Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-07
BETTER SECURITY
F0R LIFE AND PROPERTY on
WATER AND LAND.
The Necessity for Intelligent and
Systematic Preventive Measures
Against Possible Dangers.

upon the many fires and accidents taking
place in the United States, the question
naturally arises, Is not man, either by ig-
norance, gross carelessness or a want to
comprehend the duty intrusted to him, to
4 great extent responsible for the loss of
life and property? For the latter two
faults future generations will hold man far
more responsible than the present age,
when drunkenness and similar pleas are
put forward as excuses. No man who be-
comes intoxicated is a fit subject to have
any duty deyolying upon him where life
and property is at stake. He cannot be
trusted, and this is by no means the opin-
ion of prohibitionist.
To great extent this must also be APP
piled TO careless or thoughtless persons,
and known to be such. 1t is not enough
that person taking charge Of an important
railroad bridge, railroad connection, loco
motive, engine boiler, gas, water and cleo
trio light plants, or wherever danger turks
if duty is not promptly attended to, that this
person be sober, industrious, and a So
called "good fellow" with five senses, but
he must withal be sufficiently intelligent
and courageous to act like trained sol
der who has learned how to execute in
case of emergencies.
This must be applied TO similar employ
ments of trust on water and land, from the
taking care Of building at night, to large
steamers and warehouses filled with COM
bustibleS and explosives, that require
prompt and judicious action if loss of life
and property is to be averted in brief
space Of time, and for this it requires sys-
tematic training, for experience with a
cool head is necessary for all such offices
Of trust. Had the man in charge of the
sheet-iron drop-curtain at the Ring Thea
ter, in Vienna, shown more courage, or
faithfully carried out his charge, the loss
Of life would have been less or probably
entirely averted.
1t il this sort of duty pointed out here.
Apply this to your fremen and similar
offices of trust-if they wait in their exer-
else and training until a large confag-
ration has taken place, it shows little
prudence in the head of the department
or the city authorities who ought to en-
force it. On this coast, by the lack OF at
tentlon to this foresight, frequently half of
a young growing town has been financially
crippled for several years. In larger cities
it may take half century before half of a
town is wiped out of existence, but reflect,
when millions Of dollars and human life is
at stake it ought to be the Law to prepare
for such emergencies, and not blunder
k.yx1r Ais,,DifaI II
manner when such calamity threatens.
Apply this on 4 smaller scale to large
manufacturing establishments, ships, tene-
ment houses, hotels, or wherever man is
congregated in large numbers, which does
not exclude churches, school-hous Is, and
theaters, in all of which so many lives
have been sacrificed by want of fore
thought aod within ten years or less Re
garding all the places mentioned, it re-
quires some supervising spirit or parsonage
who has planned previously, like Gen
eral, and knows how to act when the dan
ger threatens.
The future will look to the prevention
OF an evil--the fire smothered by prompt
action has been carried out similar to the
metheds adopted by medical science,
which isolates Tor should crush even the
danger at once in some cases) Yet medi-
cal science, as well as those doing duty in
behalf of life and property, ought to be
prepared how to act when disease, fire,
water, Or any calamity has spread, even
taking into consideration those dreadful
dangers to which man and animals are sub
jecteS when natures forces have escaped,
brought out OF equilibrium, or have formed
a combination 10y laws as yet partly IN
known to US In this age.
Tho city, therefore, that has neglected
breathing or open places for its popula-
ton, has pursued a very unwise policy, or
If is had such, regretted the sacrifice OF
space, owing TO the value the land assumed,
and thereforesold thcground to be covered
with buildings.
These great and frightful manifestations
of nature may not occur in century OF
two; but wherever they have taken place
the intelligence of man ought to prepare
fo- it as far as lies in his power.
1t may not be out Of place to apply this
right here to our system of protection
against the mighty force Of water, which
by the aid of other forces Of nature may
be let loose, although for several decades
Those who never lock the door until the
horse has disappeared never see the re-
motest danger, and yet, if that duty is not
scruPulously attended to, and left unat,
tended, or the bulwarks not increased in
size and strength, the city may place il
upon It's record that it has seriously suf
fered again Us previously, and then o.
course With greater financial loss owing tC
the advance of the city.
In cnapactinu with this II ,,,ust no ,, ! a,
in consideration that as we advance IL
agriculture it will become necessary tC
store up large bodies of water by artificial
means, which signifies damming up a river
and making 4 lake. Now, no matter how
secure and conscientiously such dam i.
built, there still turks the danger of the
dam being destroyed, be it accidentally OIL
by the great power man now Yields in the
high explosives used. If dam in the
higher elevations is destroyed, may it no
be possible that those situated below may
also DO carried by the mighty force on the
way 10 the source from which it originally
came, viz, the ocean, and during that time
it takes strong bulwarks to Withstand the
force of such gravitation. might enlarge
upon this subject, stating what was noticed
when viewing the works by which othel
cities are protected and yet frequently suf
fer.
In another direction an unwise svsten
Of sewerage, and the neglect to wipe out o
existence forever the abomination tina
first o4fends the stranger when he visit
here, may have in the future more seri
GUS effect than the dollar-and-cent polio,
will ever save us. There is such thin!
as being too late, and coming generation
will suffer by it just the same as previousl,
when negleets were overlooked.
This, also, includes those little excava
tions made close to our houses, and con
nected with them by pipes and traps to ex
clude that from the houses which we thinl
dangerous. 1t is open TO doubt whethe
advanced medical science would call i
progress to bring devices near our bed
chambers that have such connection witt
the closed up material so nicely cooped u,
by the so-called traps" in which all tn,
security appears to be fastened (?) Their,
is no doubt that many public man ha.
his life Threatened by these devices, no
taking it into consideration that by thi.
fashionable convenience many human be-
ings of both sexes, and generally what i.
termed the better class, have their live,
shortened.
Az previously stated, prevention liz the