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10 EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY, JANUARY, 1915
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BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE EDISON PLANT (Fron
1. IJdison Laboratory, saved from the flames by the hard work of the firemen. 2. Administration Building; fii departments of Thomas A. Edison, Inc., are now located. 4. The huge Record Making Building, kn< Department; the only section in the huge building that escaped damage by fire or water. 8.
LESSONS FROM THE FIRE
The fire has taught many lessons. Perhaps foremost among them, because life itself is dearest to us all, is the value of factory fire drills. When the fire broke out at 5.30 P. M. practically the entire plant was actively in operation; only the office force was about to quit. So effective had been the Edison fire drills that every building was emptied of employees in less than two minutes after the alarm sounded, and all had observed order and decorum. To this fact must be credited the absence of loss of life, save one man, who, in a heroic impulse, ventured back into a burning building. The Edison Company also maintained its own fire department, and each one in this force knew his place and was promptly on hand when the fire broke out; an insufficient water pressure, however, handicapped their efforts.
Another lesson taught by the fire, which is equally valuable to all employers of labor, is the merit of reinforced steel concrete construction for factory buildings. Not only are all concrete buildings in the Edison plant still standing, but those damaged can be readily repaired. In some instances the concrete was shattered, but it can be taken down and new put in its place. Concrete construction also delayed the progress of the fire considerably, thus giving the firemen more time to bring up their lines. But, most important of all these solid concrete floors, remaining intact, held valuable machinery from falling to the ground level. As a result, we are enabled to recover thousands of dollars' worth of machinery and shafting, all of which will be in good shape after cleaning and repairs.
Still another lesson of the fire was the value of