occupant of any building or premises failing to comply with the orders of the fire marshal or his deputies, the chief engineer, or the battalion chief engineer of the fire department, made in compliance with and upon the authority of the provisions of this section, shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not less than $10, nor more than $40; and any owner or occupant of any building or premises who shall willfully obstruct or interfere with any of said last-mentioned officers in the performance of their above-specified duties, shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not less than $1 nor more than $40.

SEC. 11. It shall be unlawful for any person holding a license as steam engineer to absent himself from the engine or plant of which he has charge, either temporarily or by vacating his place as such engineer, while the same is in operation without leaving a licensed engineer in charge thereof.

SEC. 12. Any person violating any of the provisions of any section of this article a penalty for which is not heretofore provided shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not less than $1 nor more than $40 for each offense.

ARTICLE II-A

Construction, installation, and use of oil-burning equipment and storage and use of oil fuels used therewith

PART I

EQUIPMENT WHERE A COMPETENT ATTENDANT IS CONSTANTLY ON THE PREMISES

SECTION 1. Permit.-Oil or fuel oil, under the provisions of Part I of this article, shall have a flash point above 150° F., closed-cup tester. In determining the flash point either the Elliott, Abel, Abel-Pensky, or Tag closed testers shall be used, but the Tag closed tester (standardized by the United States Bureau of Standards) shall be authoritative in case of dispute. All tests shall be made in accordance with the methods of tests as adopted by the American Society for Testing Materials. Oil-burning equipment, under the provisions of Part I of this article, includes all equipment connected to an oil burner or burners, including storage tank, supply tank, provisions for filling storage and supply tanks, piping, burners, and all

accessories. Oil-burning equipment, under Part I of this article, shall be operated only when a competent attendant is constantly on the premises. No oil-burning equipment shall be installed in the District of Columbia until application shall have been made to the fire marshal, District of Columbia fire department, and until permission to make the installation shall have been granted by the commissioners. No oil-burning system which permits gravity flow of oil to the burner in excess of 1 gallon which is not equipped with an automatic oil cut-off, shall be used or sold in the District of Columbia. Only oil-burning equipment which has been installed by properly qualified mechanics, has been inspected under the supervision of the District of Columbia fire marshal, and has been approved by him shall be used in the District of Columbia. Where such equipment is used its hazards shall be recognized and the following rules and precautions shall be rigidly observed:

UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS

SEC. 2. Location.-(a) Wherever possible storage tanks for fuel oil shall be located outside, underground. (b) Tanks shall be located at least 6 feet from any building having a floor or pit lower than the top of the tank: Provided, however, That where a tank, for reasons satisfactory to the commissioners, is located within 6 feet of any building and the top of the tank is above the lowest floor or pit of the building the tank shall be entirely inclosed in concrete of not less than 4 inches thickness without air space. (c) Tanks shall be buried underground, with top of the tanks not less than 3 feet below the surface of the ground and below the level of any piping to which the tanks may be connected, except that in lieu of the 3 feet cover, tanks may be buried under 18 inches of earth and a cover of reinforced concrete at least 6 inches in thickness provided, which shall extend at least 1 foot beyond the outline of tank in all directions; concrete slab to be set on a firm, welltamped earth foundation. Tanks shall be securely anchored or weighted in place to prevent floating. Where, for reasons satisfactory to the commissioners, a tank can not be entirely buried, it shall be covered over with earth to a depth of at least 3 feet and sloped on all sides, slopes not to be less than 3 to 1. Such cases shall also be subject to such other requirements as may be deemed necessary by the commissioners. If, for reasons satisfactory to the commissioners, a tank can not be set below

the level of all piping to which it is connected, it shall be set at such higher level as the commissioners may authorize, provided arrangements satisfactory to the commissioners shall be provided to prevent siphoning or gravity flow in case of accident to the piping. (d) Tanks shall be set on a firm foundation and surrounded with soft earth or sand well tamped in place, or incased in concrete, as outlined in Section II (d) below. (e) When located underneath a building the tanks shall be buried with top of tanks not less than 2 feet below the level of the floor. The floor immediately above the tanks shall be of reinforced concrete at least 9 inches in thickness, or some other type of construction of equivalent strength and fire resistance, extending at least 1 foot beyond the outline of tanks in all directions and provided with ample means of support independent of any tank.

SEC. 3. Capacity.-Storage of fuel oil in excess of 50,000 gallons in or on any one property or premises in residential or commercial zones of the District of Columbia is prohibited: Provided further, That no single tank for storage of fuel oil in residential or commercial zones shall exceed 25,000 gallons. Pressure tanks for use with oil-burning equipment in the District of Columbia, except as provided in sections 5 and 6, Part II, are prohibited.

