a new word I just learned

[linnrg]

from the latest NFPA Journal - large loss fires in the United States in 2018

"Fire development The fire of undetermined cause broke out in the cockloft of the building and vented through the roof"

What the heck is a cockloft?

I did look it up.

 

[ICE]

I bet I couldn't use that word more than once. That would be an equity violation for sure.

 

[linnrg]

Hey even Shakespear used it.

I found it was used in quite a few books.

 

[linnrg]

Interesting stuff

In literature:
Why should he care to see either cockloft or girl?
"The Dawn of a To-morrow" by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Queer up there in the cockloft, alone, with stops and locks and keys.
"Ulysses" by James Joyce
This little cockloft does not fill the whole of this upper story.
"The Light That Lures" by Percy Brebner
You're a perfect Charity Cockloft with your curiosity.
"Lippincott's Magazine. Vol. XII, No. 33. December, 1873." by Various
They found themselves in a long narrow cockloft, not more than six feet high at the highest, and insufferably hot.
"Count Hannibal A Romance of the Court of France" by Stanley J. Weyman
Often the cockloft is empty, in those which Nature hath built many stories high.
"Familiar Quotations" by Various
The boys on the floor below the Cockloft were out by this time, and they were enjoying the spectacle quite as much as the plebes above.
"Frank Merriwell's Chums" by Burt L. Standish
The audience numbered nearly two thousand, pit, gallery and cockloft being filled to overflowing.
"Shakspere, Personal Recollections" by John A. Joyce
The hand of improvement touched Cockloft Hall shortly after.
"A Little Girl of Long Ago" by Amanda Millie Douglas
Washington Irving was in Europe, and the muse of Pindar Cockloft was silent.
"The Philadelphia Magazines and their Contributors 1741-1850" by Albert Smyth
Letters from Mr. Coffin to Cockloft, etc.
"Letters from Port Royal" by Various
A ladder connected with a hole in the roof enabled you to reach the cockloft, the guest room of the establishment.
"The Belovéd Vagabond" by William J. Locke
Ofttimes the cockloft is empty in those whom nature hath built many stories high.
"The Great Mogul" by Louis Tracy
It seemed to him that he had spent hours there in the cockloft, whereas perhaps thirty minutes had elapsed.
"The Law of Hemlock Mountain" by Hugh Lundsford
Of all places in the house, that cockloft, after all, is the most likely.
"The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine" by Frank R. Stockton
They found themselves in a long narrow cockloft, not more than six feet high at the highest, and insufferably hot.
"Historical Romances: Under the Red Robe, Count Hannibal, A Gentleman of France" by Stanley J. Weyman

 

[cda]

Ok some people use different terms for the same thing.

Plus, what may be in up state Maine, May not be found anywhere else in the USA

 

[TheCommish]

Acockloft in firefighting terms is the space above the ceiling and below the flat or slightly sloped roof usually in a row of stores or the upper level of row houses. The space can be tall and is hidden from the street by the parapet on the front of the building possible 5 or more feet high sloping to the rear and constructed of wood.

 

[mark handler]

cock·loft
/ˈkäklôft/
noun
noun: cockloft; plural noun: cocklofts

1. a small loft or attic.

FireEngineering Mag
https://www.fireengineering.com/2005/08/01/292843/cockloft-vs-attic/#gref
the difference between a cockloft and an attic. A cockloft is a small space created when the roof is raised above the level of the flat beams to provide a pitch to drain rain and a vented air space to reduce top-floor temperatures. This is called an “inverted roof.” In row buildings, it is often the case that while brick nogging might have been used in a naïve attempt at a fire barrier, the cockloft is continuously open from building to building...

 

[ADAguy]

And I thought it might be a pigeon coup on a roof top.

 

[Mr. Inspector]

i thought it was for rosters to hang out.

 

[Yikes]

If it's up 30' above ground, it's called a cockloft.
If it's up 30,000 feet in the air, it's called a cockpit.