The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-12-20
protection Against Fire in Our
Pablo Buildings.


PFINtGNlUh |
Pablo Buildings.
EII,ors Intsllissucsr. 100 ..--
1 noticed with interest an article in
your paper Of Monday last under the
above heading, copied from the ONO State
,IournaL and heartily concur in the views
and suggestions OF the writer on the SUD.
iect, especially his recommendation that
III our school houses be provided with
fits exLinguishers and with instructions
n, 10 their use 10 teachers and scholars.
Also that the children should be IRE.
ouenty impressed with the proper
course 10 bc pursued 10 case Of q fire, aud
made TO understand that II they follow
Instructions they will be safe. And
would add that not only our school houses
bat all public buildings where many
persons assemble should be provided
with means for the prompt extingntsh,
men. Of FIRE. Now as TO the kind
otextinguisher to DO used In such an |
emergency, It is important that II should
be one easily understood and operated and
| am OF the opinion that there Is nothing
better for the extinguishment OF inclpi,,
ent Gre in building than r simple hand
pump that child can carry and operate,
sanpl Of which Ichanced to see IN The
hands OF an agent while recently at East
Liverpool, Ohio. 1t will throw a stream
Of wafer al the rate Of about six gallons
per minute distance Of forty feet or
more, or a spray twenty feet high, which
would 10 quite important in checking
Are on the stage. trust our authoptnes
and those having charge OF our puonc
buildings and institutions will'coh"'ue
the matter and act accordingly.
Respectfully,
.r HIRAM IouNd.
Without knowing anything Of the merits
ofthe apparatus referred to by Mr.. Young
in the above communication, we can say
that our experience at this establishment
has satisfied us that tho Babcock ex-
,ipruisher Is one Of the simplest and most
effective methods yet invented for put.
ting GU, an incipient FIRE. It's contents
elervescc Just like glass OF soda water
and the spray efltctually smothers a
Gro that would keep burning under the
application Of small stream Of water.
We can hardly conceive OF an incipient
fire that is accessible by ten feet OF
hosO that can not lie put out BY
the BabcOck extinguisher. We keep one
on duty In this establishment, and al.
though We have never had occasion 10
uGO II ourselves yet on two occasions we
have been able TO render service to our
neighbors. Tho spray from a Babcock
extinguisher cats up n fire, its carbonic
acid gas having the effect 10 both exclude
air and apply moisture. Any teacher ct
to be in charge Of u room in our public
schools could readily bring the BabcOck
machine to bear on Gre in at least two
minutes after tho discovery OF the fire.
OF course We refer in these remarks TO
fires within doors in school buildings
and not on tho roof or at points not
easily accessible. There is but one real
safe guard for the roof Of public build
ing and that is a continuance like that in
use at tho Riverside Mills-viz--a per.
iorated pipe along the comb Of the roof
through which building can be show
cred, not dCIuSOd, instantly. No FIRE in
the roof can resist this seiye arrangement
any length Of time. Its merit is that it
not only distributes tho water but con-
tiuues it on every portion OF the roof,
and thus prevents the spread oil the
flames. The mere turning Of a wrench
throws the water on the roof ut once. No
other continuance can compare with it in
promptnCsS Of application.
Therei is one other suggestion that We
we think might 10 made with propriety
in this connection, and that is that there
should be in all our school buildings q
frc alarm arrangement communicating
with each room, 80 that on the very first
appearance Ere in one Of the rooms in
.stant alarm could he given 10 every Other
room, and thus allow tho children time tc
descend from tho different rooms and
get out OF tho building. There should b
no ri,ks taken on the appearance Of 4
FIRE, tho absolute safety of the children
being the first consideration. This alarm
continuance could DO tried on every few
weeks and the children thus taught &c
leave the room without panic. They
would become habituated to the sigma
and know just what TO do. We do moi
think that any other .contrivance in the
public schools would be Of the same ser
vice as a fire alarm. It would come
nearer iusuring the lives OF the children
than any other fundamentally that We
know Of. fa ..