The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-12-30
NO. 26.
New York Buildings.

In an article on the Fifth avenue fire
The New York Rorld says: All tlit
material havoc and ruin Of the FIRE IN
Boston were scarcely SO impressive as
the burning Of o corner Of the FIFTH
Avenue Hotel. For the burnt buildings
Of Boston are reparable, and their repair
will be rapid. But the loss that was
sustained here Is one which II Is quite
out Of the question to estimate or to re-
pair. There were lives lost In Boston,
too, but not in so distressing or so i'm
pressiye way rs the wny In which these
eleven lives were lost. II Is not BY
figures Of arithmetic that We can COM
.pute disaster, in the effect II has upon
our Imagination. Fifty thousand men
may be shin in battle and the plying
memory Of men not he impressed by
their fate no deeply nor retain their fate
so long rs the story Of he'iorty victims
% Glencoe or the 100 victims Of the
Black Hole of Calcutta. The perfect
helplessness OF these eleven poor crea-
lures, within an arms length Of help be-
fore this mere sputter Of conhagratisn,. Is
the thing which makes the story OF their
terrible sutferings aud their slow release
seem so sad and SO shameful. Since the
Ayondale massacre II has had no parallel
IN this country. Ha'h
II Is disheartening to have to take up
forever the same. old parable OF eye
service aud slpckness aud superlciality.
These wretched women were burnt in q
cage. The fire followed tue ilue an ele.
yator male forit. II Is true that there
must be vertical openingsin all build
ings like this, for staircasesand for ele.
vators, and that in u fire these openings
serve the fire with Aues. But surely
these fiues ought 10 be rs few as posi-.
bic and Us well defended MS possible. A
device hns been invented and shown
whichifit does not mako an elevator
safo from the ascent Of fire, at all events
diminishes the danger Of II. This do
vice was not applied here. And, worst
Of all, the place in which these women
were cooped was literally Il cage. II
was so easily accessible by persons who
sought to enter it TO commit crimes
that II was barred mp against those who
sought TO escape from II To save their
lives. A witehman with key 10 tie
bars OF lhis cage coull have released the
inmates Of 1t. But itnevcr occurred to
mSbody TO furnish IN exit from the
clge, OF to provide watcllman to open
II In exigcncies like this, and the in
mates perishcd niiserably and painfully
the bars behind which they
were burning. gp 'a5' tl ''-''
sItis idle to blame the men who were
specifically and technically responsible
for this lideous taipg. They simply
caught the infection which builders Of
hotels and steamships partake with the
community they form a part of. They
take Tie cheap and hasty mode instead
OF the dear and honest mode Of doing
their business. They are too busy ID
the outside OF tho cup and
platter to look after the quality Of the
ware. They are too eager in tho race
for wealtlfto ob.eryc what they leave
behind them in il. He who maketl
haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
That lesson which Solomon taught,
and which fires and shipwrecks and col.
listens keep on preaching to rs. Ex.
pCrieuce Is u dear and d harsh school!
master, but he Is said to teach well. How
many more disasters must We undergo
before we learn our lesson !? ~