The Mail

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Reflection on Saturday night's fire in Claverly Hall has prompted several observations which may seem not insignificant. Apparently there is no audible fire signal that could have been sounded inside the building to warn its occupants. When some student eventually discovered the long-smouldering blaze, he was merely able to bang on a few doors on the floor and shout a word of warning, since the smoke soon became densely acrid. Shortly, however, the operation of several sprinkler heads rang a gong on the building's exterior near the front sidewalk, but this could not be heard in many of the suites where radios were playing or students were asleep. The fact that several men were unaware of the fire some time after it was first discovered shows the lack of an effective alarm.

Secondly, the location of the iron fire escapes was virtually unknown to many of the Hall's residents. Formerly there were boldly-lettered signs at the ends of the upper corridors, pointing unmistakably to those rooms through which one might gain access to the metal escapes. But these signs had been painted over, and the lettering was never restored. Though other suites had fire ropes, every possible emergency egress ought to have been clearly marked.

Incidentally, a fire extinguisher on the second floor had been intentionally overturned and its contents sprayed over a rear stairway. Although this incident occurred late Friday night, fire-fighters on Saturday would have found the extinguisher's contents still unreplenished. Robert W. Oliver '53   Bernard F. A. Law '53   George B. Stebbins, Jr. '53   (Claverly residents)