The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-01-31
RESPONSIBILITY FOR .cc,nvrr.

f1 " III II
Mt iul tragedies that have borr;foa ~
ne '" past few weeks. Their ranid
Ut "ie"ce-one disaster almost trood;,.
q" ne neeIs OF another-must res,,I, t.
people 70 seriously thinkinp ahort a.
W ana to specializing whether they .,
RS y 'e avoided in the future. Tho in
IL cause OF such tragedies a. the Nouh,
y i0uSe hre' the burning of the cjrcus IN T
= tanu' and the sinking of the Cimhr;o r.
uouotedly with those directly in chora
se'enty-hVe persons should ner,sb il
"otei IN these days of advanced facilities 6,
e~@tihguishing fires and a ffordir -
Du''hg buildings, is simply criminal III,
ure' where people were roasted nv hr,
"eus' was atrocious. The arena bach Of ~,
was walled in with hay, so that q oon,
Piete circle of fire flashed mr. -
Neu 'ictlms who rushed to the exits on,u
- una them nailed shut. The s;nk;,. -
o'"orla' presumably 80 constructed . = -
render such an accident ;mnoau
less a culpable tragedy.
IL may be said that the nronr,o.
Newhaii House had no idea that a fire wor,d
''eah out In his hotel. True. but bo
nave known that such a thing was a Dossi.
v' ana yet he seems to have mado -,
provision for the safety of his CHESTS ond
SeNehty-hve inmates persisted horribly ON 90
count OF neglect. Nor did tho
me circus dream of the tragedy about 70 bo
r"Seu as an afterpiece in bic
''Aoe OF amusement. But he mr.t
known that just such a catostroa..
as possible and instead of taking ransom
0ie precautions, he seems to have ;,u;..s
ie uisaSeer by making escape practically
npoSsiole' So with the sinking of tho c,, 4,
'iA' the weather was foggy and the place a, a
emery dangerous on account of the oreot II
'nioeF OF vessels constantly in that NORTON "
tue sea. Yet it does not annear bouo-5
uot thai either vessel was rrooocs:~ A
- IL care that should have been exor, de
'scial TO the Indianapolis Journal. or
Jan. 30.-Milton Stafford, a e
tizen OF Sugar Creek township, thisc county, q
as killed instantly, last Saturday, while
a log upon a wagon. The rope by t
sed, and as a consequence 400 souls went N
the bottom OF the ocean. The captain of
ne or both of the vessels is chargeable with o
lie fatal blunder that brought them into tt
,llision. !.
These, however, are only secondary causes.
he true reason for many OF our CHASTITY sur g,
rises lies beyond these men in the fore +,
'ound. Hotels are unsafe because the pub s.
C demand compelS it. For convenience
ley must be near the center of business, b
lie depot, the State-house, where ground is n
cry costly. As a result, to get the neces- -
ny space to accommodate his customers,
le andlord piles floor upon floor until a
angerous height is attained. In response -
gain to public demand, an elevator is put
THE most dangerous thing possible in l.
Use of fire, opening up as it does a fine {
for the flames to each floor from
asement to garnet. Outside, again, the pub S
C steps in between safety and danger by for a
!dding ire-escapes-they spoil the =
sauty of the structure. Again, f
lfety is sacrificed to symmetry
hen a pine-lined mansard roof crowns |
ny public building. What has been said of q
otels is nearly applicable to places of amuse-
lent, where safety is ignored in the effort to '
lease the eye. The stability Of ocean .
is destroyed in order to please the +
ublic in other particulars. The broad ones '
re slow, and nobody wants to ride on them.
IS a consequence builders are obliged to ,
lake them dangerously narrow in order to ,
tain the requisite speed. Those provided
it'll water-tight bulkheads are not well
entilated, SO they must give way to com !
,rtable airy shells that go down like so L
iuch lead when the thin crust i'll broken. !
cars take fire and burn up
ecause the travelling public insists on kero- {
enc lamps instead of candles. Steamboats, I
urn like finder, because they are built of |
.nder. The cry everywhere is for speed be-
ore safety, beauty before security. The re-
nit is inevitable. Nine-story hotels, with
and without escapes, will continue .
} swallow up victims by scores. Slender ,
built to save a days time in cross ,
lg the Atlantic, will go to the bottom when
heir hulls are pierced. Cars will burn just f,
D long as the public insists upon lights
Fighter and more dangerous than candles. g
teamboats will go up like a flash just so long
5 their upper works are built of thin strips t
f oiled and painted pine. So it will con- t
niue. The public soon forgets a horror, but :
ever forgives slowness or a lack of what is ,
allied Accommodations" {
THAT which Democracy must gain, and
hitch the press must help it to gain, is the ,
onfdence of the large thoughtful, intelli- !
ent. conservative element, without whose
= A,o - - -Da.N Mi, - TGNaf nnnfi a