H—47

Roof. —Timber-framed, covered with corrugated iron, with skylights. Ceilings:— Basement: No ceiling. Ground Floor: Matchlining. First Floor : Matchlining covered with Pinex. Second Floor: Matchlining. Third Floor: No ceiling except over telephone-exchange. Partitions : Basement: Wire mesh on wooden framing. Ground Floor: Nil. First Floor: Nil. Second Floor: Matchlining, Pinex, and glass. Third Floor : Matchlining and Pinex. In the basement a dustproof partition of Pinex on wooden framing and fitted with a plywoodcovered door had been erected to prevent dust reaching stock from a place where workmen were engaged in cutting an opening in the basement wall. Fire-escape.—Steel and cast-iron stair with steep flights and landings accessible through sliding metal-clad doors from second and third floors. Also gave access through sliding metal-clad door to second floor of Block 3, and through wooden door to lavatory above strong-room of second floor of Block 3. Stairs: — Basement to Ground Floor: Timber enclosed at top with wooden door with spring closer. Ground to First Floor: Timber stair not enclosed. First to Second Floor : Timber stair not enclosed. Second to Third Floor: Timber stair not enclosed. Lifts: —

Hoisting-gear in roof; counterweights against south wall; cage, wood-panelled, with telescopic gate. Block 3 (Known as Pratt's Building) A three-story block with basement, situated at the corner of Colombo Street and Cashel Street, separated from Block 2 by two solid-brick walls with a space of 3 ft., forming an alleyway in between and occupied by the steel and cast iron fire-escape stair mentioned under Block 2. Openings This block was accessible from Block 2 through the following openings : Basement. —No access, though an opening was being cut and had been pierced between Block 2 and the alleyway enclosing the fire-escape. Ground Floor. —lndirectly through the alleyway, one window and one door giving access to an otherwise enclosed space under the stair. First Floor. —A large opening 9 ft. by 17 ft. cut through walls on both sides of alleyway, and boxed around with reinforced-concrete slabs to provide access between buildings. Opening unprotected by fire or smoke-doors. One window opening into alleyway. Second Floor. —lndirectly through alleyway occupied by fire-escape by means of doors on opposite sides of fire-escape landing. Door, metal-clad, fire-resisting type. Third Floor. —lndirectly through alleyway occupied by fire-escape. A doorway with a wooden door gave access from the fire-escape to the women's lavatory erected in timber on top of the strong-room. Further details of window openings into the fire-escape alleyway will be given under " Fire Escapes."

16

— Shaft. Doors. 'Basement to ground .. Ground i>-> first First to second Second to third Third floor .. Timber frame enclosed with wire mesh .. Timber frame enclosed with Pinex to height of 7 ft. Timber frame enclosed with Pinex to 7 ft. high Timber frame enclosed with Pinex to 7 ft. high Pinex hardboard Timber covered with wire mesh. Wood with wire-mesh panel. Wood with wire-mesh panel. Wood with wire-mesh panel.