Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-12-30
FIRE ESCAPES NEEDED.
Augusta's large Buildings Ase Not
Well Supplied Viii Them.
psss'sas saasess \ sIsasissss es.-,,, \, ,
wesvy Fies-
glisors u III Keane1,ee .l..nr...r

E'ftssrs 81 ths KeaHeJee .ysnraa,
Wii you iiafly .ilew me .ars -. IA
your columns TO .siseus. 49, sfAs I,
M y OF assiierabie imr,r.s.ee
. 'ae people Of oar eifys Tar, av.re tia.
ne soojeet may net BE- an altogether popa-
ons Dns u sesfns 10 ne tia, /. .hsaN
mes sauaseiy ard eans.iiy apa .irh =
1850 70 sscSrtisn whether human LIE !.
osins Jeopsrsized in our snia-,. ara n 50.
ms. acton Is n esssasy to otvi.s. ...h 4
condition Of sfsi's. The ..ix,,. Are Tqs.-
iAy night Of this week viii veil serys 70 #.
,assta1e Tue Necessity Of having Ire ,se.pes
"bhs sne damage VS. VERY ssixht .nd re
gre small one. yet one must 50, 60 emf
seer what il might have been h.s i .,,aa5.
tered ssay few hours longer ana rats
thorough Foundation for ,,isasyo,. biars.
u shs names had xos well unier Wv AL III,
cony house became en~rsppea Ia A.. Is
safe to Say many lives would nav. ne, last
los.Smpiy on account Of there rot b1i,g .af-
heisnt means by which to esc.ue "a CONS
aouse is fully As well arranged and !. osser-
oasiy supplied with stsirrays and rnssn. Of
escape a. Try hotel in the city, but all xass
snst maifways soon become flied m 10
rhsh TOT Ute when the baiiding i, on Ere
gu might advance the idea that the gecu-
pants might imp out Of the winslo~. apo1
~ae adjoining buildings. Well this you'll
most assures'iy sndanger life and be an
favorable In several ways, a nearly every
one will agree. II stranger comes 10 the
city IN the evening and retires 10, ,bs B,xft
ne little knows when be may be arou.-a b.
fire in the building. He doe, M, knos
sny 'nins ABOUT the adjoining buiiiihss,
and would naturally think of tas
nrs escapes and stair~sys a. meas IL,
saving bis life. Let the reader ,hiak Of
me pfihting establishments in this city ant
CONSIDER how the many workers IN the va'i-
Gus % psrsments viii escape IL the entl-e
building should suddenly become enveloyed
BY destructive FIRE. What would M. lew
staifways amount TO in the great Alien Pub-
iishiog House for instance? Think Of those
on the upper fat. To leap for life mran.
instant death. Should they rush to the
stairway, the only opportunity possible :rr
escape, they would probably hai il
hiied with human beings struggling
to escape from horrible death. Tbi.msy
seem startling way Of stating thing. ba,
II seeTs to me to be fully justified BY e1i-t-
Ing conditions. An elevator Dit. in time #
conf'agration, has often served az great
hue to ian the flames to more rapll work.
lhey should certainly be accompanied in
construction With a reasonable number Of
IRE escapes. The Allen house is but one of
the great buildings employing mary hands
winch would suffer loss Of life by a heavy dre.
The reader will kindly run over the fJillw-
ing from the Revised Statutes of Maine,
1883. Chapter 26. Sections % to -. in lu-
size Every public house wher- gusts
are lodged, and every building 10 witch
any trade, manufacture, or bu.ine-. e., ear-
risd on, requiring the presence of s0rk-
men or other persons above the first 81 Try,
and all rooms used for public assembly or
amusement, shall at all times BE- provided
with suitable and sufficient fire-esc lpes out
side stairs, or ladders from each story or
galley above the level of the grouni rssily
accessible to all inmstes in Gaze Of Are or
of an alarm of fire; the snfiiciency thereof
20 he determined as provided in IT, iJ low
ing section.
Section n. In towns or parts Of tosns
having no organic ID fire depaftme
the municipal officers shall annualiy
make careful inspection OF the pr,,l4tons
and safeguards provided in compliance
With the foregoing requirements, 1ni pass
upon their sufficieney az to ARA cement
and number. and upon their state Of ryIwi-;
and direct such alterations addfIots and
repairs AS they adjudge nee. sslry
In tow :, cities and villages having an
organized Ore department, the dute. Af1re-
said .hall be discharged by the board Of fire
engineers.
Sec. 2s Such municipal office. IT fire
engineers shall give written notice to the
occupant Of such building also to
the owner thereof, if knowd of
their determination as to the SUIT 1sncy of
said precautions and safeguard specify
log in said notice any alter ltions, addition
or repair which they require. Sixty days
a'e allowed for compliance with such no
tice aud order.
Sec 20. Any owner or occupant who
reglects TO comply with such order within
the time so allowed, forfeits fifty dollars,
besides We dollars for every dsy' npntinu-
an g of such neglect; and the building or
part OF building so occupied shall be
deemed common nuisance, without any
other evidence than proof of It's use; and
the keeper shall he punished accordingly.
Said officers may forbid the use of such
building for any public purpose und their
order has been complied with. careful
perusal of this portion of the statutes and a
farther reading will reveal the PENALTY in-
flicted by noncompliance in supplying means
to insure the safety of the lives Of persons
laboring in large establishments. How
many of the business houses ar" furnished
with outside fire escapes in this city?
In the large cities this matter = promptly
ooked after and precautions taken for sup
plying escapes from fires. It = nope the
o. ners of the various large buildings here
will make definite move TO procure fire
escapes and have them placed uqon the out
side of the buildings Surely tfl, matter
will not remain UNDECIDED till a ,oss of life
serves to illustrate the point. IL.