The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-04-16
Monday. April is. ls77.


member most in sym pathy with their pur-
poses. Under the impulse OF the st. Louis
slaughter a bill for the compulsory protec
tion of dodgers was introduced, Thursday,
in the senate at Springfield. 1t is merely
a suegestion ia the right dieection-better
than nothing, but by no means efhcacious
for the saving of life under great peril, as
the terms Of the bill, in the light Of great
disasters, prove The law directs that
hotels of two stories and more in altitude
shall equip each chamber with rope ladders
fastened securely to the windows. That
they shall reach the ground and afford
egress in case of danger. A neglect to
furnish this simple and feasible aid to i'm
periled sleepers shall be visited by fine OF
$50 for each window unprotected, and in
case of death through the absence Of such
relief, manslaughter shall be the quality OF
the offense. 1t will occur to the reader
that the last clause would be In itself am-
pie to secure the precaution desired. Hosts
made liable for manslaughter would be
very likely to bestir themselves to save the
lives Of the travellers who entrust their
safety to their care.
There are many reasons to urge against
mere rope.ladder provision. Such means
would, for example, be available to very
few comparatively. Strong men, gymnasts,
might find trip down descent of hun
bred feet a matter of comparative ease,
but how is a woman with tender hands and
no muscles to lower her frame to the street2
ANY one who tests his or her ability to
merely support the body 10 a place Of
safety without the enervating stimulus of
deadly peril, will see at once the utter in
adequacy Of the rope business as means
of salvation Comparatively few could use
such an expedient, and the method to be
adopted must be an infallible assurance to
all ages, kinds aud conditions. Women,
il will be observed by the ST. Louis dis
aster, are the chief sufferers, though child
rem share the fatality. Hence any system
which is meant to reassure the public must
make the rescue of women, children, the
aged and invalid, as certain as that of the
muscular and strong limbed. Ii men alone
were to be thought of, any shift would be
sufficient Most men are fertile 10 expe
dents in time of danger, and very few die
through lack OF readiness to make some
sort Of shift out of danger, Hence the
problem reduces itself largely to first prin-
cples-that is, construction of the edifice.
If the starways had been abundant and
removed from the centre of the structure,
every man, woman and child could have
very easily escaped from the Southern
1t was the fatal defect of that hotel, as OF
most similar establishments in the United
States, that the stairways all follow the
inner walls above the first or second floor.
A fire is Of course more likely to break out
in the kitchens aud engiDe-rOoms than
elsewhere in such an establishment, anC
the vent for the smoke and flame is ire
mediably the hollow centre of the building
The heat ascending consumes the walls
breaks the glass of the windows. and blocks
the stairs The victims are thus hope
lessly shut off in the earliest stage of tbt
fire from the only adequate means of re
treat. They are then driven TO the win
dows, and by this very compulsion forced
to increase their peril aud lessen the pre-
cious time needed for rescue, for as th'
windows are thrown Opon the flames ar
reinforced by the cross draughts and tn
chance of escape reduced almost to al
imposslbilty. Hence any comprehensive
general plan for securing the lives of hote
dodgers must take this aspect of the Gus
into consideration at the outset. Thi
difficulty aud danger surrounded, the lad
der scheme, though useful, would be fount
in most cases by no means indispensable
Greed and indifference are really at tn
root OF such caIamities as this Of st
Louis. We never hear of such butcher
in other countries Only year or tw
ago a hotel in New York caught fire, an
in an hour a score of helpless wOma
were slaughtered. 10 the Lndell Hote
the denial of a correspondent TO the COZ
trary, there were guests burned, as IN
beTeaved relatives know to their sorrO'
The largest hotel in Germany, the lmpel
ial burned q year or two since, and, thong
the fire was inconceivably swift, the appl
auces for lite-savlng, commanded by Law
were so perfect no one was injured. In
deed, destruction in buildings is almo
unknown abroad Ii is fixed convictiC
10 England, for example, that all theatre
sooner or later must burn, and precautioT
are taken in accordance with that belle
Our own experience in this country just
fes the conviction that sooner or later q
hotels must hum down. Certainly, the1
are few hotels in the country that have n
had an experience with fire. The part
wisdom, therefore, should be 10 contine Il
inevitable destruction to the lowest term
That, however, rarely suggests itself to
hotel proprietor. The steamship line tn
should fail to put hfe-protectors in
cabins, and supply small boats of sufhce
number TO at least accommodate the pa
sengers in case of disaster, would I'll
slim patronage The first assurance tn
n steamship line makes to its clientage
that of safety. Who ever hears hott
keeper assuring his guests of safety?
In other COUNTRIES the promise and Il
fact are understood. implied, and cOmpt
led In foreign hotel the guest room
his castle, which is guaranteed him iLviC
able against theft and other dangero
invasions. How is it here2 Warnin
stare the unhappy traveller in the face tn
his room is no security against maraudel
Nor is he misiutormed In the most pr
tentious hotels in the country the guest
Mt the mercy of every sharp in the dome
tic force of the house OF course scrvan
who see q premium put upon dishonest
will despoi the guests. 1t is done all I
time. No hotel in the country is an exec
ton to this scandalous state OF things, a
the unhappy lodger must pass his wretch
existence in locking trunks, drawers, al
closets to preserve the simplest articles
apparel. 1t is the experience of all ira
elers that in the event of loss, the ho
administration Is perfectly indltterel
No attempt is made TO ferret out t
guilty servant, nor in any way recover t
missing property How easy it would
to reverse this system, and make servan
in each division responsible for all loss
during their incumbency, need not
pointed out, Carelessness thus engender
extends to everything, and the lite of t
guest is, in the end, put upon the san
plane with his possessions.