Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-01-12
olIly poS1-INTEluefncER


DAILY Observation-Disclosures.
1RRo9o PROTECTION AGAINsr s1eE
The burning Of Notre Dane Seminary
4 BelIsviile, H., a few DAYS aSo. and
the frightful destruction 81 hfe IN
volved, again directs paths attention
70 the insuficiency Of meals provided
fee escape from crowded public build
inn. Indeed, il seems true, - 1ileReo
b many o5ssrvant people. that Sm'e
nei&uos and art combine t. erecs mag
uiAcent and costly ediGces for osivef-
sitiss, public SCHOOLS, halls, ssminsf'es'
tlAaafnrs. hotels, etc., ETC., tue measures
taken for the safety Ut their occupants
have NOT kept vace WITH Tie ar.itt-c DE-
aian nor strength Of their CONSTRUCTION
Huee buildings Of IN my stories 10 higns
are crested, into which lsuadrsds ana
thousands Of people are crowded VINE
NO sufficient provision u made ios
spsedy exit in sass Of necessity. REQ
uie 90 into thseter By twos and shfsss'
.oesuuyine an hour In 6llinR up the aur
ditoeium. When ~ alarm of IRE 90
eors. involving an emergency which 70
ouirss the smptying Of the building u
one tenth Of thst time, tho doors are
found too narrow, OF often opsn inward
ths landings are oontraotsd, the starr
vavs are not broad enough, ana the
sHeus not Of Sufficient width. A crush
II inevitable. The few in advance who
have suecsedsd IN getting on the Stair
or landing, may by good fortune resch
the outer cir, bat II one or two fall down
those behind inevitably follow, block
sds results, and helpless iasn aud WON
90 are hesnmsd in 70 be slowi. roasted
or troddsu under foot IN the MAD
rusb for safety. How often do We read
Of psuiss In school rooms, where iissie
shildren, Wild with fear and torn and
bleeding, choke the hall and stairwavs.
In crowded hotels and lodging houses
the risk 10 even greater. and in moss
$500 the avenues Of escape In cass OF
6re are practically vAluslsss. Two OF
three hundred people are domicilsd In
the upper stories Of q large wooden
building, and are asleep. A IRE breaks
ont below, cutting Of, in few minutes,
sscape BY the main stairway. The halls
are narrow and the stairways crooked
and srampsd. And 20 eooped 40
hemmed In above . furnace. men and
Vosnsn are swallowed up in the fierce
oonAaarstion, or in Wild despair lssE
from the Windows into the outstrstched
arms Of death. This 10 = subject Of
which much has besn written, bu'
Il 4 Z matter which interests u
al. There are In this city today
1000 or more people, who sleep in hotels
and public lodging houses, which an
always we'll filled, and usually crowded
70 their utmost oapacity. Most Of them
are wooden buildings. A Dire in any Of
dozen Ne might name, II occurring in
the niaht would almost inevitably in
volye 4 los OF human life. Yet there Il
hardly one in which any provision fol
escape in such An event has been made
Il i criminal negligence to 70 trifle. with
life.
Every building In which many rooms
are devoted TO slsspina purposes
should be provided with ample
msaus Of escsps in an smsr
esasy. Coils and ladders Of rop>
should b. placed in veil known places
eaaily reaehsd, and ladders should b.
owned and kept by all large hotels ant
lodeiug houses. 4 few momsnts promp
action q the breaking out Of hrs, de-
voted TO getting people ont Of thsss
crowded structures may save many lives
and the presence of proper appliances
suoh q ropes, ladders, etc., would On
able eiIecaivs and speedy relief to b
afforded. Let % not wait until on som'
fatal night our citizens stand impotsn
before one Of thsss burning structures
and watch with anRuinhsd hosro'
sueh scenes ~ are % frequently enaetei
elsewhere. while Il IL true that 6rsI
ooeur more frequently in larger cities
and that fatalities are moro numerous
~ Il must bs remembered that Il b b
eanss the population Ia denssr. TIT
!. most fatal Ares Of last year OCCURRED h
, comparatively small cities, whore u,
means Of escape and facilities Tor en-
tin9uishinR the oondaeration we're limi
"a. There will Of necessity always b
h our city large floating populatios
who muss and recommendation q
ho1sls and lodging honsss. They an
sntitlsd 70 b protected when aalesp q
prudence and Humanity shall diotats
Thaa hey are nos % nov 10 patent Il
evon . casual observer.
Just over the line from Maryland AM