. Prevention within should be secured by iron doors, iron or stone stairways, stone or concrete floors; and if any wood is used, it should be coated with silicate of soda. The greatest care should be exercised in the construction of the apparatus for heating and lighting. Fire-proof Safe. A safe for the protection of valuables in case of the burning of the building containing it. While not absolutely fire-proof, it is practically so, being made to withstand a very intense heat. It is an American invention of recent date. Sometime about 1830, James Conner, a New York type-founder, conceived the idea of making an iron box fire-proof by lining it with plaster of Paris, but did not patent his invention. About a dozen years later the idea began to be developed by others. Many substances have been used for lining, the most approved, probably, being ground alum mixed with some absorbent medium like sawdust, powdered plaster of Paris, or infusorial earth. Sealed tubes containing water or some vapor-producing substance that would give off steam when heated, have also been tried. Large safes, imbedded in brick, put in when a building is made, are doubly protected, and have proved most effective.