SEC. 4. Materials of construction.-Tanks shall be constructed of galvanized steel, basic open-hearth steel or wrought iron of a minimum gage (United States standard), depending upon the capacity, as given in Table 1.

NOTE.-In zones other than residential or commercial, storage of fuel oil in excess of 50,000 gallons on any one property or premises and in tanks exceeding 25,000 gallons capacity is permitted as provided in regulations governing the use, handling, storage, and sale of inflammable liquids.

SEC. 5. Joints and connections.-All joints shall be riveted and calked, brazed, welded, or made by some equally satisfac

tory process.

Tanks shall be tight and sufficiently strong to bear without injury the most severe strains to which they may be subjected in practice. Shells of tanks shall be properly reinforced where connections are made and all connections made through the top of tank above the liquid level.

SEC. 6. Rust proofing.-All tanks shall be thoroughly coated on the outside with tar, asphaltum, or other suitable rustresisting material, dependent upon the condition of soil in which they are placed. Where soil is impregnated with corrosive materials, tanks shall also be made of heavier metal

SEC. 7. Venting of tanks.-(a) An independent, permanently open galvanized-iron vent pipe terminating outside of building shall be provided for every tank. The lower end of the vent pipe shall not extend through the top into the tank for a distance of more than 1 inch.

(b) Vent openings shall be screened (40 by 40 noncorrodible wire mesh or its equivalent, preferably cone shaped), and shall be of sufficient area to permit proper inflow of liquid during the filling operation, and in no case less than 14 inches in diameter. Screens shall be accessible for examination and removal. Vent pipes shall be provided with weatherproof hoods and terminate 12 feet above top of fill pipe, or, if tight connection is made in filling line, to a point 1 foot above the level of the top of the highest reservoir from which the tanks may be filled, and preferably not less than 3 feet, measured horizontally and vertically, from any window or other building opening.

SEC. 8. Filling pipe.-End of filling pipe shall be outside of building, in a tight, incombustible box or casting, so designed as to make access difficult by unauthorized persons. When installed in the vicinity of any door or other building opening terminal shall be as remote therefrom as possible so as to prevent liability of flow of oil through building openings.

No

SEC. 9. Manhole.-Manhole covers shall be securely fastened in order to make access difficult by unauthorized persons. manhole shall be used for filling purposes.

SEC. 10. Test well or gaging device.-A test well or gaging device shall be provided. Top of well shall be sealed and kept locked when not in use.

TANKS INSIDE OF BUILDINGS

SEC. 11. Location.-(a) Tanks shall not be located above the lowest story, cellar, or basement of building.

(b) Tanks shall be located below the level of any piping to which they may be connected, or if for reasons satisfactory to the commissioners this is considered impracticable, they shall be set at such higher level as the commissioners may authorize, provided arrangements satisfactory to the commissioners are made to prevent siphoning or gravity flow in case of accident to the equipment of piping.

(c) Tanks shall be set on a firm foundation and those exceeding 25,000 gallons capacity shall be supported independently of the floor construction.

(d) Steel tanks of over 275 gallons capacity shall be placed in an inclosure of dimensions 6 inches greater on all sides than the outside dimensions of the tank. The walls and floor of the inclosure shall be constructed of reinforced concrete not less than 8 inches in thickness or of 12 inches of brick. The walls shall be carried up to a height not less than 1 foot above the tank and the space between tank and the wall and roof of the inclosure shall be completely filled with sand or well-tamped earth. The inclosure shall be roofed over with reinforced concrete or equivalent construction capable of sustaining a live load of 250 pounds per square foot, but in no case less than 5 inches thick, reinforced with 2-inch round steel bars spaced on 6-inch centers.

SEO. 12. Capacity.-(a) In ordinary buildings the gross capacity of tanks shall not exceed 5,000 gallons.

(b) In fire-resistive buildings the gross capacity of tanks shall not exceed 10,000 gallons.

(c) In any building, if in a fire-resistive or detached room cut off vertically and horizontally from other floors of the main building, in a manner satisfactory to the commissioners, the gross capacity of tanks shall not exceed 50,000 gallons, with an individual tank capacity not exceeding 25,000 gallons, provided the insulating sand specified under section 2 (d) shall be increased to 12 inches on sides and 18 inches on top.

SEC. 13. Materials of construction.-(a) Tanks, including top, shall be constructed of basic open-hearth steel or wrought iron of a minimum gage (United States standard) as specified in Tables 2 to 4, inclusive. No open tanks shall be used.