Fire Proof Buildings

Ilirani Povere, the sculptur, writea to The Ecening Post, giving his views concerning lire proof struutures. It must be preuiised that Mr. Power draws his conolusions from the buildings in Florence, Italy, from whicli city ha writes. He sums up as follows : " Therefore, to be live proof in eur own buildings, our neighbors' houses must also be fire proof ; and this calis for municipal laws, regulating the material and the construetion of buildings, and what should be required. [i First - The abandoninent oL all wood floors. " Second- Tho floors to be made of bricks,.thiS8baling down all ventilation in case of üro. " Third - The stairs to be metallic or atone. " Fourth - Tho rafters of the roof, like the joists of the floor, to be all bricked over before putting on the slates or tiles. ■' But (it may be asked) will not joists and rafters take üre ? ' " Yes, they will and often do take fire here in Florence. But with a floorof bricks laid with mortar upon them, the Fire Department need not hurry to such a fire ; hours, indeed, ïaight elapse before they reaehed it. I have knowu an instance of nearly two days' 'buruing of the end of a joibt just under a fire-place, and yt't lile uuaiu waa uui nii.- - t deeply charred. The tb oannot get through the bricks, but ït would soon find Lt9 Wi'.y through a wood íioor, and thon, with. ventilation, it would soon -.rcach tho garrut. In short, the whole building would be iu flanies within hall an hoiir. Briok floors do not prevent fires but tHey prevent conflagrations. Ko city can be burnt with briek floors, nor has a house boen burnt within the city of Florence during ïny residence here of 35 years." To our poople, who btrild 01 live unooncernedly in houses filled with' iflttammablo materials, the extreme precutions .adopted against fire by the Florentinos iiuay seem absurd to the last degreo. It isvery evident that we are so far trom anvthing like a safo system of building that we must be torced up to adopting better rootUods by slow dogrees. The may corae w.hen to sball buüd as thev do in Florence ; but we must first pass througk a modiíied tinder box period. Mr. Powers is a very practical nvan. Ho has resided in Flouence i'or thirtyflye hcars, and during that time not a house bas been burnt in that city. Froni some personal knowlsdgo of Florence in winter, we should ieel almost incliucd to supplement Mr. Powers' statement by saying that during that long period there has scarcely been fire enougk in all the city fco burn a good size house. Peoplo shiver a good deal in those Italiaa cities over a few feeble euibers, stored in sinall earthen pots.- American Arlisan. Mrs. Anna A. Pomeroy bid iu "Brick's" gorgeous Viuilding at La Grosse u,t$ll,00O, at n sheriff'B sale. "Brick" gono to bad.