A Hint to Builders

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In the accounts received of a great fire that recently occurred at St. Katharine's Dock, London, it is stated that property worth from $25,000,000 to $30,000,000 would, no doubt, have been laid in ruins, had it not been for the peculiar construction of the buildings. In the first place, the structures were over ninety feet high, but they were formed into divisions, each having thick party walls and double iron doors of great strength. The girders of the various floors were built upon what are technically termed " chairs," so that in the event of one of the upper floors falling, there would be no danger of the weight carrying the lower floors with it.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 13 Issue 40This article was published with the title “A Hint to Builders” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 13 No. 40 (), p. 320
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican06121858-320d

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