form a line and proceed to the stairways located at each end of the building, and march downstairs to the street, while those employed in the middle part of the floor proceed in line to the spiral fire escape and get in, and the chute carries them to the street, where they are taken from the spiral fire escape by two male employees who are detailed at that point. The male employees on each floor, when an alarm is sounded, proceed to their proper places in each room or section where the hose is constantly attached to standpipe. The hose is unwound, or, if it is on racks, taken down and straightened out. If it is what is called a "wet drill," the water is turned on and the stream of water is directed into the areaway or on top of the building. In the winter months the establishment has what are called "dry drills" in which the employees do not go out of the building, nor is the water turned on, but the employees form in line at the designated sections. The drills are held at least once a month, and the alarm is sounded from any different floor. There is no set time for holding the drills. NORTH CAROLINA. SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION. A fire-protection law affecting manufacturing establishments generally was passed and ratified shortly before the field work of this investigation in North Carolina was begun, and was legally in full effect at that time. As, however, this law was so new, and as previously there had been no State legislation regarding the subject, the results of this investigation can not be accepted as measuring the effect of the law. As the law referred to is in many respects very broad in its scope and very detailed in its requirements, it is quoted below almost in its entirety: * * SECTION 3. All doors for ingress and egress * * * of all * * * factories with more than 20 employees shall be so hung as * * * workshops * * to open outwardly from the *. SEC. 4. All factories, manufactories, establishments, or workshops of three or more stories in height, in which thirty or more people are employed above the first floor * shall be provided with one or (if the proper officials shall deem necessary) more outside fire escapes, not less than 6 feet in length and 3 feet in width, properly and safely constructed, guarded by iron railings not less than 3 feet in length and taking in at least 1 door and 1 window or 2 windows at each story and connected with the interior by easily accessible and unobstructed openings; And the said fire escapes shall connect by iron stairs not less than 24 inches wide, the steps to be not less than 6 inches tread, placed at 1 Acts of 1909, ch. 637, secs. 3 to 6, inclusive. Ratified Mar. 6, 1909. (Bulletin of the Bureau of Labor, No. 85, p. 695.) Investigation conducted in North Carolina from Mar. 18 to Apr. 2, 1909. not more than an angle of 45° slant and protected by a well-secured hand rail on both sides, with a 12-inch-wide drop ladder from the lowest platform reaching to the ground; That no outside fire escapes shall be required where there are already sufficient inside stairways; That for every 20 people employed on any floor above the second * * * there shall be one rope or portable fire escape, and that each story shall be amply supplied with means for extinguishing fires; That all the main doors, both inside and outside, in factories, except fire doors, shall open outwardly when the proper official shall so direct, and that no outside or inside door of any building wherein operatives are employed shall be so locked, bolted, or otherwise fastened during the hours of labor as to prevent egress. * SEC. 5. Every building in which 20 or more persons are employed above the second story in a factory, workshop, or mercantile or other establishment, the owner or agent * * of which is notified in writing by the insurance commissioner shall be provided with proper ways of egress or other means of escape from fire sufficient for the use of all persons * * * employed ** * and such ways of egress and means of escape shall be kept free from obstructions, in good repair and ready for use. Every room above the second story in any such building in which 20 or more persons are employed shall be provided with more than one way of egress by stairways on the inside or outside of the building. All doors in any building, subject to the provisions of this act, shall open outwardly, if the insurance commissioner or one of his deputies shall direct in writing. Penalty. On owner, for failure "to comply with the provisions of this act in accordance with the orders of the authorities," $10 to $50 for each day's neglect. The insurance commissioner is charged with the enforcement of the above-quoted provisions. There is no State factory inspection service in North Carolina. CONDITIONS FOUND. Eighteen of the 28 establishments visited had buildings 3 or more stories in height. None of these buildings was of frame. The following table classifies the buildings of these 18 establishments by height, and shows the number in each group having certain important means of fire protection. KIND OF FIRE PROTECTION, BY HEIGHT AND CHARACTER OF CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS-NORTH CAROLINA. Each entry represents 1 building. When an establishment has more than 1 building and the several buildings are not uniform as regards fire protection, the principal building has been selected as representative. Figures for fire escapes wholly or partly of wood are not shown in the table.] The law of Georgia requires every factory building more than 2 stories high to have more than one means of egress by stairways, to have all main doors open outwardly, and to be supplied with fireextinguishing apparatus on each floor. The law reads as follows:1 5 Owners of every building more than 2 stories in height, not including the basement, used in the third or higher stories, in whole or in part, as factory or workshop, shalt provide more than one way of egress from each story of said building, above the second story, by stairways, on the inside or outside of said building, and such stairways shall be, as nearly as may be practicable, at opposite ends of each story and so constructed that, in case of fire, the ground can be readily reached from the third and higher stories. Stairways on the outside of said buildings shall have suitable railed landings at each story above the first, and shall connect with each of said stories by doors or windows, opening outwardly, and such doors, windows, and landings shall be kept at all times clear of obstructions. All the main doors of such puildings, both inside and outside, shall open outwardly, and each story shall be amply supplied with means for extinguishing fires. 'Code, 1895, Vol. II, Civ. Code, secs. 2622, 2623, and 2625 (22d An. Rept. Com. of Labor, pp. 289, 290). Penalty. On owner, for failure to comply with the law or with CONDITIONS FOUND. Twelve of the 27 establishments visited in Georgia had buildings 3 or more stories in height. None of these buildings were of frame construction. The following table classifies the buildings of these 12 establishments by height, and shows for each height group the number having certain important means of fire protection. KIND OF FIRE PROTECTION, BY HEIGHT AND CHARACTER OF CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS-GEORGIA. [Each entry represents 1 building. When an establishment has more than 1 building and the seyeral buildings are not uniform as regards fire protection, the principal building has been selected as representative. Figures for fire escapes wholly or partly of wood are not shown in the table.] There are no legal provisions relative to the subject of fire escapes or fire protection. 1 Code, 1895, Vol. III, Pen. Code, secs. 510 and 1039 (22d An. Rept. Com. of Labor, p. 294). CONDITIONS FOUND. Nine of the 14 establishments visited had buildings 3 or more stories in height. Four of these 9 were of frame construction; the other 5 were of brick or concrete. The following table classifies these several buildings by height and by material of construction and shows for each group the number having certain important means of fire protection. KIND OF FIRE PROTECTION, BY HEIGHT AND CHARACTER OF CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS-FLORIDA. [Each entry represents 1 building. When an establishment has more than 1 building and the several buildings are not uniform as regards fire protection, the principal building has been selected as representative. A building constructed partly of wood is classed in the table as a frame building. Figures for fire escapes wholly or partly of wood are not shown in the table.] Louisiana legislation requires outside metallic fire escapes on all buildings, not private residences, 4 or more stories in height, in the city of New Orleans. In the special case of factories it requires that all buildings used for manufacturing purposes, more than 2 stories in height, shall have 1 outside metallic fire escape for every 25 persons employed above the second floor. The text of the law is as follows:1 All buildings, except such as are used for private residences exclusively, in the city of New Orleans, of 4 or more stories in height, shall be provided with 1 or more metallic ladders or metallic fire escapes, 1 Rev. Laws, 1897, p. 754, act No. 97, Acts of 1888, secs. 1, 2, and 3 (22d An. Rept, Com. of Labor, p. 515). 49450°-S. Doc. 645, 61-2, vol 19—18 |