Vagabond Editorials

By Jack Dionne

Speaking invitations are daily and almost hourly afiairs, but now and then I get one that warms me all up, like the one I just got from Ernest Woods, Secretary of the Southwestern Lumbermen's Association, at Kansas City. They have just finished their 1932 convention. which was their 49th, and they immediately sent me an invite to attend their 50th, next January, to be toastmaster, speaker, or what have you? I appreciate that sort of thoughtfulness, and if f'm not there it will be because there is a mountain that just cannot be "clumb." Great folks, those retailers in the Middle West. I've been attending their conventions every several years since they first put the water in the Missouri River, and I'm telling you there's a gang that will do to go fishing with.

The shadows of a lot * ,"-O"r"en who have gone, hang over the Southwestern Association, and none of them greater than that of the late Jim Moorehead, the big little man who preceded Ernest Woods as Secretary. Of him Douglas Malloch wrote:

He's richer now, because, somehow,

I know that over there

Where Jim has gone, the Lord looked on

When Jim came up the stair.

For, in his way, Jim day by day

In life remembered Him;

Now, when alone before the throne.

Now Christ remembered Jim.

The copy of a letter *;J o| .n". fireproofer. of wood, Mr. Ernest F. Hartman, of Kenilworth, N. J., to a fire chief in one of the Eastern States, contains some facts that should be very interesting to builders of wood. For in- stance, he states that "since 1929 fireproofed wood doors have been available and have come more and more into use. Today such flush doors only Ls/ inches thick are an efficient one-hour fire barrier. They have been tested many times (Mr. Hartman is speaking particularly of basement doors to keep basement fi.res from spreading) and many are approved by the New York Building Department as onehour doors. Actually the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law requires one-hour apartment entrance doors. They have also been tested by the U. S. Bureau of Standards."

"A one-hour door," says the greenhorn, "is that much of a door?" Well, consider what Mr. Ilartman further states on the subject of metal doors, and get an idea. He says: "Possibly you appreciate the fact that Class A to C Doors of the National Board of underwriters, whether labeled or otherwise, give no information as to the time which such doors will serve as efficient fire barriers. From a very large number of tests of them made at Columbia University, Dr. George Strehan, a consulting engineer, and formerly Engineer of Tests of the New York Building Department, deduced that Class B labeled Underwriters doors were good for a fire resistance of 12 minutes, and a Class C labeled door for from 5 to 15 minutes, while a non-label Class C door would give a fire resistance of 4 to 5 minutes."

Compare those facts with the one-hour proven resistance of the fireproofed wooden doors mentioned above. "Also bear in mind," said Mr. Ilartman in his letter, "that larger door clearances are required for metal doors than for wood doors and that consequently the metal door passes smoke, while the wood door prevents such smoke passage. It is

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